Coaching girls rugby for the first time
Dan Lycett is coaching a girls team (including his daughter) this season. He shares his intentions and excitement. Plus a game for you to try at training.
I’ll be coaching the Ravens (girls hub) from Ruthin. I’ve coached women and girls’ rugby, but only in a pathway system. I’m expecting a really different experience in terms of expectations from players and parents.
I’m excited because I see them playing very differently from boys their age. I also believe they have so much potential to play very fun and expansive rugby.
I think they will solve problems differently to boys and I think the problems on the pitch will be different from the boys game.
It’s a double age group so the older girls will be in a really good place physically and tactically. I’ll need to hold the space for them on terms of the coaching approach being potentially different to what’s been modeled previously. I think the group will want to be part of a problem-solving process.
I’m going to aim to be gameified and constraints led. I’ll probably use levels as well, especially later on in the season.
I think it gives the best opportunity to allow the girls to play what’s infront of them in games as well as having lots of ways of layering in reps in a representative fashion. Anything that creates opportunities to be creative. Especially at this age.
I like setting challenges for teams to paint pictures in attack, especially if they can try and outwit the defence.
I love to add rewards such as triple point scores off turnovers at the breakdown. It creates loads of turnovers then players have to problem solve how to stop them. It’s a fast way to teach the importance of sealing.
I love a game called Blockbuster. It’s inspired by the quiz show Blockbuster.
How to play Blockbuster
Level 1
Set up two teams
Teams play a game of touch
Players pick an international team to play as. Each international team comes with different rules.
For example: South Africa have unlimited touches in their own half of the playing area, Scotland have to play with 3 fullbacks, If Fiji score from their own tryline in 3 touches or less it’s triple points.
Arrange some cards in a grid or draw a grid on a whiteboard
Each time a team scores a try, they turn a card over/mark a space on the grid
The aim is to be the first team to cross from one side of the grid to the other by marking a path out with the cards/spaces on the grid
Teams can also be blocked by their opponents. If their path becomes blocked they must start to form a new route.
Level 2
Set up two teams
Teams play a game of touch
Players pick an international team to play as. Each international team comes with different rules.
For example: South Africa have unlimited touches in their own half of the playing area, Scotland have to play with 3 fullbacks, If Fiji score from their own tryline in 3 touches or less it’s triple points.
Arrange some cards in a grid or draw a grid on a whiteboard
Write a challenge on each card. For example: kick to score
Players have to complete a challenge to turn over the card/mark the space on the grid.
The aim is to be the first team to cross from one side of the grid to the other by marking a path out with the cards/spaces on the grid.
Teams can also be blocked by their opponents. If their path becomes blocked they must start to form a new route.
Level 3
Set up two teams
Teams play a game of touch
Players pick an international team to play as. Each international team comes with different rules.
For example: South Africa have unlimited touches in their own half of the playing area, Scotland have to play with 3 fullbacks, If Fiji score from their own tryline in 3 touches or less it’s triple points.
Arrange some cards in a grid or draw a grid on a whiteboard
Write a challenge on some of the cards. For example: kick to score
On the other cards, write another international team with different rules. If the team select this, they must switch to this international team and it’s rules.
Players have to complete a challenge to turn over the card/mark the space on the grid.
The aim is to be the first team to cross from one side of the grid to the other by marking a path out with the cards/spaces on the grid
Teams can also be blocked by their opponents. If their path becomes blocked they must start to form a new route.
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