- Caroline is undertaking a 4-week training program to improve her rugby skills. Week 1 focuses on video analysis of her passing technique and a demonstration of rucking skills. Week 2 includes drills to improve passing at distance and a gym session to build upper body strength. Week 3 has drills running with the ball and competing in rucks. Week 4 includes a passing and footwork drill, and a gym session testing her squat strength. Overall the training sessions are progressing Caroline's skills as expected, and adjusting based on her feedback to ensure continued improvement.
2. Week 1/4
Improvement Priority 1: Improvement Priority 2:
Date: Date:
Time: 3.30pm. After scheduled gym session. Time: 1.20, quick session during lunch break before training.
Venue: Sport Learning zone Venue: College rugby pitch
Equipment: Video footage of Caroline playing sevens, this should be high
quality to ensure that Caroline is able to analyse herself.
Notepad and pen would also ne useful to put down targets
and aims.
Equipment: The equipment needed included a tackle shield, tackle bag and
a ball. Maddy also came out for this short session to help with
the demonstration.
Weather: Video analysis took place in the Learning zone so weather was
irrelevant.
Weather: Cold and over cast. I kept the session short as it wasn’t high
intensity and didn’t’ want Caroline to become cold.
Coaches Review: Given that Caroline has only played rugby for a year, she still
has good knowledge of rugby sevens and could easily identify
what she had to i3mprove within her passing technique. This
made it easier for both of us to set targets and identify exactly
what needed perfecting.
Coaches Review: In video analysis it showed that Caroline didn't know exactly
what to do when a ruck was formed and lacked confidence. So
a session with only myself explaining meant that Caroline was
able to focus on one thing and therefore understood what was
being saying. The demonstration secured this knowledge.
Athlete Feedback
/ Questions:
The footage was a mixture from last year and more recent
clips. Caroline was pleased to see that she had already made
progress without a set training programme. And therefore felt
confident that with my programme she will improve to a
standard in which she is happy to play at.
Athlete Feedback
/ Questions:
Caroline had previously said to me that she was a visual
learner and therefore I added the demonstration to cater for
this. Caroline also mentioned it was helpful to have sessions
before college training as she felt more confident heading into
a session,
Is Progress As
Expected?
If No Describe:
Caroline was successful in self evaluating her technique so I
sent her some clips via Facebook of the England women's
sevens team so that she could compare her passing technique
to herself.
Is Progress As
Expected?
If No Describe:
For the first training session, Caroline showed promise and
could see her easily progressing.
Are the Next
Session Overload
and Progression
Plans
Appropriate?
If No Describe:
The next stage would be to collect video analysis throughout
training but this will come at a later stage, during testing as I
don’t want to pressurise Caroline so soon in the programme
as it could have a negative effect on her attitude.
Are the Next
Session Overload
and Progression
Plans
Appropriate?
If No Describe:
I was able to progress her on further than the demonstration
by asking Maddy to put force behind the tackle shield, this is
so that Caroline could combine strength and technique to give
her a better feeling of what it is like to hit a ruck.
Was Contingency
Needed?
If Yes Describe:
Some footage was not of high quality so I had to find other
matches which Caroline played in so that she could properly
analyse her passing.
Was Contingency
Needed?
If Yes Describe:
This session went to plan and no contingency plan was
needed.
3. Week 2/4
Improvement Priority 1: Improvement Priority 2:
Date: Date:
Time: 2.10. Fit in with the college training session. Time: 2.10 onwards
Venue: College rugby pitch Venue: College gym
Equipment: Hardly any equipment needed, a bag full of pumped balls, size
4.5
Equipment: Found in the gym, only unfixed piece od equipment needed is
barbells at varying weights. For Caroline these would range
from 10Kg to 16Kg.
Weather: Clear, no rain, slight chill. Weather: Indoors, weather irrelevant. Cold with slight drizzle.
Coaches Review: The ‘gun slingers’ drill was successful on her right hand as she
was able to hold the ball n her hip and push he ball through,
however she struggled with the left hand as she is less
dominant. Although once the second hand was added, she
coped well as 5 M distance.
Coaches Review: Caroline’s sporting career has been predominantly football
and therefore her strength lies in her lower body rather than
upper body. So the weights that she was using were light in
comparison, however, Caroline is very focused in the gym and
completes the sets to a high standard.
Athlete Feedback
/ Questions:
During the session, Caroline felt that 5M was easy and asked if
we could increase the distance.
Athlete Feedback
/ Questions:
After the session, Caroline said that the gym session was hard
work but this was mostly due to her not being used to his kind
of work out. She feels like she could increase her weights as
the weeks/sessions go by.
