Given that we are right in the middle of the best sporting event of the year – the Six Nations Rugby – here’s a rugby-related extract from my new book, Loose ….
Rugby Union is a relatively complex sport and, to the uninformed, the activity on the pitch can look bewilderingly chaotic. Rugby coaches rely on repetitive drills to help players work together more effectively as a unit. In a similar way to the drilling of troops for battle, endless hours are spent on the training ground practising set plays. The aim is that every player knows what is expected of him in a particular situation and can act, almost without thinking. A rugby lineout, for example, requires the thrower of the ball, the catcher and the people lifting him to be in perfect harmony, which can only happen after hours of practice –and in the case of the Welsh team that I follow, not even then.
Without an organizing framework at the heart of every rugby team, it would simply degenerate into chaos. But the truly successful teams need something more than this framework, otherwise they risk becoming too predictable. Set plays, rehearsed in the artificial environment of the training ground, often without any opposition, all too often break down in the real match situation. The more enlightened coaches therefore talk about the need for ‘heads up rugby’ or ‘playing the game in front of you’. What they mean is that players have to be able to make decisions in the heat of the action on the pitch, rather than always follow pre-programmed moves. This is a perfect example of freedom within a framework. But it takes a great deal of hard work and inspiration to get players to actually deliver ‘heads up rugby’. They have to be given the skills and confidence to judge situations, make decisions and take calculated risks. The legendary Scottish coach Jim Greenwood, who virtually invented modern rugby coaching, described it as ‘well-judged risk-taking’, which is probably as good a definition of the art of management as you will find in any business book.
your new book is nice i have read it!
Vertical Jump Bible