Develop your players’ 1 v 1 rucking skills in a low impact environment. This is one of my favourite challenges as a “breakaway” to work on my footwork through the contact.
Speed to the tackle area is crucial, but once there, you need to stay on your feet and be effective. This dynamic exercise keeps the players thinking because the situations are very variable.
Put a ball carrier on his front between two other players also on the ground.
They can be facing towards, away or even on their backs, to keep the situations varied.
The ball carrier rolls and places the ball towards one of the players.
Immediately, the other players get to their feet to compete for the ball. Keep swapping the players around and between groups.
TECHNIQUE
Drive the feet through the contact to generate momentum from a standing start.
Stay on the feet through the contact.
If the attacking player gets their first, he should take the space over the ball, not stop at the ball.
Use this T drill passing exercise to work on players passing, with added movement elements to create more variability and fatigue. A good activity for warm-ups and also part of a conditioning block during pre-season. MORE
Develop good spacing in the attacking line to spread the defence and then find gaps. This activity starts the process by pulling attackers out of position and forces them to adjust. The development is ideal for the next stage of Return to Play. MORE
Develop your players’ go-forward skills with evasion in this competitive scenario. It’s easy to set up and you can add lots of variations. Even though some of the players will “cheat” by not exactly stepping to the side of the cones, their swerves and go-forward will help them replicate these skills in a match situation. MORE
Use this fun warm-up game to test the players’ passing, evasion and decision-making skills. The defenders use rolled-up socks as cannonballs, though they could equally use rolled up bibs. Thanks to Ray Smith who coaches with the Old Reigatians Girls for the inspiration for this activity. Set up the pitch, with a safe zone to... MORE
