EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
10 pass and catch skills to improve your rugby handling skills. All you need is a rugby ball and a wall making these the perfect exercises to practise at home or in the garden.
Complete these 10 exercises for 2 minutes followed by 1 minute of rest. Complete 3 sets of the circuit and repeat 3-4 times per week to make sustainable improvements.
in Attack, Footwork and evasion, Rugby drills
How often do you despair that your players can’t score when there’s an overlap? Why is it players drift out in attack and play into the hands of the drift defence? Here are my simple solutions. MORE
in Footwork and evasion, Rugby drills
Use this activity to improve players’ ability to scan what’s in front of them. It will allow the players to develop their footwork options before contact or in open play. All the targets are in front of the ball carrier, so they will need to go forward but still avoid the defender. MORE
in Ask Dan, Contact, Rugby drills
"With the return to rugby, I’m really worried that my team (U13s) will have forgotten lots of things about rugby. In particular, I’m trying to work out when and how to introduce contact and tackling." This question came from a coach in Gloucester and is typical of lots of concerns around this area of the game. It is true that the players will have "forgotten" lots of skills. Here's how I would approach this situation. On the next page are two tackling exercises to support training. MORE
in Defence, Rugby drills
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
in Contact, Rugby drills
Make sure your players use the right footwork to power through the contact area and then manipulate the ball so they can offload or present the ball cleanly. Though power and aggression are important in the contact area, the ball carrier also needs to be technically accurate to ensure good continuity. MORE
in Rugby drills, Scrums & Lineouts
Work on good setups and movement, jumping and organisation in your lineout pods with this dynamic activity. It should mix up roles of your players. Let players try out different roles, even if it’s not perfect. That allows players to realise what works for all those involved in the lineout lift and jump. MORE
