Rugby coaching tips for kicking the ball away and having it too!
Kicking & Catching
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!
Covering the kick off pressure triangle
A guide to the rugby tactics you can use when receiving the kick off.
Turn your kicking game into tactical gold
Here's my "ready reckoner" guide to the rugby kicking tactics to earn your players the "order of the boot".
Kicking from your 22 under the ELVs
For guidance on the ELVs laws and rules changes for rugby coaches
Three rugby kicking tactics to win more games
Inexperience and youth are not the only reasons why rugby teams kick badly.
Chip and chase
A great way of getting forward momentum against well-organised defences is the chip and chase. This can be part of a planned attack or when one of your players makes a key decision and executes the chip and chase as the best option.
Drop punt accuracy
A drop punt is a way of accurately kicking the ball (normally as a penalty kick to touch). Use this activity to test your player’s execution. It can be done as part of the warm-up routine for kickers, or competition between kickers.
Kick off catching in the air
The kick off catcher has to move around to receive a kick off and will be under pressure. If you make him jump for the ball this will make sure he is not tackled in the act of catching.
The chip and chase made simple
This session focuses on communication between your players and increasing attacking options.
Kicking tactics outside your 22
If the ball is passed into the 22m area, any subsequent kick direct into touch will lead to an opposition lineout in line from where the ball was kicked. This has implications for your kicking game, particularly from set pieces just outside your 22m.