Winger?!?

Question
Hey I'm Johno and I live in England, I recently moved to a new club that wasn't doing so well.  Before now I played hooker for 5 years and had no experience in any other position.  In my first game for my new club they played me as a reserve (fair enough for a first game) but when they brought me on in the second half they played me on number 11 wing.  At this point we were 10-7 down, but my experience as a forward meant I could tackle hard and as a winger i felt it was my responsibility to tackle whoever caught the punt every time we kicked the ball.  I think I earned some respect as towards the end of the game as at nearly every play the ball was shipped to me and I scored 4 tries, all of which were converted and the opposition scored no more.

I think I have good ball handling skills and a very good stamina, plus when on the pitch I get carried away with winning.

I have real problems with
- Side stepping
- Spinning
- Size (9.5 stone and 5ft6)
- Speed (although I was fastest on the pitch that game will I always be?  I did 100m in 11.4 seconds for a test but my best mate who was a damn good winger did it in 10.5 and is now training for 2012)
- Kicking (only able to do so with right foot)
- I just can't seem to get right under the posts... ever...

If you've got any tips please share them.

Johno

Answer
G'day Johno,

It sounds like you are doing ok for a first try at a position that couldn't be further from hooker if you tried.

Side stepping and spinning ( I assume you mean out of a tackle?) are skills that can only really be coached in person. You don't need to be the fastest guy on the field to be a good winger. Having better game knowledge and thus field positioning is the key.

Kicking is something you will need to practice - a lot. If you can kick with your right foot you will with your left as well if you practice at it enough.

Size and speed are things you can work on with training. A good sprint training routine and working the gym to improve explosive power will help - that is for you and your trainer to work out.

As for "getting it under the posts - that is not your job. Your job is to score tries. The team  doesn't get the luxury of telling your where to dot the ball down. The kicker has to practice a lot for a reason.

I say  that you are over thinking a lot of this. Get with a trainer to get a goal and plan to improve speed and size and work with a backs coach in person to work on kicking and side stepping.

Give it some time, set clear goals and work at it. make a note of where you are now and note your improvements. Progress will come if you apply practice and coaching.

I hope this helps sorry it is a little vague but I hope you see that the issues you mention are a simple matter of time and application.

4 tries to help you team win the game! Take that for what it is and build from there. Allow your confidence to grow and build it with training and practice, own the new position.