Rugby Performance Issues.
Colts Rugby Performance Anxiety.
Is the sports therapist on the horizon or do we stick with the "grandfather" effect?
Problem-solving using external individuals and organisations is on the increase. Schools are engaging more councillors to deal with the increasing number of pupils who “have problems.” The queue to see the councillors usually forms before school.
Participation in sport should be an enjoyable experience. However, we must accept that there will be some degree of pre-participation anxiety.
Back in the late sixties, I had trials with Wolverhampton Wanderers. I was driven for 90 minutes to train twice a week. I was anxious every minute of that ride. Too much time to worry about what may or may not happen.
Many years later as a coach, I’m working with some very talented 18/20-year-olds. One player in particular showed signs of anxiety before training and on match days. He knew I knew he was finding it tough. Initially, I thought don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill. When he confided in me that he had a problem with nerves/anxiety. I replied,
“There are over 100,000 18-year-old rugby players, all of whom would give everything to swap places with you.”
He smiled at me and got on with playing.
As Arsene Wenger said. “If you want to play for a big club, you must be mentally strong. You must cope with many pressures; not all of them positive.”
??????? You must “learn to cope”.
As coaches, we must find ways of clearing the pathway for players to develop mentally and physically. In a limited playing career, they must overcome many hurdles.
Experience can be a limiting or an enlightening factor.
As a coach, you are often a “street psychologist.” You are good at it. You operate almost daily because you have “good eyes” and can read their anxiety at training.
In some countries, the therapist is an addition to family life. We don’t want to engage the family therapist because young Jonny throws the occasional bad pass, do we?
“In the 60’s we couldn’t spell psychologist or therapist, let alone use one.”
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Players are all different. Some need a bit of this or a lot of that, and to that extent, there may be a role for, let’s call it professional help/advice/guidance.
Have a look at Andy Keys Fit4Performance. He has some 60-second reels on there that are succinct and very relevant!
My theory has always been, “A sentence is better than a paragraph.” And a “thumbs up” to a player, tells him/her all he needs to know and may make him/her smile.
Don’t let, “I should have” or “I wish I had” be part of your history. Make something happen now.
I’ve worked with some naturally brilliant Colts coaches all around the world. Some have no qualifications other than street psychology. I’ve loved every minute of working with them.
Your Colts’ players will always be indebted to you and will never forget your contribution to their playing career and introduction to “real life.” The final good news is, older coaches are more effective at coaching Colts’ players. I call it the “grandfather “effect.”
Mike Penistone.
WhatsApp +61 488 116849
Ambassador to www.asiacenterfoundation.org. ?a school for disadvantaged children in Phuket.
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Owner at Rugby Coaching Consultancy
2 个月Great and useful advice Brendan
ID Sports Pty Ltd
2 个月Breathing techniques is a way of dealing with this anxiety. I had a player who would drive to training, park his car but then his anxiety would take over so he drove home. A quality athlete being overcome by this issue. Him and I spoke about the basic understanding on how the brain functions and what breathing can do. We introduced ladder breathing - 1. Find a comfortable isolated place to sit 2. Listen to your heart 3. Then start to breathe to ten calling out the numbers as you go. ( 3 sec in and 3 sec out) 4. Go all the way to ten then count backwards. 5. If the athlete forgets what number they are at, they start again. 6. Scaffolded this technique to visualising positive thoughts around his game after the ladder breathing. We also did a piece on resilience but this rugby player never missed a training session again and went on to 4 man of the match and 3 teams of the week awards. Remember as per Corey Keys wellbeing theory posts that there are two distinct dimentions regarding his Two Continua Model, there is Mental Illness and there is Mental Health. We need to supply our athletes with the tools in the Mental Health spectrum before it becomes serious and flows into Mental Illness.
PE Teacher / Sports Lecturer / Level 3 WRU Rugby Coach / UKCC/WRU Coach Educator / Sale Sharks DPP Coach
2 个月Love that Mike especially the bit about the older coach ??