Is Progress As
Expected?
If No Describe:
I underestimated Caroline, and was able to progress during
the session to a further distance.
Is Progress As
Expected?
If No Describe:
The first session was to identify Caroline’s starting weights
which she can lift/use safely. I am sure that Caroline will
progress quickly if she keeps to schedule and is dedicated.
Are the Next
Session Overload
and Progression
Plans
Appropriate?
If No Describe:
Yes, the session plans are appropriate because at this point,
Caroline’s technique and passing is correct at 5-7M. So by
adding a gm session before, her technique will be really tested
as she will be fatigued so she will really have to concentrate.
Are the Next
Session Overload
and Progression
Plans
Appropriate?
If No Describe:
To progress and get stronger, Caroline will have to increase
the weights that she uses. Also, during the programme the
number of reps per sets will be decreased and the weights
increased.
Was Contingency
Needed?
If Yes Describe:
No contingency was needed. Weather was okay and Caroline
wasn’t carrying any niggles or injuries.
Was Contingency
Needed?
If Yes Describe:
As the gym was scheduled for the rugby squad to use, the gym
was almost empty so Caroline had access to all the equipment
so she was able to do the supersets.
4. Week 3/4
Improvement Priority 1: Improvement Priority 2:
Date: Date:
Time: 2.10 During college training Time: 2.10
Venue: College rugby pitch Venue: College rugby pitch
Equipment: Cones and a bag of pumped, size 4.5 rugby balls. Equipment: Cones and a bag of pumped, size 4.5 rugby balls.
Weather: Mild, dry Weather: Light rain, cold
Coaches Review: At first Caroline struggled with the wider passes as she was
running at full speed and attempting the pass. After a
discussion, she took her time and ensured her technique was
of high quality. The session was successful as there were fewer
dropped balls.
Coaches Review: Caroline has the anaerobic and aerobic fitness to be able to
work hard and cope with the number of up downs in this drill.
She is quick enough to get of the floor and compete for the
ball, however her physique is very small and still not strong
enough to make a physical presence against stronger
opponents.
Athlete Feedback
/ Questions:
Caroline agreed with me that the session was successful and
that she enjoyed the exercise as the intensity was higher than
pervious sessions.
Athlete Feedback
/ Questions:
Caroline said that the session was at the right intensity but she
found that she was still struggling to compete for the ball. We
agreed to have a discussion about using her sixe to an
advantage, get her body position lower so they can’t get
underneath her.
Is Progress As
Expected?
If No Describe:
After the first discussion about not panicking, Caroline
progressed as expecting from the first week, with her passes
being accurate whilst running.
Is Progress As
Expected?
If No Describe:
I believe that progress has been made, as Caroline was more
confident going into rucks. But still has improvements to be
made as she is rarely winning a turnover.
Are the Next
Session Overload
and Progression
Plans
Appropriate?
If No Describe:
So far Caroline’s passes were accurate, so to progress, I
increased the intensity by running the channels continuously.
This was harder work so Caroline had to concentrate on
keeping her technique correct.
Are the Next
Session Overload
and Progression
Plans
Appropriate?
If No Describe:
At this stage, Caroline will need to continue with this drill,
without variation. She will still progress as she is still learning
and competing for the ball. When she is ready, overloading
would start and pitch dimensions would increase and more
experienced player will play against her.
Was Contingency
Needed?
If Yes Describe:
The contingency plan wasn’t needed as numbers were high at
training, so we had enough to have continuous groups running
through the channels.
Was Contingency
Needed?
If Yes Describe:
The weather was bearable and made the ground soft so player
were at less risk to injuries. Caroline was feeling fit an healthy
and capable of lasting the whole training session.
5. Week 4/4
Improvement Priority 1: Improvement Priority 2:
Date: Date:
Time: 2.10 Held during college training. Time: 4.30-5.30. After college.
Venue: Area of ground before college rugby pitch as boys were
occupying it.
Venue: College gym.
Equipment: Cones and a bag full of pumped, size 4 rugby balls. Equipment: Squat rack was needed and free weights.
Weather: Sunny but cold. Weather: Not as sunny, but still dry and cold.
Coaches Review: This drill is suited for Caroline as it combines both footwork
and passing. The passing drill focuses on 2v1’s which Caroline
coped well as she was able to turn the defenders hip as and
lace ab accurate pass. She combined the two skills well.
Coaches Review: Caroline’s power to weight ratio is very good. Considering her
size, the weights that she squats is good, and will increase
gradually after the training programme. Her three rep max
was 70Kg.
