As a coach, there are many elements of the game that you must prepare your players for. They need to be physically fit, tactically aware and have mastery over the skills of the game. But beyond this, they must have the mental preparation to ensure they play to the top of their game.

Often this last element is overlooked by coaches in their training sessions, even though they are fully aware of the importance of attitude and mental toughness to winning a match. Many would find it hard to believe that the mental element of the game can be taught like any other. But it can, and you should make sure you give it the right amount of time when planning how to teach your players.

Most elite rugby teams now have a sports psychologist attached to their outfit who responds to the mental needs of the players through a number of techniques, including visualisations, individual goal-setting and even hypnotism. Obviously, many of these would be beyond the ability of amateur rugby clubs. But all coaches can learn something from this – particularly the importance of goal setting for rugby players. Making sure each player has own specific targets in training or during a match helps him feel less overwhelmed or nervous about the whole experience. Rather than focussing on winning, if a player can focus on being his best in very specific areas, improving will be a much more manageable feat.

Of course, there are even simpler ways to coach the mental aspect of the game, without even getting into the technical aspects or setting aside specific time for mental training. These involve changing the way you coach your players, by trying to empathise somewhat with them. Remember that they are human too, have their own fears and hopes, and try and respond to those – in a way you would be happy with if you were in their boots. Take an interest in your players, talk to them and make sure you praise them when they succeed – this will help create a mental motivation to improve.

You will probably find that this is also the most rewarding way of coaching, and both you and the players will gain something out of real engagement with each other. Too many coaches simply talk to their players rather than talk with them and as a result build up an enormous distance between themselves and the team. Not only does this tend to make players respect you less (and therefore listen to you less), but it creates a feeling of disgruntlement that does not translate into them performing at their best on the pitch. After all, why try and impress your coach with your skills if he is completely detached from you?

There are many ways to coach the mental side of rugby, written about by many different authors. However, as with many things in life, the simplest ways are the best and trying out this coaching method will cost you nothing, bring you closer to your team and hopefully improve their skills and performance.