George Ford embraces pressure and has played in some of the highest-pressure situations in rugby.
So why is George Ford, one of England’s most decorated kickers, involved in a session with two young players?
Not because of a sponsorship engagement that he has to attend but because he feels that teaching a skill to the young players who idolise him puts him under increased pressure to get it right, both in terms of process and outcome.
Top international players have a thirst for knowledge and self-improvement – coaching others is a great way to consolidate your own understanding.
When George Ford coaches younger players, who are wanting to emulate him in the game, he feels more accountability and the quality of his practice increases – in many ways he can see himself when he helps others and he understands the importance of getting it right and being clear about his actions.
School of Kicking’s, Director of Coaching, Dave Alred commented; “It is amazing when you can use a player to demonstrate a particular point.
“You are able to clarify the perceptions of other players but also it really tests the understanding of the player demonstrating a particular point.
“Often I will use “show it back to me” as a method of getting the player to exaggerate a particular movement – this definitely helps the depth of their learning.”
This technique for self improvement definitely isn’t an an every day tool but used now and again it can have a dramatic impact of the quality of understanding and learning.
If you want to increase your depth of learning, have a go at teaching a recently learned skill to another person.
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