I knew that I needed to improve in order to make it into the first team, but I was not sure which areas of my game that I needed to improve. Profiling the most important attributes of a hooker helped me realise what I needed to do to reach those levels. It really gave me clarity, and the improvements I made helped me claim the first-team hooker jersey. I did not rest on my laurels and continually monitored my performance.
Matthew, ex-England U-20 international
Performance profiling involves three procedures. First, you list the characteristics that you think are the most important for success in rugby based on your playing position. Then you can list a range of qualities that the best players have in your position, which may include
• physical (e.g., strength, speed, fitness),
• technical (e.g., passing technique, scrummaging technique, kicking),
• tactical (e.g., reading of game, positional play), and
• psychological (e.g., ability to manage stress, mental toughness).
Second, you then select the most important characteristics and write down what that characteristic means to you. Finally, you rate your current ability for each quality you have listed on a scale of 1 to 10. The performance profile is a personalised tool, and two rugby players are unlikely to have the same profile.
Sport psychology researchers (e.g., Jones, 1993) have established several benefits of the performance profile:
1. Identifying the characteristics that help successful performance in rugby
2. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses
3. Increasing your understanding of your abilities and what is required to be successful in the position that you play
4. Identifying what you should work on to increase your strengths and minimise your weaknesses
5. Maximising your motivation
6. Monitoring changes that occur over time
7. Highlighting any discrepancies between the coach and the player if both complete a performance profile
Callard the PLAYER
As a player, I had previously had a very successful season, playing all of the league matches and then featuring in a cup triumph at Twickenham. This triumph was a record. We won the match by a score of 48-6, which still stands today for a cup final. All the hard work I had been putting in had paid off, or so I thought.
At the start of the following season I lost my place. In fairness it was to a current international who had made the small hop from our rivals. It was exceptionally hard to take, but I learnt very quickly that the only person who feels sorry for you is yourself.
I analysed the position that I wanted back, what was required, and what I needed to do to get that jersey. I shared my objectives and aims in confidence with one of the fitness coaches and a close friend who was in the side.
This player had worked hard for his position and was willing to share advice. I was also to take courage from his sheer willpower and his bloody mindedness. It gave me great confidence, because he wanted me in the side, not from a friendship perspective, but from a view that I could add value to the team that he wanted to become more successful.
I competed hard for my goal in training, setting aside early mornings for speed and weight sessions, and the evenings for goal kicking and positional skills. These sessions were outside the main club sessions.
I had four clear areas that I wanted to improve:
1. Speed
2. Fitness
3. Kicking
4. Game understanding
Each of the four components was evaluated from my performances in the second-team games. For example, in one I kicked four out of five goals successfully, four from four touch finders, three breaks, and two successful counterattacks. It was also important to evaluate this against the feedback of the coach, who was supporting me.
Other performances were poor, but in my strategy of working hard alongside my profile and what I wanted, I was not going to be deterred. This helped me reclaim my position in the team and hold onto it in the coming years when up-and-coming players posed a challenge to me.
Performance profiles should be personal for two reasons. First, the characteristics of a prop forward are far different from those of a winger, so these differences are reflected in the performance profile. Second, the performance profile is based on the experiences and opinions of each person who completes the profile, so you have your own performance profile.
Callard the COACH
As a coach you want to encourage players to develop a unique profile, because this is what will set them apart from the rest. Yes, players must do the basics well, but the unique skill sets of players are often what create world-class performers.
Take a prop for example. He or she has to scrummage, lift in the lineout, and hit rucks hard. But if the prop can develop a side step, handle, and produce offloads through the tackle, then he or she has a unique skill range that is likely to allow him or her to stand out from the crowd.
Creating your personal performance profile involves (1) identifying the qualities required for success in the position that you play, (2) selecting the most important qualities, and (3) plotting your performance profile and ranking your current level.
The first phase of completing your performance profile is to list the qualities or characteristics that are crucial for success in players who play in your position. These qualities are categorised as physical, technical, tactical, and psychological (see table 2.1 on page 16).
As such, you should write down the qualities that you believe make up top performances under the appropriate headings in table 2.2 on page 16. Try to generate as many qualities as you can. Consider physical, technical, tactical, and psychological qualities. These characteristics represent a range of likely contributory factors to success in your position.
Phase 2 of the performance profile involves listing the most important qualities from phase 1 and then writing down what each quality means to you. Table 2.3 is an example of this box being completed by a player who plays in the full back position. You might not agree that this list of 12 qualities is required for a full back, and you may disagree with the definitions of each quality. That is fine.
You will probably have selected more than 12 qualities in phase 1. Now select the 12 qualities that you think are the most important in determining success. Rank these in order, using 1 to indicate the most important and 12 to signify the least important. After you have written down the quality, write down what that quality means to you in table 2.4. Remember, there are no wrong or right answers.
During this phase you list the qualities and then rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 by colouring the appropriate boxes. An important point to consider is what a score of 10 means. Assume that 10 is your maximum potential score. After you have completed your profile, write down your action points, which represent what you need to do to achieve targets. An example of a completed performance profile with action points is presented in figure 2.1 on page 20.