Athlete Feedback
/ Questions:
Caroline gained confidence out of this drill as it focused on her
footwork as well which she feels she is best at. She said that
she feels as if she has progressed.
Athlete Feedback
/ Questions:
Caroline feels as she had lost quite a lot of strength as she
went through a period of no training before this training due
to college commitments. However, I assured her, that she can
get back to the standard she wants to be after this
programme.
Is Progress As
Expected?
If No Describe:
To be able to capitalise on 2v1’s is essential in scoring tries,
and I feel that Caroline’s passing has progressed to be able to
deliver the pass to put her team mates into space.
Is Progress As
Expected?
If No Describe:
Caroline’s lower body strength is progressing at the right pace
in my eyes, but Caroline feels as the improvements are not
showing.
Are the Next
Session Overload
and Progression
Plans
Appropriate?
If No Describe:
The overload and progression plans are appropriate at this
stage because Caroline was able to deliver an accurate pass
with the pitch dimensions as they were. She was ready to
move on to a larger pitch and then test her passing ability over
a further distance.
Are the Next
Session Overload
and Progression
Plans
Appropriate?
If No Describe:
Because Caroline had that view, I thought I would step up
training and start overloading. This consisted of increasing the
weight she was using but less reps, still ensuring correct
technique.
Was Contingency
Needed?
If Yes Describe:
College rugby pitch was being used, so had to move location.
However, the session went as planned.
Was Contingency
Needed?
If Yes Describe:
The squat rack were both being used at points after college, so
I added in some body weight exercises to ensure Caroline was
still working while she was waiting.
6. Week 4 Review Testing Excellence Trait – Weakness 1/2
Trait: Accurate passing
Test Name: Video analysis, Success rate
Standardised
Test:
No Normative Data: No
If Not A
Standardised
Test Detail
Method Here:
Video footage was collected of Caroline playing in three 7’s matches. I will record the
number of times Caroline attempts to make a pass, after this has been recorded I will
then judge whether the pass was a success or not. This will be recorded and then the
percentage success rate will be calculated. A success is judged as the pass going to the
receiver’s ‘target’ without being dropped. I would also analyse the height and speed of
the pass, to see at what distance she would need to start training at.
Test Result 1: 21 passes were
attempted and 15
passes were
successful. 71.4%
Test Result 1 Rating: Good
Test Result 2: Test Result 2 Rating:
Test Result 3: Test Result 3 Rating:
Best Result: 71.4%
Best Result
Rating:
71.4% success rate. This shows progress as the figure is heading
towards the target percentage of 80%.
7. Week 4 Review Testing Excellence Trait – Weakness 2/2
Trait: Jackling
Test Name: Video analysis, success percentage
Standardised
Test:
Yes / No Normative Data: Yes / No
If Not A
Standardised
Test Detail
Method Here:
Video footage was collected of Caroline playing in three 7’s
matches. The number of times Caroline attempts to compete for the
ball in recorded, I would then judge whether each attempt was a
success and then calculate the success percentage. A success would
count as the complete turnover of he ball, or disruption to the ruck.
Test Result 1: Entered three rucks
and was successful
twice. 66.6%
Test Result 1 Rating:
Test Result 2: Test Result 2 Rating:
Test Result 3: Test Result 3 Rating:
Best Result: 66.6%
Best Result
Rating:
66.6% success rate. This is high for Caroline however she is still
showing that she lacks confidence as she did not enter rucks in
8. Describe whether the tests show that
progress is being made as planned?
After completing the second round of tests at the
mid point of the 8 weeks training, it is clear to see
that progression is being made as planned and
therefore I will carry on with the training plan
without the adaptations. The percentage success
rate for each training priority has increased and by
viewing Caroline after playing with her on the pitch
I can tell that her confidence has improved as well
as her technique. However, she still has the ability
to improve even more to enable her to get further
in her rugby career, aiming for divisional camps.
9. Does the mid point review show that weeks 5-8
need to be adapted?
Describe How you will adapt your sessions?
At the mid way point of my 8 week programme, Caroline
is making good progress as planned and therefore I do
not think my training programme has to be adapted. As
this is the first year in which Caroline has been fully
involved in rugby, the progression is of good standard
because she is learning new skills every training session
so the jump from beginner to divisional level is evident.
The continued gym sessions along my raining programme
has also had effect of Caroline’s progress, this is because
she is getting stronger and therefore can train for longer
and at a greater intensity. Also because I also play and
train with Caroline, I can clearly see improvements of her
understanding and ability on a week to week basis.
