WHY  I BELIEVE THE ACADEMY SYSTEM FAILS THE CODE.

written Saturday 25/11/2006

To be really simple,  the whole academy system is about training and not about playing.  Training is great,  up to a point,  but think back to when you were young,  think of what sport you were playing,  ask yourself what you wanted to do.  I'd be surprised if the answer wasn't play,  play the game with your mates,  against another group of people that might become your mates,  off the field of course. I had more injuries that limited my training than anyone but rarely missed a match,  could overcome almost anything to play.  In short,  I hated training,  and I hated warming up.

The academy system actually wants to shield some players from playing and keep them in that training environment,  getting tested over 40 metres,  counting the number of chin ups you can do,  doing bench presses and a whole lot of other stuff,  simulated stuff,  quasi opposed stuff.  This is all great if we are having a bench press competition,  or a chin up competition,  but that is not what we are preparing for.

Then some simulated drills,  spatial awareness stuff,  don't get me wrong,  it's all good as part of a training regime,  but training should not be the only regime.  these blokes should be encouraged to get out there and play.  There is no place,  and never has been any place like game time to hone up your skills.  The better you are,  the more people want a piece of you,  the more traffic likely to come your way.  Therefore you have to evolve as a player,  those around you have to alter their game style,  perhaps on the run.  There are plenty of drills where there are three attackers and two defenders,  this is where we want to end up,  how about when you are one flyhalf and there are four big guys running at you,  and really want to hurt you.  This never happens in simulated drills,  but I can assure you it does on the field.  You definitely have plans to target or shut down or take play away from certain players,  whether national coaches admit it or not in the press.

Great rugby teams,  rugby clubs and rugby nations are built out of depth,  numbers of players developing and being developed from the bottom of the spectrum to the top.  The academy system develops things in a different direction.  Talent spotters identify the best individual talent,  using a number of criteria.  They are then grouped together in colleges and an NTS,  National Talent Squad,  and theoretically trained by elite coaches,  in individual stuff,  strength and conditioning and so forth.  These guys are selected and in for a year.

This does not enhance depth in my belief in any way.  Depth is only enhanced,  and individual and team play only enhanced and bettered when there is pressure from the guy in second grade,  every week,  when you know if you mess up he will be given a run and he might shine and you may be in second grade for a month.  These competitions within clubs,  teams,  countries and provinces is what develops great and powerful teams.  Our current system of professionalism goes completely the opposite way and says that this is the squad for the next period of time,  thanks for coming,  see you later.

By all means work on individual skills,  by all means work on strength and conditioning,  but we should never forget,  as to my mind we seemingly have,  the team nature of rugby,  the competitiveness that needs to be re instilled for positions at every level of the game.  I see this everywhere,  even chatting with some young blokes earlier in the year,  the 1st XV had allegedly been decided and made public for the next year almost straight after the last season finished,  a number of kids decided the seconds will be where it is at in 2007,  thereby not placing any pressure on those supposedly above them.

Looking at all those simulated drills,  you see heroes everywhere when they know they won't be hit,  and they do more and look better doing it,  but come the heat of battle,  when there is a chance they might get hit,  they recede into their shells a little bit and are not quite the players as they are the trainers.

While you may not and possibly do not agree with the authour and his thoughts,  the authour doesn't really care,  and freely admits he may not be 100% correct.  However,  the basis of what is said is factual as best we can determine on any given day.  Always challenge the status quo,  better things evolve when current systems and ideals are questioned and challenged.  Make change positive,  strive to make positive change.