If you are able to train, then you will be aiming to improve your players’ skills and tactical appreciation around specific areas of the game.
If you are in lockdown, it’s a chance to hone your session planning in readiness for your return.
In this planning for post-lockdown training, we are going to look at breaking the defensive line. Specifically, the best body shapes, lines of running, handling and support roles.
To enhance learning, you are better off focusing on an “arc” of learning for a specific area. This means spreading out the training over a number of weeks, rather than dedicating one session to this.
Here’s a four-week plan for busting the line and supporting, but you can split this up into more sections if you want.
Objective: Develop awareness of how to break the line and how to support the line break
Week one: Body shapes to get to the edge of defenders and beyond.
Week two: Stepping, fending and offloading through the tackle.
Week three: Supporting the line break.
Week four: Tactical plays to make a break.
Let’s say you dedicate 15 minutes each week to the activities and assuming you have warmed up before the start of contact, you could use a mix of games and drills.
Each session may include all of the skills or tactic from all of the weeks. However, each week focuses on the specific skill/tactic, the reasons why there are important and how the players could improve their own contributions.
The mix depends on the skills of your players. Here are four ideas to help.
Develop how the support player tracks the ball carrier so he can be ready to take a pass or help the ball carrier should he be tackled. Reading the movements of the ball carrier means the support player can find themselves in the best positions to receive the next pass. MORE
Bring in the player from behind the attacking line to split the defence. Use this activity to develop the tactic and then put it into more game-like situations. MORE
The best players use footwork before the tackle. But if they have to go through close contact, they lean forward and drive through with short, powerful steps. Replicate these skills with these drills. MORE
Quick ball manipulation allows players to keep the ball free in contact. Then, they can offload it to support players, who are confident they can take a pass from the ball carrier. If the ball carrier half breaks a tackle, he is in a position to offload. Support runners need to run the right lines to support this pass. He also needs to fend off with his inside arm to free up the outside arm. MORE
While our priority will be re-engaging players with games, we will still need to mix in "skill zones". This is another name for a more intense focus on a particular skill or technique. Have a bank of skill zones ready to drop into your sessions. Here let's focus on passing. MORE
With the exciting possibility of a return to rugby less than five weeks away, here are two ideas and a bunch of activities to get you and your coaches ready. MORE
When you return to rugby, there will be a long list of areas you need to do to rebuild your team's skill levels and understanding. Here are four games that can cover a range of outcomes, building in complexity, moving towards the full game. MORE
In this planning for post-lockdown training, we are going to look at the supporting roles around the ball carrier. Specifically, the way that players are ready to take a pass to attack space or once the defensive line is broken. To enhance learning, you are better off focusing on an “arc” of learning for a specific area. This means spreading out the training over a number of weeks, rather than dedicating one session to this. Here’s a four-week plan for busting the line and supporting, but you can split this up into more sections if you want. MORE
If you are able to train, then you will be aiming to improve your players’ skills and tactical appreciation around specific areas of the game. If you are in lockdown, it’s a chance to hone your session planning in readiness for your return. MORE
In Lockdown planning: Quick ruck ball sessions, we focused on applying pressure on the defence. Now, let's plan for the other side of the ball. France's defence coach, Shaun Edwards says that it is his main metric for success: slowing down ruck possession. To enhance learning, you are better off focusing on an “arc” of learning for a specific area. This means spreading out the training over a number of weeks, rather than dedicating one session to this. MORE