Here’s a headline that’s not going to get your players back to training quickly: Tackling and Fitness Training.
However, as we focus on safety and reducing the exposure to a concussion, all the most recent data suggests we need to have better-prepared players. In particular, the fitter the player, the stronger they are, and more likely they will not be compromised technically. Technically, because the tackle is the most likely area for a concussion, we need to improve tackle basics.
Training sessions should provide some of the fitness outcomes you want just within the session itself if you keep the intensity high enough. In reality, that’s never enough. Fitness testing provides a good way to encourage players to work on their own fitness outside sessions.
The Wilf Paish rugby tests – named after the late British Olympics athletics coach – examine a player’s general fitness. All you need is a pitch, cones, 30m tape measure, stopwatch and a helper… MORE
Before you begin training in earnest, you should establish what base your players are starting from. In the first of two articles on testing, we look at different ways to measure running fitness levels… MORE
Work on simple scenarios to improve your players’ execution of the ball presentation at the tackle collision. These skills should be practised throughout the season to speed up your ruck recycling. MORE
You’re deep into the season and your team’s tackling is looking ragged. How do you reinvigorate the players? It’s time to initiate a programme of exercises to bring your defence back up to speed… MORE
Against an organised defence, you can use closely packed groups of forwards to dent the line and then attack the recovering, disorganised defence. Often known as pods, this requires organisation, especially around the roles of the players in terms of carrying the ball and supporting that ball carrier.
In its simplest format, after a set-piece like a scrum or lineout, the forwards who were not involved in winning the ball back after the first tackle, realign to take the next pass. This is in the expectation that the backline doesn't penetrate the line the first time. MORE
Improve your players’ awareness of how to move together as a defensive line.
A defensive line needs to know who’s covering who and then double up if they can to make a tackle. MORE
I recently polled coaches on Twitter on how long they spent planning. While over half suggested they spent up to 25 minutes on the process, two in every five coaches spent longer. Planning a session isn't easy and we all know the horrors of a poorly planned session. Here are two coaching ideas to make it easier.
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In all the excitement of the planning for the first full session back at training, I forgot three things that would have made a difference to training. Not perhaps the vital difference, but when you’ve coached for so long, it’s annoying when you make mistakes. I was lucky enough to work with three experienced co-coaches... MORE
Improve your touch rugby games in training to develop some of the key principles to make your players better defenders. Here are some ideas to change the way you set up and play. MORE
With more and more sport opening up in the coming weeks, everyone will be excited about the prospect of training and even playing.
For some teams, the training sessions will almost run themselves as the players are keen to just be back together and play. For others, they might have lost a certain amount of confidence, fearing that their months of inactivity will make a training session an horrific aerobic disaster zone.
I think you have three tough decisions ahead of you. MORE
