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Newsletter Current Issue Simply put, it is risk - Tim Sheens
| Simply put, it is risk - Tim Sheens |
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| Sunday, 07 June 2009 10:32 |
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RLCM Book Extract - Professional sport is full of it. Used in conjunction with a team's collective skill, it is the hidden element that will win coaches games. Every time the West Tigers run onto the field they use it as their number one defence against attacking teams.
It has the potential to determine the final score; if players use their initiative to implement it into the game correctly, they will be praised. If they fail to pull it off, it will hang upon them like a death sentence. What could possibly hold this much power? Simply put, it is risk. The risk factor in the game of rugby league is high; whether it is in regards to a players physical well being or the element of risk that is incorporated into the team game plan. Premiership winning coach of the Tigers, Tim Sheens, has formulated his career on it. Known for his work reforming teams and leading them to success, Sheens attributes risk as a major factor in the team's Premiership win in 2005. Favourites to claim the wooden spoon, with remarkable odds against them, the Tigers used a mixture of youth and experience, speed, slight of hand and risk to their advantage. This formula is the culmination of seasons work. Starting with the Tigers in 2003, Sheens knew that taking the Tigers on would always be a gamble; however, it is a gamble that has paid off. “The risk factor started with me taking the West Tigers in the first place,” Sheens remarks. Once there, it seemed that taking risks was inevitable. “You've got to take a punt here and there, [that's] your first thing as a coach.” If Sheens knows anything about rugby league, it is all in taking chances. Following his move to the Tigers, he was forced to build from the ground up. His first challenge was to take a group of rookies, and turn them into first grade players, something he took in his stride. Surely enough, he had his critics; his methods were unorthodox, and his team was just too small. Yet Sheens did something that all coaches should do; kept his own coaching style and worried about the Tigers, not his opposition. “As all coaches do, you look at your strengths and your weaknesses. Look at what you've got, what your strengths are. If you're smart, you'll coach accordingly. “Coaching today, too many coaches are coaching against the opposition, they're negative in their approach. The main thing is to focus on a couple of things that they do [regularly], and then focus on your own game. It was by following this philosophy that the Tigers accomplished so much. Keeping it brief and keeping his instructions simple, Sheens implemented a regime based on focus and control. By ensuring that his team had the basics down first, this allowed room for an element of risk. Concentrating on the little things; passing the ball before the line, marking defenders four on two and four on three, and adopting a different mindset is the answer to the game today. Advocating the method of passing the ball, Sheens practices this tactic as a diversion to put hesitation into the opposition. As well as running the ball from the scrum, this creates an opportunity for the attacking team to pick holes in the defense. The result of integrating such diversity into the game plan is this; the opposition will be continually caught off guard, leaving the attacking team with a direct advantage. Yet where does a coach draw the line on giving his players free reign to try new things on the field? If the team is not accustomed to taking risks, and they haven't done so all year, then it will be hard for them to do so. They don't have the necessary confidence in the coaches decision or in themselves to take that chance. This is why Tim Sheens believes that risk is a main proponent of the game from the outset.............Receive four DVD's and a hard copy RLCM Coachtalk Book each month. AUS$34.95 per month [Credit Card only] UK AUS$39.95 includes air mail postage or AUS$360.00 PA Receive the ten resources below by return mail today once you join the club! July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 Could your club or coach benefit from RLCM resources? 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