EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
If you are coaching adult rugby, then you are probably already beginning to put in some elements of contact into your preparation programme for next season.
If you are coaching youth rugby, then you need to carefully consider the regulations about contact rugby. For example, in England for under 11s and below, you won’t even start “contact” of any sort until the actual season starts.
When you do start, your players need to be ready for contact, though, of course, in an ideal world, you would want to avoid it!
For a change from the normal rugby routines, why not introduce some wrestling into training. We have a guide to setting up the right sort of safe environment to take advantage of this type of training in Wrestling skills for a warm-up drill.
Moving this towards more rugby-related activities, try out this Ruck warm-up drill. Paul Tyler mixes wrestling-type exercises before looking into the best height to drive into contact.
Ruck pads are a good way to reduce the bone-on-bone contact. Use them wisely to improve techniques with Mark Calverley’s activity to Safely introduce tackling contact.
Finally, give your players the edge in the contact area by giving them some of the best contact tips. Develop better contact readiness with these ideas.
in Backs moves, Passing & Handling, Rugby drills
In Hard and Fast with the Miss Pass, we set up a “miss pass” training session. The miss pass is a long pass which skips one player, with the missed player drawing a defender in the process. MORE
in Attack, Passing & Handling, Rugby drills
A hard and fast flat miss pass can cut out defenders before they have a chance to change their running angles. It can lead to clean breaks as your attackers exploit the gaps. By scanning the line and hitting the ball at an angle towards a space, the ball carrier is going to be almost impossible to stop. MORE
in Rugby coaching, Rugby drills
Training games, like touch rugby or contact games, tend to be competitive. They should have: Context: the players should know, either before or after the game, the reason you are playing. Fun/enjoyment are a given. However, what are the potential rugby outcomes? Points: the players will want to know what the score is, and what the points system is. Now, let's spice this up MORE
in Defence, Rugby drills
Already leaked more tries than you expected this season. Here's some cures to shore up your defensive line, which concentrate on technique, skills and organisation. Remind your players of what they do well and then help them to address their weaknesses. MORE
in Kicking & Catching, Rugby drills, U12+
Use our two simple tactics to pull defences one way and then kick the other to surprise them and give your chasers a good chance of gathering the kick unopposed. MORE
Though it sounds obvious, the number one priority of any coach is to see a clear transfer of skills from practice ground to playing field. Australian skills coach Mick Byrne tells you how. MORE
