Coaches from football and rugby continue to work together to figure out how both sports can handle contact and tackling in the safest way possible, while also retaining a competitive edge.

On March 2-3 in Las Vegas, just before the USA 7s tournament, ATAVUS will host its 4th annual Coach Development Conference, designed to help coaches develop on-field skills for modern Rugby and introduce Rugby-inspired tackling and analytics to drive more effective and safer techniques. 

This year’s ATAVUS conference has been completely re-tooled, enabling coaches to choose tracks relevant to their specific development, interests and program needs. 

USA Men’s Eagles 7s Assistant Coach Chris Brown will provide the keynote address on Day One of conference, sharing coaching preparations and strategies that led to three historic victories over the New Zealand All-Blacks at the beginning of this season’s HSBC Sevens World Series. 

Coaches interested in more information, pricing, and registration for the ATAVUS Coach Development Conference should visit: atavus.com/event/conference, or email ATAVUS Education Development Manager Shawn Pittman at shawn.pittman@atavus.com.

Day 1:

Day One of the Coach Development Conference will focus on Preparing Coaches for Modern Rugby, led by opening remarks on lessons learned from the 2015 Rugby World Cup, followed by track sessions on Scrum Mechanics, Game Design, Counter Attack, and Preparing Athletes for Dynamic Rugby. Speakers and instructors include Alex Magleby (Director of Performance for USA Rugby), Greg McWilliams (Head Coach of Men’s Rugby at Yale University and ATAVUS Curriculum Developer), Emilie Bydwell (Former USA Eagle and ATAVUS Head of Rugby Programming), and Shawn Pittman (Former USA Eagle and ATAVUS High Performance Coach).

Day 2:

Day Two is focused on Rugby-Inspired Tackle Techniques including track sessions on Defending the Modern Attack, Analytics of the Tackle, and Player ID and Talent Development. While stronger and safer tackling is critical to both games, the heightened awareness of head injuries across Football is forcing coaches to find real solutions to improve player safety. To address this new reality, the ATAVUS Tackling SystemÔ provides coaches with year-round professional services, data intelligence and proven on-field coaching solutions that lead to more confident and effective tacklers, improving the success and safety of their athletes. Speakers include Rex Norris (Former State Champion High School Football Coach, National Champion High School Rugby Coach and Head of Football for ATAVUS) and Dean Riddle (Applied Sports Scientist for the Seattle Seahawks).

With its foundation in Rugby-inspired tackling, the ATAVUS system of shoulder-leveraged tackling techniques removes the head as far away as possible from the impact area and therefore reduces the risk of injury at the point of contact. In 2015 ATAVUS worked with defensive coaches at Ohio State – the number two-ranked defense in Points Scored in 2015, up from 24th ranked in 2014 – and at the University of Washington, who led the Pac-12 in Points Scored defense this season.

Launched in 2015, ATAVUS Football Partners provide coaches with qualitative and quantitative insights for better practice and game day preparation. ATAVUS begins with on-field, Rugby-inspired, tackling techniques, drills and plans which are player, position and unit centered leading to more effective and safer tackling. The company’s proprietary data analytics system then provides coaches with easy to access, real-time customizable reporting and performance optimization recommendations.

In 2016 ATAVUS plans to launch an online learning platform for coaches from both sports.  This proprietary new digital curriculum will enable coaches at all levels, on any budget, from across the country to access, learn and implement Rugby-inspired tackling techniques, drill progressions and planning to increase the effectiveness and safety of the tackle. 

“Our Coach Development Conference provides a unique learning opportunity by bringing experts and coaches from both sports together to share best practices and be introduced to some ground-breaking, data-driven approaches to their game,” said Ron Lloyd, President of ATAVUS. “We are proud of the defensive improvements made by Ohio State and the University of Washington last Football season and believe these tackling principles can improve both sports.”