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My son has played all season U9's on the wing and has?
My son has played all season U9's on the wing and has now be brought into a inside centre role. What are the key differences he needs to make to be successful in his new position
Charlie
Here are a few requirements of the different positions:
Wing:
- Very fast runner
- Good at scoring tries
- Good at Swerving /Side stepping to stay on feet
- Reads other teams defence and defends accurately
- Can kick well under pressure
Centre:
- Sharp runner and good stepper
- Fast over 20 metres
- A good kicker
- Strong runner with the ball
- Good passer in both directions
You can see a lot of the attributes are very similar. The main thing to practise is the passing off either hand and also making sure the timing of the pass is such that the reciever can pass as well. It is no good only looking at the first player you are passing to. You also need to think about the player they will pass to.
I am sure your son will grow into the position with gentle encouragement on these skills to start with. Once he gets a little older he can develop further but right now if he enjoys putting team mates into scoring positions he will do well.
I hope this helps
Simon
Charlie The main aspect and to build on what Simon replied is to ensure that his catching skills on the run are good and also he can pass very well from both hands. A lot kids are stuck on the wings sometimes as their passing/catching is not a good strenght - also being on the wing means that you mainly don't get involved a lot and some of your core skills aren't used a lot. I would help him practise his catching/passing and you may need to encourage him to be vocal by telling him teammates when to pass etc., - I don't think they kick at Under 9's so you don't need to worry about that. Once he gets used to it in time he's need to learn to play what's in front of him so when he gets the ball he already knows whom is near him etc., where the defence are etc., - however that's probably for when he's older. Concentrate on the catching/passing and of course making it fun for him
Hi Charlie, another thing regarding centres is that they need to get involved in rucking a lot more, which maybe why they have brought him in, he may be good at getting involved in contact, the wingers have to be great runners and have good balance but the centres have to be prepared to get involved in support contact play a little more than wingers I think, also, he needs to be aware of getting back into his position, which is easier for wingers as they pop back to their wing, but he now needs to look up, find the FH or IC and decide where to go. Chris
At U9 all players should be practicing all the skills required by any player on a rugby pitch without differentiation between various positions. Props, full backs and centres all need to be able to make decisions under pressure and pass the ball accurately. All players must ruck adequately and the ability to kick accurately should be practiced by everyone. In ten years time he may be a fly half or a hooker.
I agree with Alan. At U9 rugby who knows what positions players will play in when the reach U15 rugby. All players should be rotated through positions during training to ensure they experience the full range of skills required for ALL positions.
My 2 biggest bugbears:
- Coaches shouting from the touchline.
- Assuming a player will play in a certain position from a very young age.
In defence of the 2nd point, I have an U16 player who'd played prop all the way up till I started coaching the team at U14s. I implemented a rotation system (yes, at U14) during training where players play out of position - or what they felt was 'out of position'. At U15s, this player that everyone had down as a prop was picked up by the Saracens academy at a match where I played him on the wing.
Setting a player up in a certain position so young is setting that player up for failure.
I strongle agree with Alan and Dennis regarding this question! No player at Under 9 should be given a set position where they are expected to play all season. Players at this age need to try as many different position as possible so they can develop the basic skills required to play the game. I'm surprised your child is still interested in playing the game if he has been made to play on the wing all season. I'd have a word with his coach
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