“The ball carrier uses a strong fend to create space and time to pass the ball to their supporting player while the defender aims to disrupt. They then turn the corner and repeat.”
SET UP
Three cones, 3m apart, one ball.
HOW TO PLAY
Put an attacker with a ball in the first space between the cones and another attack about 2m away. Put a defender next to the middle cone facing away from the ball carrier and another on the other side of the middle cone facing the oncoming attacker.
Have the ball carrier pass to the attacker who then goes around and through the gap.
The defender can only move sideways and aims to grab the shirt of the attacker.
The attacker passes the ball if they are held or runs around to the next defender.
The attackers continue to go around twice, before they swap roles.
Once both groups have gone “clockwise”, they then run anti-clockwise.
Have a spare ball at the ready to throw to the attackers if they drop the ball or it goes forward.
Count the successful attempts.
DEVELOPMENTS
Make the tacklers more active, so they come forward.
NUMBERS
With five, have three defenders and make the area into a triangle shape. With six, make the area into a square.
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
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
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
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
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. MORE
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