Steve Tandy led a special seminar on scrummaging and the line-out at Llandarcy recently.
The session was hosted by the Ospreys Coach Development team as part of their ongoing support to clubs for the introduction of the new Playing Pathway, Minis to Millennium, and was primarily designed for coaches who are introducing the scrum and lineout to their age groups for the first time.
Recently appointed Player Development Officer for the Bridgend District, Ospreys centurion Tandy conducted the clinic, commencing with a presentation to introduce the basics of Body Profiling as an essential element of coaching scrum and lineout, as well as outlining its value in other areas of the game, before he went on to illustrate the value of concentrating on developing the skills of the individual more than on unit skills.
This was followed by a practical session demonstrating individual and small unit practices, with the emphasis on safety being the key element to introducing the required skills and to promote confidence in the young players.
Tony Thomas, Ospreys Coach Development Officer said:
“The response of those coaches present to Steve’s approach to coaching these critical elements of the game was very positive. The value of developing individual skills rather than focusing entirely on the complete unit was certainly appreciated. The Minis to Millennium Pathway is designed to promote skill development in a structured manner and this is a vital phase in this process.”
Steve Tandy added:
“It was very rewarding to receive such positive feedback from the coaches. It is becoming increasingly evident that those coaches who have embraced the New Pathway are already seeing dividends. We would also like to express our genuine gratitude to the boys of the Swansea District U13 squad who assisted on the evening. Their attitude and ability was first class.”
Coaches should continue to check the website for future events.