Personally I feel that there is a big void and coaches can return to their clubs with their certificate never develop technically any further that the last course they attended.

Should the Unions provide monthly coach development seminars?

Should coaches attending courses be provided with a mentor?

What are the strengths/weaknesses of your home unions in respect of ongoing coach development?

Could we as coaches set up our own association and self help?  

I am located in South Wales and personally believe that there is room to improve the provision for CPD!

Jonesy

I did the rfu level 1 course in January and I've been looking for short courses, modules etc to supplement the level but don't seem to be able to find any. I don't want to go to level 2 without any extra oomph so to speak and a bit of hands on at my club.

I might be a bit thick or looking in the wrong place but they're not blindingly obvious (to me anyway) if they're there.

The RFU has instigated a concept of Club Coaching Coordinators - each club having a peerson responsbible for organisation of coaching within the club...  orgaising coach development etc.  Your CCC should be your first point of call to get the training YOU need.  The CCC should be working with your RDO as to this provision - this includes of course UKCC courses but also the increasing number of workshops that are available - Tag Rugby, Front Row in Union, Tackle safety, Safety In Contact etc.  The CCC may also be running internal club coach ed sessions - if not, ask him/her why not (maybe nobody else is interested?).  Our RDO is currently inviting suggestions for coach ed in an attempt (correctly I believe) to ensure that something is provided for ALL levels of need...  whether basic scrum building for U9 right up to advanced concpets around the post-tackle area for senior coaches etc.  Some of these sort of workshoips also appear in the RFU Coaching pages (community rugby link from rfu.com)

Your CB should also have a coach development committee that should be working towards improving coach education - this may be liasing with local permieership clubs academies to provide coach ed events, or even running their own coach ed days etc.

Then the various CDO (coach development officers) also havea  remit to... err... develop coaches.  These guys may be orgainsing coaching conferences - a weekend of coach ed maybe.  SportsCoach UK also runs a plethora of workshops looking at developing coaches - maybe not specifically aimed at rugby but neverteless invaluable areas nonetheless.  Some of these courses are needed to be attended for clubs to gain RFU Seal of Approval as well.  Similarly regional Coaching Conferences may exist that look to cross sporting boundaries and provide generic coaching skills areas (nutrtion, mental imagery, warm ups, core strength etc etc).

In short, depending on your geographical area, there may actually be an awful lot available - but it is possibly a case of going out and finding them.  Contact your CCC, your RDO, your CDO.  Check out SportscoachUK.  And never underestimate the possible value of just watching other coaches - go along to your colts sessions/senior sessions/a local club in a higher league - just phone and ask their coach.  the worst thing he can do is say "no".  Most premiership clubs (if not all) run some sort of community liasion - contact them and ask if you can go aong to watch them train (Saracens for example actively promote this opportunity I know).

Go for it!  :-)

Didds

Jonesy

I have been to some excellent sessions in recent years, but afterwards reflected that I could only bring this to the top teams I coach and not to the lower levels. On the other hand it was fascinating and enthused me.

I think there is a real gap at L1/L2 where coaches want practical advice on simple things, like practice management, dealing with problem players, solving coaching problems and, dare I say it, "drills, drills, drills".

We are thinking about this in the Osprey region where I help with the coaching provision, but would the coaches be willing to give up an evening without a "Premiership" name to go to see?

I also tutor on the Level 1 and Level 2 courses and I am always harping on about the lack of technical content. There is no doubt that the current UKCC courses improves you as a coach in terms of your delivery style etc, however there needs to be more technical content for the coaches.

Coach evenings at clubs where for example an experienced under 12's coach demonstares his methods using his team to an audience of other under 12's;11's and 10's coaches with a discussion forum in the club house to follow may be one suggestion.

Jonesy

That said, I do concur that the vast majority of coaches probably fall into the U7-U12 bracket and yes, there is a TOTAL dearth of technical stuff available to them - which is why our RDO's suggestion that CCCs collate requests for these areas with a view to them being made available.  We do need however to be careful not to spoon feed such coaches, and must be careful of becoming a sideshow...  I have demonstrated scrummage technique sessions to several U9/10/11 etc age groups over the years, merely to b asked time and time again to return ...  the coahces have failed to be interested in learning what was shown themselves!

I would also agree with the idea of an U12s coach delivering to U10s and U9s (probably in club)...  the problem however I have found when trying to arrange this is that rather than be confident in what they do, coaches typically take a defensive view that this may expose their (own perceived) ignorance.  The definition of an expert is someone that knows one more thing than somebody else, but it has proven difficult to get such coaches interested in displaying thgeir own knowledge...

didds