EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
It’s worth coaching rugby kicking skills as early as possible, even if your young players are not allowed to kick during games yet. By the time kicking is introduced into the game, the youngsters will have a well-developed set of core skills and a basic tactical understanding of when to kick. Use the following rugby coaching tips and drills to help. And, of course, any catching drills are going to be worthwhile as they’ll soon be faced with some up and unders too!
Make more of poor opposition kicks with this session. Also, work on what your defence might do when you do make a poor kicking decision. Most matches have poor kicks. Use these training scenarios to practise your team’s reactions and decision making. MORE
in Email Newsletters, Kicking & Catching
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". MORE
Develop your players’ ability to jump to catch a high ball under pressure. This session aims to give your players more confidence. A jump to catch a high ball is not just a vertical jump. The player has to be moving into the space in front of them to dominate the situation. MORE
Avoid aimless kicking from your kickers. Give them targets and then, as they develop, make them look to kick to space and adjust to before they kick. Help players develop their understanding of how to receive a pass so they can be in a good position to kick to where they want. MORE
in Kicking & Catching, Practice plans
More teams are refusing to kick for touch, instead kicking for territory in a bid to launch counter attacks. This simple session helps players discover ways to perfect this and should be a standard session for every season. MORE
in Kicking & Catching, Rugby drills
Develop the skills and tactics to return the ball from kicks to the sides of the pitch, between the 15m and 5m lines. A cross kick can isolate the defending winger. He needs to use kicking and running skills to avoid being caught away from his support. MORE
in Attack, Girls/Womens, Kicking & Catching
This small-sided game is ideal to work on players kick chase and keeping the ball alive in attack. You can use this as a standalone skills game or have it as a platform to launch a bigger game of touch and pass from. Thanks to Simon Parsons, Women and Girls Director of Rugby for Tunbridge Wells RFC and Kent U15s Girls Head Coach for this activity. MORE
in Kicking & Catching, Small-sided games
Develop rugby rounders into a skills development game specifically aimed at improving kicking techniques and tactics. While there are also good outcomes for catching and passing, I want to focus on the precision of the connection between ball and boot and then finding space with the kick. MORE
Develop a long passing counter-attack game which includes accurate kicking, fielding and moving the ball to space out of your 22. Use this whole pitch exercise to work on the right skills. In a territorial kicking game, your backfield cover needs to be confident to field kicks, pass long and either kick long or run back. MORE
Create the desire to win the ball in the air, for kick-offs, high balls and lineouts. This session creates jumping and catching challenges for different situations. Let the players discover what works for them and try out lots of scenarios. GAME 1 Stand 5m away from two players who are side by side in a... MORE
