10 basic disciplines

Hey guys,

I thought to give it more clarity to you guys i'll break down what I would expect from the play individually and as a team.

My plan is to have a "play" that's unpredictable and fast. My style of play is pretty much street touch with disipline. I'm pretty much creative when it comes to plays. i like to take risks. i get bored with being 'safe' all the time. (Tho many would not agree with me) I look for players who are willing to push the barriers, to take up a challenge and to be able to take in constructive critiscm along the way cos that is what is expected after you do something unagreeable. But i think tht's the only way to improve. All that being said, HOwever please bear in mind the basic disciplines I also expect at the end of the day.

There are 10 basic disciplines I would expect every player to master by the end of STL;

1. Rucks: Gaining ground. It's the ultimate most important play which every player should master. especially how to run into the gaps and how to DRIVE THRU the gaps so that the defence would be movin in a panic frenzy. if You dun get defence panicking with ur rucks meaning u're not doing some things correctly.

2. Taking the touch: You should make the defence work to touch you. meaning run to you to make the touch. if the defence is just standing there waiting for u, it means u're not effectively workin them to defend you. one of the dangers of this is over running which is bad cos it distrupts the flow. so players should always be in control on where you're effecting the touch.

3. Splitting after the touch: after the touch split as wide as you can. splitting wide enables you to open the gap for the next move. not doing so cuts down the option for the dummy half to deliver the ball. which direction you split solely depends on which direction dummy half is passing off the ball. Always split on the opposite side of the pass unless there's 'robyn' in play.

4. dummy half: Her job is to make a sound decision and deliver the ball to the right direction. It is an important role as sHe determines the play of the next move.

there's two types of half plays.

1. straight off the ground. This is usually used to gain ground or to get the ball quickly across the pitch
2. scoop. This is usually done near the tryline for a quick score. scoops shouldn't be overdone. it gets predictable and there's a danger of losing posession. use it only when the opponents least expect it.

5.Running lines: You now realise that running straight doesn't work out anymore. so to keep it simple. when u're running it should be in the lines of an upside down 7. draggin out defence and hitting the middle of the gap. its essential for runners to stay wide at every point of the play.

6. Magic Space: Players should be actively looking out for the 'magic space'. magic space a checklist for the player to remember where to stand at all times. three things to take note when the play is in motion,
-actively standing at your gaps.
-be steep
-know which gap you're going to hit for a touch or a pass off.

7. Flow: it is to keep the rhythm of the play going. Dummy half have to keep telling the runner to "dump on me". this ensures that there's always a half at every dump. ideally a good play should haf the ball moving at all times. half determines this. at the same time half goes for the ball when needed to. this is evidently when a scoop were to happen or that play requires the half to do so. (please decide where to run or what to do as the half before you recieve the ball)

8. Ball skills: Passing and recieving are the simple basics. if you can't achieve this at all then i advice you to kill yourself khekhe. Ball should be passed across the body and delivered in front of the runner so the runner can run at pace to recieve the ball. NO PASSING TOWARDS thE PLAYer. there's two passes, a pop pass and a normal pass. Players should be able to by now, control whatever pass that they are required to.

recieving is simply catching early. hands out early facing whichever direction the balls passed from and leadin the ball towards the middle. this act of 'cushioning' enables more control and less impact therefore reducing chances of a drop ball. on the run the ball should always be held with two hands to get ready for a positive touch or a pass. only when player's confident that she is able to make the score then run with the ball tucked underneath the arms.

Fake pass. To pass of but hold on to the ball. I haven't seen much of a fake pass in any of our plays. It be a bonus if you could execute this.

9. Defence: two to know and master. Squeeze and hook. I will explain this during training. but aggressive and arrogant attitude is a must.

10: Communication: attack and defence there must always be a positive communication on and off the pitch. it is required for every player to be able to;
-analyse what went wrong
-remind each other what to do in a play
- be able to ask questions during debriefing
-and to call the opponent's play during defence.
effective communication. we haf no time for negative banter. I do not tolerate any negative comments in the team.

(please make sure that every player reads this. THaNks)

Cheers