Rugby: under 11

We have open this thread to continue the discussion on Player Empowerment started in the Coaches Hot Tip in this month's newsletter. If you missed it, here it is again. There is no doubt that if you want your team to be successful, you need the players to make decisions on the pitch for themselves. We know that if a team is used to getting the answers to problems on the field from the coach, it will mean that they will hesitate and look to the touchline before commiting to an action and that, of course, will be far too late! The coach can still influence things but once the game has started it is a fairly minimal influence, during the game it must be the players who react to situations as they happen and make decisions immediatley. Therefore, it is essential to have leaders in the team who feel confident about making decisons in the heat of the battle. They need to know that even a wrong call is better than no call. They should feel that their coach will support them in making a call and, if it was not necesarily the best decision, will help them make a better one next time without being too critical. Ideally, the leaders and decision makers will be at key positions in the team where they can communicate with other players as well as influencing play themselves. Key positions are Numbers%3A 2; 4/5; 8; 9; 10 and 15. This is often referred to as "The Spine or Backbone" of the team. This is not to say that a good captain and leader can't be in another position but if they are, for instance an 11 or 14, they will need good co leaders in the key positions to communicate their decisions during a game. To develop this spine to operate as leaders, the coach should involve these players in discussions about how the team are playing - making them feel some ownership and responsibility for the teams performance. They could also be involved in unit practises, for instance the 2 and 8 could Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 occasionaly lead part of a line out practice, once the coach has agreed with them what the practice needs to achieve. The coach is not giving the players complete control but rather, allowing them to be involved in the process of team development. Obviously, the age and ability of your team can affect how far along this path you can go but, even with players as young as Under 8's, I have found that delegating some responsibility is a really effective way to build a cohesive and well functioning team! Let me know your thoughts on this type player empowerment. Good luck Simon

Not so much a question, more an observation. Would it not be good to have more categories for questions as there seems to be a lot of good information lost amongst loads of other good stuff. Possible suggestions%3A Under 6s, 7 to 10s, 11 to 13s or more theme based; tackling, passing, defence, attack, kicking.

My son is 10 years old and plays for school under 12 team as a outside center. he is average and appreciate for some advice on nutrician and drills which suits a center. nawushad

Ask a question and have it answered by Coaches from around the world and Sportplan's team of Experts.

Does anyone have a really good drill to encourage backs to hold their steepness when attacking - my team of dreams are Under 11's

Ask a question and have it answered by Coaches from around the world and Sportplan's team of Experts.

Dennis%3A The boys will be starting at under 11 next season this will become the first season they are able to actively kick during games. By kicking I mean all types of kicking. all advice, literature, web sites etc... welcome

my club has a problem with the seniors. Numbers at training are low every week, I know there is not a quick solution so how can i create a good culture of training ?

If you have 30 min before the start of a match how should you prepare a team of under 10 players. How do you get them suitably motivated to hit the ground runnung with a high level of intensity.

please how do idefine the players in the pitchie. who is the flanker, hooker, fly half etc

U11 Rugby I am coaching the U11's this season. There are some significant rule changes from U10. Please can I get some advice on what lessons were learned from coaches who have been through a similar experience.

How can I improve my team's line speed in defence? Are there any drills which can help me?

I have read U11 RFU rules but would like clarity on the kick off/re-start. If the ball is knocked on at the re-start is it a/ a scrum put in to the team that knocked on, b/ play continues or c/ scrum put in to attacking team? Thanks for any help.

I'm coaching and reffing U11 rugby and one of my players is the definitive 'big lad'. His 'strength' is his size and his power, but last weekend he didn't seem to get reffed fairly. The opposition couldn't tackle him down, one on one and when another two joined in to make a mini maul, that didn't slow him down much either. The ref then let other people join in the (one sided) struggle to tackle him down, which seemed very unfair as A) it's outside the laws of U11 rugby,, B) it makes it nigh on impossible for him to offload, C) when he is brought to ground, he has 4-5 players all over him and he got pinged for 'holding on'. He is a recent arrival to rugby and it was our first game for a couple of months, so the situation hadn't reared his head before. We are keen that he learns all of the core skills of rugby and doesn't get used as a battering ram, but after seeing a pack of hyenas trying to pull down the big fella, something just didn't seem right to me.I'd be grateful for any thoughts and opinions.

U11 Rugby I am coaching the U11's this season. There are some significant rule changes from U10. Please can I get some advice on what lessons were learned from coaches who have been through a similar experience.

My U11's are a mixed bunch when it comes to tackling. Some very good, most OK, some ...hmmmm... enough said. Been through all the drills and when we break things down, go back to basics, everything appears OK, but it doesn't always transfer into the game. Any ideas on small group games that will allow me to combine technique with confidence?

What aims or goals should I be asking for my U11's to achieve this season?

If you have 30 min before the start of a match how should you prepare a team of under 10 players. How do you get them suitably motivated to hit the ground runnung with a high level of intensity.

Getting quite frustrated that my u10's are not using the space on the pitch and tend to bunch up. Despite various drills and game scenarios to force them to spread out and pass to someone in space they revert in any game to bunching up around the ball and taking it back into the thick of the opposition rather than looking left or right! Any ideas how to change their ways?

I am slightly confused by the recent changes to U11 rules. If a kick off is dropped and knocked forward I understand it is a scrum to the side kicking the ball. However, for all kicks from open play , a knock on would be treated as scrum to the defending team, who have actually knocked forwards. Can anyone confirm if this is correct ?