EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
Players who turn for training early often kick the ball around.
While you might not want to intervene and allow them to have free play, you might want to make this a “thing”.
That is, “if you want to start 15 minutes earlier than the official start time, I will lay on some activities to do. They are voluntary”.
Here are some kicking activities that only need a few players. You can stand back and let them get on with it, while you set up the rest of the session. Or, a co-coach can watch over to give the players some confidence or encouragement.
in Kicking & Catching, Small-sided games
Improve your kicking with a game of aerial noughts and crosses. Teams take it in turns to kick the ball and aim to drop it in a square which marks their nought or cross. Aerial noughts and crosses gives your players a chance to make accurate kicks with additional tactical pressures as you build the game. MORE
in Kicking & Catching, Small-sided games
Here’s how I’ve challenged my players’ kicking and fielding thinking with the law experiment with the 50:22 rule. MORE
in Kicking & Catching, Rugby drills
There are 10 key factors for drop punting, but if you had to concentrate on just one, here’s which would make the most difference to your players. MORE
in Email Newsletters, Tackling
The RFU has brought forward plans to reduce the tackle height at age grade rugby to below the armpits. Talking to experienced school coaches in particular, they don't see much change in the impact on the game as a whole. However, it is an excellent opportunity to reexamine your tackle technique training. MORE
Try this 10-minute session for your kick-off specialists. An accurate and consistent kick-off strategy can be very hard for opponents to defend against. It can hand your team a territorial advantage, put the opposition under pressure and even force a turnover. But having a kick-off team tactic is no good if the kicker cannot execute... MORE
in Attack, Email Newsletters, Rugby drills
If our players communicated more effectively, then the ball carrier would know when to pass or when to take contact. Create more opportunities for this to happen by making it matter. The best exercises provide chances for players to see the value in calling for the ball. Here are four good activities to use. MORE
