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Safety and Risk Management : Borkowski Articles

Risk Management and Rugby Football

a series of articles by Dr. Dick Borkowski

Supervision and the Rugby Coach
by Dick Borkowski, Ed. D., C.A.A.

Every textbook dealing with athletic safety issues defines and addresses the need to supervise.

The duty to supervise - to watch - to help - lowering the chance of players being injured is fundamental.

So why do 90% of the lawsuits that I have been asked to read in the past 35 years, claim that the coach, the team board, the union and everyone else with 100 yards of an incident were negligent because of a "failure to properly supervise?"

Maybe there are too many lawyers. Maybe lawyers are wrong. Are coaches doing a poor job? This article is not about reasons for the proliferation of lawsuits or theories of supervision. It is not about the need to supervise. It's a primer on "how to supervise" active people.

Forty years ago my college professor said "be where your kids are!" It was good advice, but what about where to stand, when to use one form of supervision over the other, what not to supervise, and how to watch six different track and field events at one time!

Supervision is management. It is direction. It is overseeing. It is controlling the situation. It is for youth, high school, college and club rugby. You as a coach, regardless if you are a volunteer or paid, have several "duties of care." You do not just have to answer to the rugby world - you must answer to our legal system. Remember that you are not held to a "standard of practice," you are held to a "standard of care." A standard of practice may be never permitting water breaks at practice. That is not today's standard of care.

The Principles of Sport Supervision are:

1. Be there.

2. Know the activity you are supervising. A skilled wrestling coach graciously covered a colleague's rugby practice. It was the first time he ever saw the game. Luckily, no one was injured - seriously.

3. Foreseeability - Understand the potential risks of the
activity and meet your obligation to those risks. It is foreseeable someone without instruction and practice could be seriously injured if you throw him into a game.

4. Understand the numbers - There is no known coach to player ratio because of multiple factors such as age, activity, experience and level of risk. Foreseeability, training and common sense determine the appropriate number. One swimmer supervised by an untrained lifeguard is wrong. Thirty ruggers supervised by a trained coach is appropriate. Two players taught how to tackle by someone without the knowledge is a poor ratio. It is also wrong.

5. Inspect the field and any equipment before you use it. Do it every time.

6. Review the procedures before the activity. Warn the players about what can happen if they do not follow these procedures.

7. Know your players. Know their strengths and weaknesses. Don't place a player in a position that increases his/her potential for injury.

8. Make sure that everyone knows you are present, in control and available - and that you care about them. What does caring have to do with the topic of supervision? Everything! If you care about people, you will care about supervision and that increases safety.

9. Is this the right site for the activity? A dedicated mid western coach wanted to continue practice after being chased off his field by the park maintenance people. He moved the team to the parking lot. When a player fell twenty-five feet over an embankment onto a cement walkway while trying to catch a kick, the jury did not forgive the coach because of his dedication.

11. Signs help. Use warning and information signs in the clubhouse on in your manual, but please do not rely only on them to prevent accidents.

12. Understand the different faces of supervision.

a. General - This is normally an observational duty as opposed to a teaching hands-on situation. It is watching people participating in activities they know. An example might be a tennis coach watching her team practicing on eight courts. You should be accessible. You should be visible to the players. You should continually scan the area.

b. Specific - This is direct, and usually one on one instructional supervision. An example might be a gymnastic coach working on a new skill with one player. The higher the risk of injury, the more specific the supervision.

c. Real Athletic Supervision - This is supervision. Some call it rotational, alternating or "general-to-specific-and-back-again." It is when you are overseeing the team, then help one player, while you continue to scan the entire area. This is the type of supervision coaches need to know and need to practice.

d. Absentee Landlord - This means no supervision. This leads
to injuries and law suits. This is wrong.

e. "Rotten" Supervision - Your body is present - your mind is somewhere else. A dedicated coach was working on the travel itinerary for a holiday tournament during drills run by high school players. A boy broke his leg. The coach was sued for a lack of supervision several months later.


13. Supervision is not watching every player, every moment in every possible situation! That is impossibility. In general, the courts have said you must provide adequate supervision. Adequate supervision is that which prevents an unreasonable risk of harm to the participant.

Supervision, 101 - Or, The Techniques of Supervision We Seldom Talk About:

a. Place yourself in a position where you can observe all the players. A hard working coach placed himself in the middle of the pitch. He observed players at both sides of the field. When he was observing one group, he was not observing the other group. If he moved to the sideline or rotated outside the activity, he would have been able to see more, more often.

b. Think before you establish you coaching position. A coach placed himself in the center of two lines of players working on tackling. The better site would be at the end of the line. He could then see all the players without having to turn his head.

c. Rotating or moving about the team is appropriate. By rotating around the outside of the practice area, the coach can see more of the practice. Vary your movement patterns.

d. When you offer specific supervision to one player, you do not abrogate your general supervisory duties. The biggest mistake I see is when a coach positions him/herself in such a way, that when helping a single athlete, their back is to the other players. The coach needs to place him/herself in such a way as to help one individual while being able to easily observe the other players. Remember you are supervising all the players. Avoid spending too much time with one or two individuals.

e. Scan the entire area continually - This is the habit of constantly observing the area in a systematic manner, even when you are providing comments to an individual. You scan the area from right to left, left to right, up and down, and continually. In the beginning, it is a good idea for teachers to consciously scan a class. Practice will make this automatic. The key is to be constantly vigilant. More on the technique of "Scanning" next month.

f. Does your style of supervision include what to do when or if there is an injury? You must have a plan. Stop the activity. Send for additional help. Do you have the emergency number next to the nearest phone? How are your first aid skills?

g. Yes, there are times when a person should not supervise.

1. When you don't know the activity.
2. When the site in unsafe.
3. When you have too many people to watch.
4. When you see lightning.

k. Wear a whistle and use it. It's a great control device.

l. Teach your assistants how to supervise. Good supervision isn't "brain surgery," but it does require more instruction than "just be there." Appreciating and practicing the techniques of supervision will lower the rate of injuries - and law suits. That's good.

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