Rugby: under 8 s

Tips for teaching kids to pass? Under 7's%3A Posture, feet position, ball holding,action, short and long passes. Any guidance / links to websites please

During an under 16's game the defending team had a flanker sin binned.In the resulting scrum(on there 5m line) the ref told us to remove a flanker from the pack as the scrum needs to be of equal numbers. Is this right or should they have used a back to replace the flanker?

We have open this thread to continue the discussion on Player Empowerment started in the Coaches Hot Tip in this month's newsletter. If you missed it, here it is again. There is no doubt that if you want your team to be successful, you need the players to make decisions on the pitch for themselves. We know that if a team is used to getting the answers to problems on the field from the coach, it will mean that they will hesitate and look to the touchline before commiting to an action and that, of course, will be far too late! The coach can still influence things but once the game has started it is a fairly minimal influence, during the game it must be the players who react to situations as they happen and make decisions immediatley. Therefore, it is essential to have leaders in the team who feel confident about making decisons in the heat of the battle. They need to know that even a wrong call is better than no call. They should feel that their coach will support them in making a call and, if it was not necesarily the best decision, will help them make a better one next time without being too critical. Ideally, the leaders and decision makers will be at key positions in the team where they can communicate with other players as well as influencing play themselves. Key positions are Numbers%3A 2; 4/5; 8; 9; 10 and 15. This is often referred to as "The Spine or Backbone" of the team. This is not to say that a good captain and leader can't be in another position but if they are, for instance an 11 or 14, they will need good co leaders in the key positions to communicate their decisions during a game. To develop this spine to operate as leaders, the coach should involve these players in discussions about how the team are playing - making them feel some ownership and responsibility for the teams performance. They could also be involved in unit practises, for instance the 2 and 8 could Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 occasionaly lead part of a line out practice, once the coach has agreed with them what the practice needs to achieve. The coach is not giving the players complete control but rather, allowing them to be involved in the process of team development. Obviously, the age and ability of your team can affect how far along this path you can go but, even with players as young as Under 8's, I have found that delegating some responsibility is a really effective way to build a cohesive and well functioning team! Let me know your thoughts on this type player empowerment. Good luck Simon

I coach under 8's and next season they will start contact. When am I allowed to start teaching them tackling skills? I sit january during their under 8 season or at the start of the under 9 season ?

Under 8's first session on 'contact' %3A the plan is to get them on the ground with the ball, learning contact with the ground before the player%3A can anyone suggest some ground based drills with the ball, (eg forward roll) to get them going? Thanks

Under 8's drills%3A how to get players to stay in position (in their channels) defensively to avoid them chasing the ball all over pitch! thanks, David

RFU - proposed Mini's rule changes%3A All - just a quick straw poll%3A Have any CLUBS that you are aware of officially come out in SUPPORT of these changes? If not, have they come out officially rejecting the proposed changes, or are they adopting a "wait and see" attitude? Regards Stephe

please how do idefine the players in the pitchie. who is the flanker, hooker, fly half etc

can a under 8 play in the under 9's contact

This is my first year coaching Rugby and I am really struggling, I am coaching the under 8's team. The problem is their passing and catching skills require a lot of work but it is extremely difficult to keep them focused enough to work on these for any period of time, I would be grateful if anybody could offer any suggestions.

What drills would anybody reccomend to encourage forward running in an u8s side,whilst keeping it fun?Some players tend to crab along the pitch.

Hi everyone, coaching under 9s this year and I am trying to clarify if the rules have changed for the coming season i.e no ruck, mauls, scrums or lineouts basically a bit more like Rugby League?  I know it was trailed last year in certain areas and think it’s be rolled out nationally but obviously want to make sure. Cheers

How can I improve my team's line speed in defence? Are there any drills which can help me?

Looking to plan a 1.5 hour session for under 8. Do you have any advice on specific under 8 rugby union drills

Hi. I am in charge of the Mini Rugby (age 8) warm-up and am interested in more ideas. I try and keep them fun, sports specific and interesting for the boys and they seem to like what I do. Can anyone please help? Thanks!

wanting to know what type of drill to do with a under 8's nrl team?

Hi. I am in charge of the Mini Rugby (age 8) warm-up and am interested in more ideas. I try and keep them fun, sports specific and interesting for the boys and they seem to like what I do. Can anyone please help? Thanks!

Looking to plan a 1.5 hour session for under 8. Do you have any advice on specific under 8 rugby union drills

I coach under 8's and next season they will start contact. When am I allowed to start teaching them tackling skills? I sit january during their under 8 season or at the start of the under 9 season ?

Under 8's drills%3A how to get players to stay in position (in their channels) defensively to avoid them chasing the ball all over pitch! thanks, David