What to do now, to help later

I came up with a few ideas as to what I think school and club coaches should be doing now in preparation for the winter season ahead. Take a look!

The rugby season is all but upon us now and no doubt huge preparation has been taking place across the schools and clubs. Everyone trying to prepare their teams as best possible so as to have that dream season. I believe that there are a few things that should be done now, if they have not already been done, to make sure that the season goes as well as possible. Have a read below and feel free to give feedback.
The Target
Most coaches will try and set some goals with their teams, but whether they do this correctly or not is debatable. A lot of goals are based on results and not on the process of attaining a greater goal. I have spoken in earlier articles about the need to try and focus attention on the processes required for success and not success itself. Also, coaches should allow the team to set their own goals and to dream big dreams. These dreams are what motivates them, and they should be encouraged. Remember, something to aim at is crucial in all aspects of life and sport is no different. Also remember that if you don’t reach your target it is fine, perhaps you just need to change the process of how to reach it rather than the target itself.
Expectations
‘The Greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place’. Even if you think, as a coach that your players know what you expect from them in terms of play, and in terms of behaviours, clarify it again, and do this early so that the problems that could occur later, never do occur. Boundaries need to be established early, as do targets for each player so that they know exactly what to work towards. Proper evaluation cannot be done unless a sound expectation/job description is given at the start.
Team Building- Properly
Raft-building and drumming sessions are great ways for teams to relax, get to know each other and have some fun, but they are not team-building in its entirety. They need to be done in conjunction with quality conversations where teammates open up to each other on various issues surrounding the team. Try to engage your players on how they would react if they lose 3 games in a row, what will happen if a few guys start slacking, or as to how they will prepare for a big game. All these things start to create an honesty in the side that is crucial for true team spirit to be formed. In amateur sport, team spirit can often be attributed to the success of a team and is so crucial. Team-building should therefore not be taken lightly at all, and lots of work should be done on forming and shaping your team.
Leadership
I am convinced that this is a make-or-break area of a team. A team without solid leadership is very seldom a successful one. Ensure that you find the best captain but also that you identify other leaders in the team and give them meaningful roles. They must be seen to have an influence and you must evaluate them on their work as a leader and on their role as a player. Be careful of letting people vote for captain, as you as a coach need to be able to work with them, but also be careful of being to autocratic in selecting him and alienating your players. Think of the 5E’s of leadership when selecting your captains. Enthusiasm is a must, energy is important as a the extra work load of being captain will require extra emotional and physical energy. Empathy is crucial if you want your captain to be able to get the best out of the players. Excellent communication is also important as the messages that the captain wants to get across must actually get across and be acknowledged by all. Then lastly, excellence, the captain does not have to be the best player but he must have some outstanding quality that earns him the respect of his team.
Make up your mind
It is important that you as a coach come up with a way of playing and sell it to the players well. I believe that sometimes even if a game plan is not the best, but all the players truly believe in it, and in you, it is likely to succeed. Try to make up your mind early as to what you want as a coach and stick to that. Of course, it is necessary to be adaptable as the season goes by, but there is nothing worse than a coach who seemingly panics when things go wrong, and they probably went wrong because he had failed to plan and come up with a quality game plan early on. I have mentioned in earlier articles that to be truly great, according to Jim Collins in the book, Good to Great, you need to do things that you can be the absolute best at, and things that you are 100% passionate about. Therefore if you feel that you can be the best side in terms of fitness and skill in your league, then you must build your game around that, and not around a physical, defence-oriented game or another that looks great on paper, but is not your strength. You also need to gauge what it is that makes your team tick. Are they a side that gets really excited about new innovations and methods of attack, or are they passionate about over-powering opponents and defending like Trojans. Yes, we are all passionate about winning, but there will be an aspect of the game or sport that your side is really passionate about. Find out that passion, and your key unique strength and work your game around those, not the other way round.