Coaching Tips
Welcome to my coaching section where we will hopefully have many interesting discussions about Sevens Rugby. I am definitely not an expert and like John Buchanan, the most successful Australian Cricket Coach is saying – ‘I am not an expert, but I will try to offer some expertise’.
There is one misperception about Sevens we need to kill right here, that Sevens is fun and less complicated than Fifteens. Let me promise you, there may be only seven players on the field, but the game has become as technical, tactical, physical and detailed as any other professional contact sport. In an era where technology and science are being applied by most teams and strength and weakness either nullified or exploited, the need for redress is inevitable. More and more teams have become fully professional and even smaller countries are making their mark. The historic win of Portugal over Samoa in George is evident of the exponential growth of Sevens and the margin for error like Dr Ross Tucker in his section ‘Performance Zone’ is referring to, is becoming smaller and smaller.
Too often coaches come to your practices and the most frequently asked question is, what drills do you have? What works for me might not work for you and vice versa. If you are looking for drills than this site is most cetainly not for you, Google will gladly assist you in your pursuit. My idea with this website is to challenge you as a coach or player by not searching for drills, but searching for the right questions.
This section will very much be dependent on the kind of questions you will post on this website and I will endeavor to answer them on a weekly basis. In my next section we will discuss a very commonly asked question during interviews, what is your Coaching Philosophy? This topic will be our feature for February and I will share with you why it was important for me to have done it five years ago.
Paul Treu
This formation is often utilized by teams, but the problem is that the deep kick is normally unaccounted for. The 10m line is well protected and the last two players could easily move into space once the ball is in the air. There normally is about a 20m space between the players on the 10m line and the last two players at the back.
This formation is the most applied one on the IRB Sevens Circuit and will probably be in place for many years to come. Both short and long kick is well covered and all players could easily move into different spaces. This is also my personal favorite and one which could get you out of trouble most of the time.
This is not an ideal setup, but is quite effective if you play against teams that favor short kicks or who lacks quality kickers with long range abilities. Under inclement weather conditions this could be a good option because of a weaker bounce of the ball which will affect height and distance.
The Kick-Off
The kick-off is probably the most important aspect of Sevens Rugby and should be the focus point in training. It is often taken for granted and considerable time should be allocated to this aspect of the game. Whether receiving or defending, this could often determine the outcome of a game. There are compelling reasons why other set pieces should be rehearsed, but for me this is such a crucial part that we cannot compromise its importance. Professional teams on the IRB Circuit do spend sufficient time on kick-offs mainly because it is so important to have a good start. It is sometimes very boring to practice, but the rewards speak for itself.
Page 1 of 2