Operational and performance reviews - 'tis the season'.

It is review season in Australia for Rugby League Clubs which always makes me think of many related things – scattered thoughts really.?

If you are facing what is often described as a ‘cultural’ problem it means that you didn’t recognise a set of behaviours (values, standards, etc) and or practices a long time ago and they have become a permanent fixture – that you still don’t recognise.?

If you do the review internally then you must quickly realise that the people who failed to see the now permanent behaviours and practices are the people you are expecting to get answers from.?

Unless there were some individuals within the operation who presented warnings to you over time, everyone is part of the problem. This means that the Board, the administration and the performance team all failed to see the festering problem.?This is why the recognition of a cultural problem is so hard to settle on. No one wants to be accountable.

If there are no ‘cultural’ problems and the elements for review are simply performance factors then future progress will probably need a tightening or refreshing of the framework and landmarks that surround the performance decision-making. For example:?

The General stuff:

1.???? Sift through all the information in front of you and choose the ‘must-do’s to concentrate on.

2.???? You need questions that lead to answers that lead to responsibility that lead to accountability.

3.???? The landmarks or framework will demand honesty, humility and integrity to be present.

4.???? Get the facts devoid of personal and political influences.

5.???? Debate things in context e.g.

a.???? Trends in the competition’s Technical, Tactical, Physical, Behavioural and Cultural elements.

b.???? Trends in the game rules, opposition style and game plans, injury type and frequency.

c.???? Trends in recruitment, development, elite player development and transition.?

The Related stuff?

1.???? Standard to be met – what is the best we know or are seeing?

2.???? What is the best we are delivering? Where are we now?

3.???? What is the best we can do? (How high is our bar?)

4.???? How can we get there??

The Specific stuff – ‘just because you coached it doesn’t mean they learned it’.?

1.???? Where are we at optimal levels and where are we vulnerable?

a.???? Does the game plan fit the qualities of the roster?

b.???? Individual position quality

c.???? Productivity/consistency per game quarter; per game; season

d.???? The freshness v fitness equation

2.???? What instructional systems and styles are in use from the explicit to implicit learning continuum?

a.???? What are you coaching?

b.???? Why are you coaching it?

c.???? How are you coaching it?

d.???? Is this working?

3.???? Technical –

a.???? individual, unit and team skills; manipulative skills, locomotion skills and capacities; recognition and decision-making skills.

4.???? Tactical A –

a.???? Is the game-plan optimal based on the players quality?

b.???? Is there a gap?

c.???? Improve or recruit or both?

5.???? Tactical B –

a.???? Efficiency when in possession (and under degrees of pressure)

b.???? Efficiency in defence (and under degrees of pressure) ?

????????????????????????????????????????? i.??? The defensive shape

???????????????????????????????????????? ii.??? The defenders actions

c.???? Efficiency in transition

6.???? Physical – (mechanical and metabolic and all sub-sets)

a.???? Efficiency

b.???? Consistency

c.???? Resilience

d.???? How are you manipulating intensity, pressure, fatigue, chaos, recovery?

7.???? Behavioural

a.???? Attitude, commitment, discipline, humility, fortitude, perseverance, empathy, patience, stoicism, sacrifice.

b.???? Reaction to training and competition stimulus

c.???? Reaction to learning and feedback

8.???? What are the tools of quality control? Do you have any?

a.???? When do you reflect? Before, during, after?