On this episode it was awesome to chat with Vuyo Zangqa.

Vuyo has played for the Springbok 7s before moving into professional coaching.

He has many years coaching experience with a passion to create and manage an environment where rising talented players can develop and leave a legacy of excellence.

Vuyo has coached across the world and is currently based in China, previously being with the Southern Kings in South Africa and the National sides of Germany, Lithuania and Kenya.

This was an incredible chat as Vuyo explained the importance of a coach having awareness of themself and their environment and how the coach should put their personality into the team but that the team comes first, always.

His point on leadership and how the coach does not drive the team but is in fact driven by the leadership group with a team hierarchy where everyone contributes was enlightening

With myself being a new coach, hearing Vuyo's insights on understanding the team as a collective of different individuals and different mindsets but also at the same time that the players need to understand who you are as a coach was really useful.

As always, thanks very much for listening

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Having an authentic identity, a message and a direction.

On this episode of The Coaching Arena, I sat down with former international rugby coach, people developer and co-founder of the Leadership Circle, Will Webster.

Will has coached with Canada, Hong Kong and Kenya.

At club level, he has won back to back championships with New England Free Jacks and is currently coaching officer at Hong Kong Scottish.

I thoroughly enjoyed this chat with Will and took a huge amount from it.

His advice into building relationships and creating the best environments for people to thrive was incredible.

You can really sense Will's coaching emphasis on the importance of having an authentic identity, a message and a direction.

As Will highlighted, a coach has to create an environment that people want to be part of and really enjoy.

A coach needs to have a why behind everything they do and know their identity.

I really hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did and thanks for listening

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On this episode of The Coaching Arena, it was awesome to chat with professional rugby coach Alexis Michel.

Alexis has coached around the world and is currently Sportclub Neuenheim in the German Bundesliga.

This chat was incredibly interesting as Alexis shared his insights on coaching in different cultures as well as leadership and earning player's trust.

I am absolutely loving these chats and they are really helping me with my coaching.

A coach will always say something to me that lands instantly and this chat with Alexis was no different. His point on when players talk about you as a coach when you are not in the room, what are they saying and you ok with that?

This question really reinforces Alexis' point of being yourself, being authentic and always inspire.

We spoke of many things, including being a role model, cultures, effective communication, leadership and inspiring players. Alexis' approach for structure and frameworks were fantastic for any new coach.

I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did and thanks very much for listening

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On this episode of The Coaching Arena, it was awesome to chat with former international rugby player and now professional coach, David Sisi.

David has played for London Irish, Bath and more recently played over 100 times for Italian side Zebre.

On the international stage, he has played for England U20s and won 30 caps for Italy, playing in two world cups.

He is now on the coaching staff at URC club, Zebre.

This was a brilliant chat on clarity, honesty and purpose.

His advice on getting complex ideas across by messaging and adding narrative to help people learn was incredibly useful to me.

Adding emotional buy in for the players helps them retain information and calls at crucial parts of the game, even when incredibly tired.

It was also really useful to hear David's advice on feedback loops and how it works both ways between players and coaches, as well as how progress should be measured. Listening to the players and bringing the energy to them to foster the buy in is a lesson well worth taking on board.

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On this episode of The Coaching Arena, I spoke with professional rugby coach, Therlow Pietersen.

Therlow is a professional rugby coach with the University of Johannesburg and has worked within the academy system and has coached during the highly competitive Craven Week competition in South Africa.

This was a brilliant chat you could really sense Therlow's person centric approach from the get go.

His approach to belonging, identity and culture was something I have really taken onboard.

He spoke of three pillars, being physical, mental and emotional and the importance of building up relational capital with the group.

This authentic approach was clearly evident and that winning is not eh be all and end all, but rather as coaches, we should have intention in all aspects of coaching.

As a coach, we should create shared memories and connections, but it was his insights on how it is character not skill set which can help a player climb the rugby ladder.

His approach to peer to peer coaching and the feedback loop really landed with me, and how we as coaches need to give clarity as players learn differently.

But is really is Therlow's approach to the players and creating a sense of belonging first and then working on the game later which really stood out to me

Thanks very much for listening

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Principles, People, Relationships and Environment. On this episode it was fantastic to chat with Blue Bulls Pathway Coach and World Rugby Educator, Ofentse Moeng.

This chat was incredibly eye opening for me and full of coaching advise. There is too much to list below, but these chats have been invaluable to my coaching and Ofentse should write a coaching book.

Ofentse's advice on the environment and the concept of team first with the players buying into the idea of something bigger than the individual was brilliant, as was the importance of having fun and not removing that element regardless of level. The insights on peer to peer learning and the importance of character are well worth a listen.

The lessons on how, when and the language used to give feedback is awesome for all new coaches.

But, what really stood out for me was the idea of coaching principles and living them, not just putting them on a wall.

It was really interesting to hear Ofentse's insights on creativity and reducing a player's limitations. As he said, the only limitation should be your imagination.

However, something really resonated with me on this chat, which was Ofentse saying how a coach should be player centred, not coach centred.

As always, thanks for listening.

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On this episode it was awesome to sit down and chat with professional rugby coach Andy Gallacher.

Andy worked in academy and national age grade rugby as an Assistant Coach with Scotland u18s and Academy skills coach within the Scottish Rugby Pathway.

Andy currently works as a Pathway Coordinator with RugbyWA in Australia.

This was a brilliant chat on creating the culture and environment for players to thrive.

I am conscious that as a new coach I am not doing a good job, so it was reassuring to hear Andy say that there is no magic formula for what makes a good coach.

The concept of creating not just opportunities but also set backs to help players develop as individuals not just as players was enlightening for me.

I really found Andy's perspective as to how a coach knows they are on the right track incredibly useful, and without giving the answer away...it isn't results

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did and thanks for listening

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On the episode, I was incredibly fortunate to chat with elite coach, Emma Doyle.

Emma is the author of the book 'What Makes A Great Coach', a TedX speaker and host of The Coaching Podcast.

Emma is a former high performance tennis player turned corporate coach and has been described as the real life female version of Ted Lasso.

This was an incredibly eye opening chat as Emma explained :

• Questions are the answer
• Encouraging curiosity through a positive culture
• EPIC framework (this is a game changer)
• The importance of how, when and a where is question is asked
• How coaches help people learn, not just teach
• Connection before learning

I really hope you enjoyed this chat as much as I did, and thanks for listening

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