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Frederick Claro.Com
Official Web Site of Rugby Union Coach Frederick Claro
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Questions and Answers with Rugby Coach Frederick Claro
Through this section, Frederick is sharing his view, and philosophy of the
game of Rugby Union. His experience as a sport educator, and sharp analysis
of the game provided Frederick with a certain approach of modern rugby,
developed with both his training, other coaches met, and through experience.
Please feel free to contact him if you would like to discuss a specific
point, or if you are not agreeing with his views. It is of common sense that
we all learn more by sharing our views, and it is even more so in Education
in general and Sport Education/Coaching in particular.
We are welcoming any comments or brainstorming on any
particular aspects of the game, which could be beneficial for the entire
rugby community.
Question: In a few words, what are the features of modern rugby?
Answer: In my view: Communication, Fitness, Speed, Adaptation, Tactical Sense, and Decision Making...
Question: What are the effects on the game?
Answer: Since the 1999 World Cup, we saw a strong emphasis and
development in defense systems adopted and cloned by teams worldwide,
shifting a lot of the focus and concerns on how to play more and better
without the ball, than with the ball. New regulations from the IRB also
helped a lot in clarifying the game and helping all teams to keep the ball
alive, bringing more phases into the play, hence increasing play time for
the pleasure of both the players and the public.
Inevitably, this new structure brought a necessity for
the players to increase their stamina, and to develop better defense systems
to deceive an increasing number of offensive plots from both sides for
scoring. The general game's speed and contact intensity increased as the
teams are now producing a multiple phases type of game, in a reduced
space-time frame to maneuver. Therefore, teams developed more sophisticated
training sessions to respond to this new individual and collective demand.
High level rugby today has to be professional. It is plaid with 100%
commitment and devotion at club and representative levels.
Question: Defensive teams have now a clear advantage...Is attacking rugby dead or obsolete?
Answer: Of course not! As we agreed earlier, the ability for a team to
play without the ball is paramount. In that essence, it is true that
defensive oriented teams have an edge at the moment, but solutions to the
defense "problem" as organized today, are to be found in a creative sort of
play with and without the ball. I strongly believe that the tactics of
crashing into the first opponent in front of the ball carrier to recycle the
ball as quickly as possible will change drastically, as skilled players are
able to find and create space inside or outside their channel by evasion
play, this space will be exploited by an efficient support system in attack
which is the key in deceiving organized line of defense today.
Support play in depth, shadowing the ball carrier and
on both side in attack, together with sharp repossession of the ball in the
tackle zone or breakdown creating instant opportunity in a defensive
situation, are in my opinion the ultimate keys to modern rugby. This kind of
play needs fit, sharp, highly skilled players with a true sense of decision
making and keen reading of the game as it comes. Anticipation always has
been a major component of rugby, but putting today's players into clear
space is relevant to anticipation, commitment, and absolute faith in the
collective purpose and goal of the team.
Question: What would you define as being the fundamentals of the game of rugby?
Answer: I think any coach will agree to say that we can not process in
the game without clean set plays ball possession, providing the team with a
"go forward" necessary to any actions. Therefore, I would say that set
pieces of play such as: Kick Offs, Scrums, Lineouts, have
to be mastered by any team who wish to have any kind of success.
From there, I would say that to be successful, any team
would have to be able to practice sufficient tactical multi phases game to
desorganize the opponent's defense, maintain possession through mauls and
rucks, provide quick,
clean balls to be plaid either in depth or wide to the backs, and always
getting a forward motion platform. Cross the advantage line as quickly as possible to
play in and behind the defense, support the ball carrier at any given time,
and run angles to deceive the sharpest defense.
In defense, reduce as quickly as possible the
space-time window available to the attackers, stay organized, increase
efficiency in the breakdown/tackle zone, get the attackers behind the gain
line, hence forcing them to play "backwards", get tackler to wrestle the
ball back on their feet for quick and sharp turnovers, analyse the game
fast, make the right decision, support tacklers and clean rucks efficiently
to regain possession.
In doing so, never forget: communicate constantly with
team mates!...Which is one of the most overlooked aspect of the game today
at club level. Nothing can be done without communication, and the faster and
more complex is the game, the more communication we need!...
All of these in my view, are the fundamentals of rugby,
and any team who can develop these aspects, and sharpen them along the path
is on the way to success and victory.
They are already some great examples of that out there.
Question: How do you see the role of the Coach in the modern game?
Answer: With the increase of training volume to perform better on the
pitch, I would say that the role of the Coach now is mainly the one of a
facilitator, counselor, technical advisor, human resources manager, and
mentor for the players, and the team.
Today's coaches have to be extremely up to date with
the evolution of the game and rules, be very sharp in their game analysis,
provide relevant and focused feedback to their players in the form of
instant advises and solutions to encountered problems. This could be done
through technical in situ, or video analysis. One of the very best thing I
learnt was from Laurie Main's coaching at the Academy of Rugby in
Wellington, and Laurie's fabulous concepts of "stripping actions back to the
bare bone" to understand the why of the failures, get into the technical
aspect of the frame of play, and provide feedback to the players with a
sharp, intense, and well planned remedial coaching.
