Six ways to create quicker thinkers

Thinking quicker than your opponent can gain you an advantage in vital moments.

You can manipulate training scenarios to recreate those possible moments. The players will become attuned to reacting to them and, in time, transfer this behaviour to the pitch.

01 Turnover twos

In training games, carry an extra ball. If there’s a game-rule broken which leads to a turnover, either take the ball the players are using, or use the ball you are carrying, and throw or kick it towards the team who are now in possession. The receiver has to pass immediately. 

Of course, if they don’t pass immediately, it’s another turnover, and the opposition will need to react in the same way.

Because the receiver must pass immediately, at least one of their team-mates must be in position to receive. Depending where the ball is thrown, this might need some organisation.

02 In-touch race

If the ball goes into touch – say from a poor pass, knock-on, or the ball carrier steps into touch – start a countdown for the attack to get the ball back into play.

The length of the countdown depends on how far the ball is from the touchline. For example, for an opposition player going into touch, it should be "3, 2, 1 – play!".

If the attack doesn’t get the ball back in fast enough, it’s a turnover. The opposition can’t block the play. If they do run into touch, see the next point.

Quick throw-ins can catch the opposition out, and are especially good if you own team’s lineout is not firing for that game.

03 Ball down, retreat

If the ball carrier has transgressed in any way, and you call a turnover, they must put the ball on the ground immediately. 

They can’t roll it away, or throw it to the side – and certainly shouldn’t pass it to an opponent, as some well-meaning players sometimes do! It should be put down straight away.

The discipline here is that the original ball carrier races back into position to be ready for the opposition to play, as do their team-mates.

04 One-pass knock-ons

If the opposition team knocks the ball on, the first attacking player must pass it immediately.

This makes the counter-attacking team react quickly to realignment. It creates awareness around the ball. And, tactically, it can be an effective way of counter attacking, because there’s likely to be more opposition players around the knocked-on ball.

05 Score and more

If the attacking team scores, and they can reset for a restart in less than a stipulated time, they can attack again. 

That ’reset’ can look however you want it to look. For example, you could state that the ball must be in the centre of the pitch, with all the attackers ready to go.

However, you can make this more about the team who just conceded.

If they are ready to attack before the scoring team, then they should have the ball immediately.

Don’t let the scorers rest on their laurels – get them into ’score mode’ straight away. It also makes the defenders sharper, and less likely to be licking their wounds.

06 The sin bin!

If teams don’t complete their task quickly enough, they lose possession. If a player wilfully prevents this happening – for example, by rolling the ball away, or preventing a pass into play – you should sin-bin them. 

It could be for 15 seconds, or one phase of defence and one phase of attack. That should give them plenty of time to rethink their behaviour.

Fitness punishments, like press-ups, don’t damage a team as much as a player off the pitch. They will want to be playing, not watching and be keen to make amends.