Watch this. Ian McGeechan demonstrating how to clear out someone trying to poach ball in the tackle. The skill is so clever, so simple. McGeechan clearly explains the reason why players may have to clean out a ruck with the ’scissors’ technique, how they should execute the action, and the benefits [...]
Entries from June 2008
June 30, 2008
Clearing out the tackle with Ian McGeechan.
June 26, 2008
Creating an Environment of Excellence.
Jim Greenwood is probably the most influential rugby coach in the world. His books are huge in the Southern Hemisphere and he has shaped the coaching careers of Ian McGeechan, Clive Woodward, Wayne Smith and Jim Telfer. I would highly recommend his writings.
Here is an extract from “Total Rugby” emphasising the importance of encouraging the [...]
June 20, 2008
Kicking with Dan Carter.
If your going to try and learn, you should pick up tips from the best. This video takes you through Carter’s kicking routine with Carter himself. What is remarkable is how relaxed he is. He is completely assured in his simple technique. I like the way he says that it is [...]
June 19, 2008
The Endgame.
In Football, most goals, statistically, are scored in the final 15 minutes of a game. Manchester United won the Champions League in 1999 with two goals in 90 seconds of stoppage time while Bayern Munich were blinded by imaginary post-game celebrations. Bayern dropped the wall. In Golf, its the back-nine of [...]
June 18, 2008
Jonah Lomu Rugby and the Offload.
Remember this? What a quality game for the Playstation. I know lads who were unbeatable at this game because they knew their way around the offload. I know one lad, who doesn’t even own a Playstation, who is considered to be the authority on the game because of his mastery of the offload. In Lomu, [...]
June 14, 2008
The Importance of the Set-Piece.
The Irish losses to Australia and New Zealand over the past fortnight were tight enough results. Yet for some reason, watching the matches and re-watching them left a feeling of inevitability about both outcomes.
The bottom line is that you cannot win a game without being able to control the ball on your own terms in [...]
June 11, 2008
Find your edge…
Aidan Moran wrote an excellent book on the psychology of sport. In it he broaches the question of self-improvement and self-analysis. Be you a player or coach, professional or amateur, the most productive way of improving and getting an edge on the competition is by taking a look at your own game and ask yourself two [...]
June 1, 2008
Improving Communication in Rugby…
”Talk” and “Communication” and “Chat” are all buzzwords among coaches and players alike, however buzzwords, by nature, loose their strength of meaning when they become ‘buzzwords’. Its up to the coaches to change the message, or at least change how that message is delivered.
Get your players to understand importance of what you want. Allow that [...]
