Get your ball carriers used to running forward to score tries. This session can be run as a warm-up or as a proper tackling session as well.
Often players fail to run forwards even when they know the try line is that way. This session should encourage them to attack a space in front them and go for it.
Split the players into pairs with a ball.
Put the pairs 1m apart facing towards the touchline in the middle of a 10m long box.
When you shout “pass”, the ball carrier passes to his partner.
When you shout “turn”, the ball carrier races to the try line and his partner tries to catch him.
Keep swapping pairs around.
Use touch, tag, grab or full tackling.
Spread out the pairs, so there is at least 3m between each.
This time, instead of shouting “turn”, shout “attack”, the players with the ball aims to run past his partner.
The best sidesteppers seem to be able to beat another player inside the space of a telephone box. Use this exercise to make even the least fleet-footed replicate this skill. Develop light feet with a jump and step to create a really dynamic sidestep. MORE
Create a competition to get to the line, with the attacker either using speed or evasive skills to beat a defender coming from a different angle. This easy to set up activity can be run as a breakout from games or as a large group in lots of boxes. Mix up the players so sometimes... MORE
If your players can create a one versus one opportunity, it is a chance to breach the gain line. If they can unbalance their opposite defender, then they should succeed. Players need to understand that there are a number of ways to unsettle the defender both with and without the ball. It helps for the attacker to know what the defender is trying to achieve and reverse the psychology. Here are four of them. MORE
Many of our sporting friends are facing tough times with lockdown rules reducing opportunities to play. However, if you can get out onto the pitch, but are perhaps limited to what you can do within your bubble, here are some ideas for sessions. MORE
In Return to play needs more winning and competition, we discussed that competition plays an integral part in developing players whether we approve of it or not. In our current RTP environments, it might be missing. We gave the example of using intrasquad/interclub tournaments as a way of encouraging some competition in our sessions. In this article, we are going to discuss another way of creating competition, a Sports Day with our players as competitors. A 'Sports Day' gives us the perfect opportunity: To create a competitive environment within our sessions. Provide us with a chance to carry out some covert physical testing of players which can be used to guide future session design. To analyse how our players perform, and if extra fitness work is needed, adapt our sessions to provide more physical stimulus. MORE
Use these questions to support planning and reflection in your players after they have played in a Ready 4 Rugby match. Below each question, I add some of the possible answers and follow up questions. Of course, the players may come up with even better thoughts. MORE