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Newsletter Current Issue RLCM eBook 2007 Yearbook Extract - Shaun McRae
| RLCM eBook 2007 Yearbook Extract - Shaun McRae |
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| Monday, 17 November 2008 07:10 |
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.........one of course being the physical side. A large part of the physical side is your drills, as it incorporates your technical ability and it incorporates being able to play under pressure. However, it’s also important to be specific. Make sure you set up a drill where you want to put the player under a lot of pressure. For example, coaching unders and overs. If you want a team to learn how to run unders and overs, you’ve got to do it under pressure. “You want to create a situation where it’s match game situation; you also want to increase the heart rate. It can actually become quite game specific. So, it needs to be purposeful, it needs to be intense.” McRae says. “Don’t make a drill to difficult whereby you have players coming out of it and questioning their ability.” These drill techniques also work in accordance with match day preparation. By observing the opposition, coaching staff can plan drills accordingly. It may be simple, it might be left vs right with your left defence competing against your right offence. As a team, talk about the situation as if your left defence is playing defence for the opposition. The left side then simulates what they believe the opposition would do. The right side would then run some of the opposition’s plays, even though as a team you usually wouldn’t run them. The left side then defends as they would normally, and both sides can get a taste of what they are coming up against. Obviously you can then reverse the situation; it’s important to practice against these pressure situations as it will prepare the team for the game itself. The next step would then be understanding exactly what the drill is for. There is no point in practising the motions if the team doesn’t know why they’re doing it. A coach needs to incorporate these drills to improve a skill; whether it be shifting the ball or marker defence, but if you cannot logically explain to a player why you are doing it, then you must ask yourself why. Don’t be afraid to make changes, in fact be prepared to make them; but make sure you know exactly what you are doing. This theory applies to the rotation of left and right defence. Often, players will be hesitant to swap from right to left and vice versa; with a fair amount of practice, and ensuring that your drills incorporate the opportunity for players to change, players will be able to adjust. “Some players remember one instance [swapping from right to left, where they have had problems] and straight away develop this phobia.” “You’ve got to help them overcome that, say [to them] there really isn’t much difference if you’re a right or a left player. It’s important [that they] adapt early. They’re the sorts of players that can be better value to your team..........” From the RLCM 2007 Yearbook sold by Subscription Only |