What to do when there's small numbers
Don't cancel a session! Build momentum when you've only got small numbers
When building a team it can be hard to sustain momentum. Cancelling a session when there’s 4-8 players will reinforce a culture of no training, rather than bringing people together to have fun and learn. It will get people in the habit of training being cancelled, meaning players may delay in confirming their attendance or just get fed up with not training.
It can be difficult to keep training exciting and relevent when you’ve got small numbers. I’ve run training sessions for 3 people when starting women’s sections.
There is also a benefit. Small numbers guarantees you’ll have more interactions with each player. It’s an opportunity to think how you can have the most impact (when are you quiet and when do you speak?).
Games, games, games!
If you’ve got even numbers, your training session is made a little easier as you can play different games with even numbers on each team.
In medium-to-larger training sessions, (numbers above 10) an overlap within the teams (one team having 5 and one team having 6 players) doesn’t make that much of a difference.
When numbers are small, having an extra player can have a huge impact. A 2v3 game can be demolarising and tiring for the team of 2.
If you have small and uneven numbers, play a game that has one person always attacking. That means they’ll constantly switch teams.
This creates a mini overlap game (similar to a continuous 3v2 skill game). Think about which player is always on the attacking team. You could take it in turns, so everyone is able to play the role.
Try pausing this activity either during each person’s turn or halfway through the game to share some reflections about the attacker’s role and positioning.
If you’re wanting play a shorter game, then choose 1-2 players to take up the challenge. These could be players who are wanting to work on specific skills (they could act as the scrumhalf for the attacking team) or players who want/need an extra challenge.
In these games you and the players can decide on the rules. Just because it’s low numbers doesn’t mean your session has to be boring. Even better if you get the players to co-create a game with you.
When I first started coaching, any low attendance session was fitness. This was simply because I thought it would be easier to coach. However, this wasn’t improving the team’s skills or attendance at training.
A session with low attendance is a chance to be creative, trial ideas and encourage the players to have extra input. I’ve designed games with 3-4 teams using low numbers (for example 2-person teams).
Here are some questions to get you thinking about games and low numbers:
Could you give the players 5 minutes to design a game around a theme?
What would happen if you designed a game with more than 2 teams and what would it look like?
Does the space the players play in always have to be a rectangle? What would they work on if it wasn’t?
What are the progressions and regressions of the game (if you need to make it harder or simpler)?
Could each player have a skill challenge they need to complete?
How can you create opportunities for laughter (could players play a 3-legged touch game by linking arms)?
Look at the skill
When running a session for small numbers, some of the easier activities to coach are skill-focused.
It can be an opportunity to devote more time to 1v1 tackle activities, work on body positioning and rucking fundamentals, as well as passing.
Breaking the skills down when there’s lower numbers enables you to concentrate on the feedback you give to each player and the feedback the players give to each other.
Try focusing on an individual skill for that session. Try relating it to a wider theme for training (such as Go Forward). You can then give players the opportunity to watch each other and give feedback. (You can split players into groups for this activity when you have larger numbers).
Here’s how I would run it:
Ask players to get into pairs or groups for a skill. For this example, I’m using the tackle. Get players to work on a section or all of the tackle. Ask players to focus on some aspects of the tackle (for example the connection. See here for different elements of the tackle they can focus on).
Give players 5 mins to work on the skill in pairs. After this, give players the opportunity to show practice their skill in front of their peers. After they’ve done the skill, ask players to give feedback. The feedback should be positive and focused around the elements of the skill you’ve asked them to work on.
Encourage the space as a place where players can learn from each other. Peer-to-peer learning is powerful.
It enables the players enacting the skill to get learning points from teammates. It also means players watching get better at giving feedback and improve their observations skills.
Skill games
You can also run a variety of small overlap skill games. Running small games like this means players get more time on the ball and more time to practice their (on and off ball) skills.
The challenge is to focus on the theme of training. It can be too easy to want to cram alot of content and ‘knowledge’ into a session when there’s fewer numbers.
Instead, think of it as an opportunity to really focus on one theme and create lots of discussions and opportunities to practice.
Here are some questions to get you thinking about skill games and low numbers:
How can you vary the set up of the skill game? If the purpose is to create an overlap (2v3) opportunity, how could players arrive at the 2v3 chance?
Besides scoring a try, what else could you score?
If you asked the players to design a skill game, what would they do?
What restrictions could you place on players to challenge them? (For example, no verbal communication allowed)
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