jon thorne

The number of adverts for "Academies" to download "Business Development" programmes illustrates to me what the priorities are for the majority of these Academies and JPL franchises. 1) Attract as many paying players as possible - from grassroots clubs 2) Promise the earth to parents willing to pay the fees 3) Promise the earth in terms of "elite level coaching." 4) Promise favoured introductions to Professional Club Academies. In reality: 1) They stop players playing with their friends 2) Most are about making profits as a priority 3) The standard of coaching is variable at best 4) Any player who is remotely good enough will be seen by pro club scouts any way. There is no "favoured" Academy - pro clubs have scouts everywhere. Any thoughts?

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Why Skill Development Must Be the Foundation of Community Rugby The more time I spend supporting community rugby coaches, the clearer one thing becomes: 🔍 There’s a real gap in practical, on-the-ground knowledge when it comes to skill development. Our current coach education systems often fall short in helping coaches understand how to build a skill — not just teach it in isolation. We need to go deeper than drills. ✅ How does an action fit into the overall game model? ✅ What principles of play does it support? ✅ What are the technical demands — and how do they match the players’ current ability? ✅ Most importantly, how do we progress that action across time? This understanding is critical. It’s where coaches can make the biggest difference — by investing in a structured, thoughtful approach to skill development that meets players where they are, and helps them grow. this is how we create skillful players — and ultimately, better rugby. #rugbycreative

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Ten action points from ten aspiring Big Four partners. After an intense session yesterday, on advancing the client chemistry meeting, I asked ten senior professionals for one action point each.   What's your favourite? Anything you would add?   1)      Practice & Preparation Professional sportspeople spend 99% of their time practicing and 1% delivering. Winging it is naive, at best. 2)      Confidence Confidence comes from learning relevant skills and having a feedback loop; find a mentor who will deliver tough love. 3)      Ignore The Noise Don’t get hijacked by off the cuff objections (they will likely vamoose) or agree with them for a similar outcome. 4)      Be Curious, Flex Your Questions Ask terrific questions, listen intently, then ask some more. Adapt questions to your prospect's personal style. 5)      Prepare Your Spontaneity One of the biggest myths is that the best Rainmakers advance effortlessly, when much spontaneity is planned. 6)      Six Ways To Pitch Vary your value proposition to keep it interesting, you have 30 seconds to make yourself memorable. 7)      Better Storytelling Every professional must know how to make the emotional connection through storytelling. What are your 25 stories? 8)      Have A Process Chemistry meetings kinda start with rapport and end in an advance, that process keeps you 'in the room'. 9)      Close With An Action Get out of the lunch loop by closing with an action that has forward momentum, or the ‘friend zone’ awaits. 10)  Appropriate Personal Disclosure Share something of yourself and it will be reciprocated, but there are some things you should only tell your councilor.   🟣 #salessolveeverything   Pic: The Four Stages of the BD Meeting. Page six, book three, Rainmaker programme. ~~~ I am in the business of creating Rainmakers. On Wednesdays I post on business development, because sales solve everything.

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Some organisations invest heavily in training. Far fewer invest in diagnosis and coaching. Without behavioural insight and reframing limiting beliefs, development becomes generic. High-performing systems begin with: • Assessment • Pattern recognition • Targeted intervention Growth without awareness and mindset shift is not efficient. #BehaviouralInsight #StrategicHR #LeadershipAssessment #DataDrivenDevelopment #TalentManagementStrategy #OrganisationalPerformance #PeopleAnalytics #HighPerformanceSystems

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In football, we often talk about credibility, trust and sometimes even agency as if they’re fixed assets. But for those supporting coaches in clubs, on visits, in formal qualification routes these things are anything but fixed. How do coach developers prepare for a visit where the environment is already loaded with culture, history and unspoken rules? How do they walk into a space where the badge on their shirt may open doors with some, but create scepticism with others? Credibility here isn’t just about knowing your stuff. It’s about how you notice trends, stay relevant and connect coaches with the right ideas and people at the right time. Trust isn’t guaranteed because of a role title it’s earned in the day-to-day choices of how you show up, listen and follow through, I believe. It’s hard work and needs an individual to reflect, take stock after each interaction to see where they landed, every conversation matters. And agency? Perhaps it isn’t something to demand at all. Maybe it’s the natural consequence of credibility and trust, granted by the workforce and the coaches they serve.

