EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
01/19/2019 |
There are over 3000 different pages of content on this site. Here's a guide of where to start if you want to solve the following problems. MORE
01/13/2019 | Rugby drills
Develop good footwork in the last few steps before the tackle. First, to power into a tackle situation, and then to adjust as the tackle target moves either to the left or the right. This activity uses low-impact outcomes with tackle tubes to focus on the technical aspects of the skill. MORE
01/5/2019 | Rugby coaching
Teach the basics of the game, with a game, playing walking rugby. Stop the game to highlight key areas and ask the players for solutions. MORE
11/13/2018 | Email Newsletters
Need to inject some new ideas in training. Sometimes the old games have run their course. Well, for the time being anyway. Here are some fun games which are quick to set-up and, with few rules, give the players new challenges. Though they are primarily aimed at mini-tag, you can easily adapt them for older players. I think you find the energy generated quite uplifting. MORE
08/28/2018 | Mini tag
Participation and fun are the core outcomes for under 7s. However, concentrate on: Evasive running to score tries - that is running forward but able to step to the side of a defender. Catching and passing - probably when the players are static. Don’t worry about defence. MORE
07/20/2018 | Mini tag
Use simple “house” rules in training and games to help reduce the chance of selfish players dominating your team’s possession and preventing you scoring more tries. MORE
02/3/2019 | Rugby drills
Create a heads-up defensive system where the players are far more aware of the situation in front of them. That means they know if they can commit to a dominant tackle, or have to hold their position to ensure the attacking team can't exploit gaps. MORE
01/6/2019 | Rugby drills
Split your playing group into three teams. Two teams on, one off. Play in a narrow channel, swapping teams when there's an error or a try. MORE
10/18/2018 |
Pull the core skills of contact together with an age-old game with a twist. MORE
02/18/2019 | Rugby drills
02/16/2019 | Rugby drills
02/15/2019 | Rugby drills
02/13/2019 | Rugby drills
02/12/2019 | Rugby drills
02/11/2019 | Tactics
02/19/2019 |
Some tackles are tougher than others but players must not miss the “sitting duck” tackles, where a ball carrier is stationary or running sideways. Without much forward momentum, your players can gain an advantage and complete an effective tackle with a chance for a turnover. This session gives weaker tacklers some confidence. MORE
02/18/2019 |
We know a simple offloading game can devastate defences. Players need the skills and the confidence to know exactly how and when to offload. This session builds the technique in a game-related way so the passer and receiver can understand their options. MORE
02/12/2019 |
In very close quarters, the ball carrier can make extra yards by moving to the side of his opponent as long as he is still moving forward. Use this “step zone” to encourage both go forward and stepping. Measure the player on distance made as well as beating the opposite player completely. MORE
12/30/2018 | Rugby drills
Use this activity to warm-up players' footwork and handling the ball skills. In particular, it develops avoiding obstacles without losing speed. MORE
12/29/2018 | Rugby drills
Use this warm up exercise to develop quick reactions as well as awareness of your opponent's movements. You can use cones instead of ladders. MORE
11/4/2018 | Warm Ups
Use this agility, handling and decision-making activity as a way of getting players thinking, moving and interacting. It comes from our Skills Conditioning and Fitness DVD. MORE
02/19/2019 | Team Management
Identifying the players to fulfil your vision is arguably a coach’s most crucial role. Your approach to selection establishes the values of the environment you’re trying to create. Read on to get it right… MORE
02/14/2019 | Tips
Sometimes your best-laid plans must be ripped up because progress has been quicker or slower than expected. So be ready to change tack if players are struggling or they crack a skill and are getting bored. MORE
02/5/2019 | Team Management
Some players devour chocolate or sweets before and after a game, whilst others won’t touch the stuff. So what should you be telling your players? We bust a few myths in this nutritional guide… MORE
02/1/2019 | Rugby drills
January sees many people decide to give up guilty pleasures as part of their soul-cleansing New Year’s resolutions. For instance, “For January, no ABCs” – that is, no alcohol, biscuits and chocolate. I’m afraid I didn’t manage that. March brings the start of Lent and thus time, according to the secular soothsayers, to give up... MORE
02/19/2019
How you get your players to "talk" more in games and training is a constant challenge for coaches. Responding to a request for activities and advice from one of our readers, here's a selection of approaches. MORE
02/14/2019
In this newsletter, we focus on the “how to coach” skills. That’s the way you coach, as much as what you coach. So, here’s 20 plus coaching thoughts to consider. Let’s start with advice on chocolate and other sugary delights. Having researched this carefully, I found I changed my mind on what I suggested to... MORE
02/12/2019
Improve your success rate at rucks. For example, the winning teams in the first weekend of the Six Nations won over 95% of their rucks. Then, once you have worked how to win the rucks, figure out how to play away from those rucks. To warm up, let’s start after the ruck. In the VIDEO: Develop... MORE
“The boys have really enjoyed the drills from Rugby Coach Weekly. It's been great having them at my fingertips and every training session this season we tried new things, which I believe helped keep the boys interested and enthusiastic.”
Phil Hopkins, Perigueux, France
72 of the Game's Tactical Concepts in Simple, Plain Language MORE
With so much to cover when coaching young players, it can be a daunting task to know the basics... now there's help MORE
