Cascade Coaching will give coaches from the region the opportunity to learn from Saints coaches at a number of masterclasses, commencing with a day’s session at Cambridge RFC on July 29th delivered by Saints Academy coaches Mark Hopley, Paul Diggin and Jon Curry, along with Luke Kelly from the club’s performance team.
Topics to be covered include adaptive games and their use, attacking and defensive structure, overall game play, the contact area, lineouts, and developing strength and conditioning programmes for younger rugby players.
This initial day will then be followed by three more masterclasses during the season delivered by Saints coaching and/or playing staff. These dates will be announced in July.
Cascade Coaching is not about teaching tactics, but will give attendees the tools they need to develop their own clubs, teams and individual player skills, thereby improving standards both on and off the pitch. The programme is therefore as applicable for age group coaches as those who coach adult players.
There is no charge for participating clubs, although there will be a cost if the club concerned would like Saints staff to evaluate their coaches as they work in their own environment. This will be on a strictly first come, first served basis.
Cascade Coaching builds on the successes of 2014’s coach education programme, and Curry says that with the Saints’ continued growth on the field it made sense to pass on some of the knowledge that has made the team one of the most successful in England.
“Over the past few years we have developed better and better links with junior clubs and schools across the region, which has been reflected in the quality of players that we’re seeing come through into the Elite Player Development Group and Academy system,” he said.
“Of course we want this to continue, but we also believe it is beneficial to every club to improve standards of coaching across the board. This is why we have launched Cascade Coaching, which will give junior club coaches the opportunity to learn from the best in the country, and then have everything they need to pass on that knowledge to other coaches in their own clubs.”
For more information and to register your interest in joining Cascade Coaching, which will also count towards a coach’s RFU Coaching License continuing professional development, head to www.tinyurl.com/CascadeCoaching-Cambridge
Specific questions can be emailed to Jon Curry at [email protected]