For me, a coach is not a distant cold individual who
computes and provides the team with tactical means or drills to achieve
victory. A coach is a warm, understanding, compassionate human being highly
skilled in human relations, and technical aspects of a sport, enable him/her
to use the human and technical resources available to him/her to make a team
or an athlete the best they can be at a given time. I am a strong believer
of delegating a lot of fitness and physical aspects of the training to the
players themselves, and other skilled trainers, leaving the coach's mind
free for maximum concentration on how to get these athletes to perform their
best according to the game plan and the future goals of the team. Success is
a team work, all players will understand that, self discipline, and
individual responsibility comes together with how a team function, and
nothing will be achieved without mutual respect, commitment, and true love
for the development process.
At the end, no matter the result, all people involved
become far better human beings than when they started, and if this is the
ultimate message of sport and rugby...So be it!
If a coach, by his/her human relations and technical
analysis qualities, can bring a team of 15 individuals to function together
harmoniously, this is already a great achievement, and a true piece of
Art!...Winning?...Will come along at time, but during the magical moments
the team perform as a single unit, where there is no longer the "thickness
of a hair" between the spirits of all team mates, then Victory already has
been achieved!...
This is why I see the coach ultimately as being the
facilitator of the process, the one who is able to find the right alchemy
within his/her always perfectible self, to cement similarly imperfect human
beings into a wealth of harmony.
Question: What would be the most important aspects of training and the coach's role?
Answer: Obviously nowadays, fitness, and technical aspects are
paramount. Also the concept of periodisation of team training for season's
peaks is vital. Training should be intense, much more specified than before
to avoid over exertion and burn outs, a strong emphasis should also be put
into recovery strategies for the players after training and games.
The technical aspect is of prime importance. Working
with the players as individuals, units and team is one of the prime
functions of the coaching staff. I believe that a lot of work has to be done
on the technical aspects of the basis motor skills, specific to rugby, such
as: running, passing, catching, tackling, take the ball into contact,
protection, support, and of course set pieces of play as a unit: kick off,
scrum, and lineout. Everything starts with the player and his/her ability to
cope with motor skills first simply, then adding more complex situations, to
end up with an opposition reducing the space-time window of execution.
Players must get it right at the very beginning, this is why I do believe
that clubs with a strong rugby midi-mini school section, and a great rugby
culture, are the one able to produce players who will develop the best
chances to play at the highest levels.
Kids rugby should be taught by the most experienced and
technically aware coaches, as it is where everything starts...teach the
players right the first time, emphasize the fundamentals, and the day in day
out work will be a smooth polishing of existing excellent skills, which the
players will be ready to take to the next level, growing into the game.
Coaches' role is to teach the game with an absolute
open mind. We must listen to others, welcome new ideas, adapt what we
perceive being great to the technical level and skill abilities of our
players and team. In most instances, small technical adjustments in
fundamental skills can make a great difference. We experienced that in NZ at
the Academy, and the proof if needed was made that a brainstorming of
coaches from various backgrounds and levels, improved the academy team
performances tremendously. Laurie was an excellent catalysor of the making
and happening of the results.
We the coaches, have also a great role in motivating
and mentoring our players, and our role is certainly not only a technical
advisor role, but we should also become a source of mental strength, a well
of knowledge, human compassion, motivation, and pure love of the game.
Coaching for results only is selfish and destructive on
the long range. I believe we should get our educational priorities right
first, then with patience and hard work, success and results will come along
as if being a natural course of events, an ineluctable fate rewarding an
harmonious entity.
Question: How do you see the evolution of rugby in the next decade?
Answer: We saw a tremendous progress in players fitness and abilities in
the last decade, and professionalism allowed elite players to concentrate
100% on their training and game. We are already far away from the slower
style of play of the 90's. But I think human is limited. We can not go
beyond a certain physical level, and soon performances will stagnate. The
evolution will come I believe, through technology. Top teams will work more
in laboratories with electronic machinery and motor skills specialists to
optimize the technical movement at its best, as it it already done in
numerous other sports. The game analysis through video and computer software
will reach peaks never achieved before. This will put rugby completely into
a new era.
Is it good?...I believe it is, as we can't go against
progress, and we still have much to learn on the bio-mechanic effectiveness
for each specific movement, and motor skill. I do see a danger though: this
will cost a lot of money for development...Who will put the money
in?...Rugby Unions?...I have my doubt as the financial effort will be to
big. Sponsors are going to pump money in, leading to a rat race on their
return of investment, leading most probably to the enslavement of the game
to its financial supporters, much deeper than it is today.
Along the line, some people will become very rich with
this technological development, others will lose their health: the players
... and the coaches, as they will be put under tremendous pressure for
success. I learnt by experience that most humans are greedy by nature, the
tendency always being that it is never enough...There lies the danger for
our sport. We are not living in an ideal society, everything has a drawback,
and nothing is for free...Just hope that the rugby community will be strong
enough to overcome some of the major problems other sports have fallen into.
This is also where I believe coaches have a great
educational role. Take what has to be taken, don't be afraid to leave the
rest. Our players will need our experience and expertise even more in the
future, as we all know that for young people "everything which shines is
gold" in most instances.
Question: Your future projects?
Answer: Well, keep being involved with my Sport Educator career, more involvement in University Rugby in southern Japan, later in Canada when we will decide for our family to move there, my wife Jennifer being Canadian and University English teacher. Keep sharp and tuned to game evolution, and hopefully keep sharing great coaching ideas with my peers!
Question: Any last advices?
Answer: Yes!...Please let us not forget that Rugby is a game, and as all games on earth, has been invented for pleasure, enjoyment and fun...Could we please keep it that way??
Please e-mail Freddy if you would have any comments or ideas to share!
E-mail: freddy@frederickclaro.com
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