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Most coaches wait too long before they enter supervision. Many see supervision as something you do once you’re experienced enough. Once you’ve “made it.” Once things get complicated. After completing Stage One of the Oxford Brookes University Coaching Supervision program with leading systemically, I see this very differently. Supervision is not a reward for senior coaches. It’s a responsibility for any coach who wants to practice with integrity, depth, and long-term impact to help their clients better and build a better coaching practice. We work with human complexity every day. We sit with emotions, projections, power dynamics, ethical tensions, and our own internal reactions, often without realising how much of us is present in the room. Supervision is about slowing down and pausing. Where we notice patterns, blind spots, emotional entanglements, and ethical edges. Not to judge ourselves, but to grow beyond what we currently see. In my view, better coaches are not the ones who know more tools, they are the ones who reflect more honestly. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing my reflections on what supervision really is and why every coach deserves this space. If you’re a coach, I’m curious: 👉 Where do you currently reflect on your coaching practice? #coaching #coachingsupervision #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment

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 MY RUGBY COACHING JOURNEY:  THE MUNDANITY OF EXCELLENCE “Success often lives in the mundane”.   In the late 1980’s, early 1990s, the Northern Hemisphere had few if any dedicated coaching aids for rugby. As a young coach eager to help players and fellow coaches alike, I saw a gap in the market and an opportunity. Together with longtime coaching ally, Ray Unsworth, I set out to fill it. We compiled and designed simple, adaptable drills for coaches and teachers at every level from school newcomers to professional club teams and put them into a book - ‘101 RUGBY TRAINING DRILLS’. We paid for most of it ourselves and despite its popularity we just about broke even. But that wasn’t the pay-off I was really seeking, that book did more than improve sessions: Our book wasn’t groundbreaking in concept, but it addressed an overlooked need. As word spread, the book elevated my standing and visibility. It opened doors I never could have reached otherwise—invites to speak at coaching clinics, collaborations with national rugby programmes, and the chance to prove my value on a much bigger stage. By mastering and sharing this under‑served niche, I became of interest to a community hungry for practical guidance. “When All is Equal, Skill is King” was the phrase I took everywhere with me. I majored on the importance of mastering the core skills, the small things most people then and throughout my career ignored or paid lip service to, I simply became really good at something everyone else brushes aside and  it was my springboard to a career I never imagined. THE STRATEGY: 1.     SPOT THE GAP: Scan your environment your industry, your team, your own habits and list the tasks people rarely talk about or actively sidestep. It might be spreadsheets no one else updates or foundational skills dismissed as “basic.” 2.     COMMIT TO MASTERY: Pick one overlooked area and dedicate yourself to it. Set measurable benchmarks: speed, accuracy, depth of knowledge. Measure progress because progress, no matter how incremental, fuels motivation. 3.     EMBRACE THE GRIND: There will be days when the work feels boring. Remind yourself that boredom is a sign you’re building muscle in an area others refuse to exercise. Push through. 4.     SHOW YOUR EXPERTISE: As you improve, share your insights. Teach a colleague how to streamline that forgotten process. Write a brief guide on the fundamentals. When you become the go‑to person, your value grows. LESSON LEARNED: You don’t need a flashy innovation to stand out. Find what everyone else is skipping over, get really good at it, and share it generously.

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𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞? 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏,5𝟎𝟎 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟕 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 👋  I’m Kris Stafford rugby union coach and mentor for over 17 years experience. I’ve worked across grassroots, academy, and university rugby since 2008, and recently launched a series of practical coaching tools to help coaches across all sports coach with clarity, not just activity. Every product I create comes from real questions I hear from across all sports and all domains. Like coaches who train hard, but see players freeze in match situations, or who lack consistent planning themes across the season. Here’s what might be useful to you: Struggling with session structure? Try the 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤 built on the 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦, 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥, and 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬. Want fast coaching clarity? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 helps you design sessions that mirror real-game decisions. Looking to sharpen culture and identity? The 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 brings together 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥, “𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐈𝐭?”, and "𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫" frameworks. I’m all about helping coaches build environments that last. If you’re coaching in schools, clubs, or university and want practical tools, stay tuned, as new insights and prompts you can use immediately are coming your way. If anything above is of interest, let me know in the comments and i can sent you a message with more information. Glad you’re here. Let’s see what we can build together. #rugbycoaching #coachdevelopment #sportscoaching #leadership #coach

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Please find below an attempt to introduce, describe and promote the use of reflexivity within and across the coaching landscape. Whilst it is hoped the information will be of some use and support uptake of the practice, the material is quite flexible and is intended to assist with the construction of strategies and processes that are appropriate to the unique needs of each coach rather than being prescriptive. 

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