After reviewing the completed profile, list the qualities and then rate yourself out of 10 by colouring the appropriate boxes in figure 2.2 on page 21. As with the previous list of action points, consider what a score of 10 means. Again, assume that 10 is your maximum potential score. Alternatively, 10 may be the standard of your opposition.
Callard the COACH
As a club coach, I have asked players to rank themselves against the best in the world at that particular position and explain why those players are the best in the world. Then, I ask them what they do well against their own profile and how they rank themselves against the world-class traits.
Now you have a profile to compete with the purpose of aiming to be the best you can be.
The performance profile that you have just completed is the starting point, or at least it should be if you want to benefit from completing it. After you have completed the performance profile and the action points, set some goals regarding how much you would like to improve in each quality. For instance, in some of the characteristics you may think that you have reached your potential, but in other areas you might believe that you have a long way to go. Work out what you are going to do. You might be unsure how you could improve certain areas. For instance, you might feel as though you want to improve your explosive strength but are not sure how you would do this. If you are not sure, see an appropriately qualified strength and conditioning expert who will be able to give you a training programme.
Complete the performance profile on a regular basis, say once per month, and monitor any improvements or declines in particular qualities. If, for instance, you spend time working on some of your weaknesses, you may experience a decline in some of the qualities that you were previously stronger at. If this happens, spend time working again on your previously stronger qualities. Continuously monitor your progress throughout the season. If you think that you need to change some of the qualities within your performance profile, do so. Don’t be afraid to make changes. Remember that this performance profile is yours alone.
Another way of getting the most out of your performance profile is to ask your coach to rate you on the qualities that you have rated yourself on. In the performance profile in figure 2.3 on page 22, the player’s ratings are shaded in gray, whereas coach’s opinions of the player are overlayed in a checkered pattern.
In this example some differences are apparent between the player’s ratings and the coach’s ratings. For instance, the player rates his agility as a 6, but the coach rates the player’s agility as a 5. Another significant difference is in the rating of the player’s fitness. The player rates himself at 1, whereas the coach rates the player’s fitness at 4. These differences of opinion can lead to a discussion between the player and the coach regarding what the player should work on first. The player may believe that he should work one particular area first, such as his fitness, whereas the coach may believe that the player should first work on managing his aggression.
Rugby is a team sport that involves both players and coaches, in addition to sport science and medical staff, who all have a common objective. Research by sport psychologists Dale and Wrisberg (1996) found that the performance profile helped create an atmosphere in which the players and coaches had an opportunity to identify and then discuss areas in need of improvement. In the first task, players are asked to make a performance profile of their views on what makes a successful team. The players could discuss what makes a successful team and the characteristics that contribute to the success of a team. The team can then jointly identify the 12 most important attributes before confidentially rating themselves.
TASK Players’ Views on Successful Teams
Discuss what a successful team is with all members of the squad present. Once a comprehensive definition is established, deliberate the factors that contribute to the success of a team.
In the next task, players share their views on the characteristics of an ideal coach, such as the characteristics of a successful coach, and then narrow these characteristics to the most important ones. The purpose of this exercise is to reduce conflict between the coach and the players.
TASK Players’ Views on an Ideal Coach
Players should brainstorm and identify the 12 most important characteristics of a successful coach. Once these characteristics are indentified, players will rate their coaches in each of the 12 characteristics on a scale of 1 to 10. Players should recognize that this task is an opportunity for them to express the characteristics that define an ideal coach. Also, each player will confidentially rate the coaches in each characteristic. The numbers are totalled and divided by the number of players to produce a mean score for each characteristic.
Finally, in the last task, the players and coaches come together to discuss the profiles and generate an action plan regarding what they can do. Potentially, this could be a confrontational meeting if large discrepancies exist between the views of the coach and the players. Before such a meeting takes place, both the players and coaches must understand that the purpose of the task is to identify areas that can be developed to improve the team atmosphere. Players and coaches must remain calm.
TASK Athletes and Coach Discuss Performance Profiles
All players and coaches should be present. Both players and coaches discuss the successful team profile. Coaches can mention different characteristics if they believe it necessary. After that, players and coaches then discuss each rating to discover any discrepancies. An action plan is then generated for how the team can move forward and become a more successful team. Additionally, players and coaches discuss the ideal coach performance profile.
Areas that the coaches scored poorly on are discussed first, and an action plan is generated regarding how the coaches can improve. The team profile and coach profile should be regularly revisited to ensure improvement or work out why the scores on either profile are not improving.
The performance profile of a successful team might look something like the completed performance profile example in figure 2.4 and the performance profile of an ideal coach might look something like the completed performance profile example in figure 2.5 on page 26.
• The performance profile helps you identify the characteristics required to be successful at rugby.
• If you complete it honestly, the performance profile illustrates your strengths and weaknesses.
• The performance profile highlights which areas of your game you need to work on.
• By completing the performance profile on a regular basis you can monitor improvements that you have made.
• The performance profile can help improve team unity when used in a team setting.
• Remember that many small improvements in many characteristics can result in a large improvement overall. The performance profile is a tool to identify where you need to improve.
