Use this activity to improve players’ ability to scan what’s in front of them. It will allow the players to develop their footwork options before contact or in open play.
All the targets are in front of the ball carrier, so they will need to go forward but still avoid the defender.
ACTIVITY
Put a ball carrier about 3m behind a gate of cones. Put a defender in front of the gate, from 3-5m away. Stand behind the defender.
Have the ball carrier come forward, through the gate of cones and aim to run to either cone at the side – whichever you indicate.
The defender can only move side to side and no further than the cones either side of him.
GAME
Put a line of attackers about 3-5m away from one corner and a line of defenders around 3-5m from the edge of the box.
Have one attacker run through the gate in front of him and then aim to score at one of the corners. He gets 1 point for a score at the nearest two corners and 2 points for the far end.
In the meantime, the defender runs through the gate in the middle before aiming to two-hand touch the ball carrier or tackle him.
Give the ball carrier about 5 seconds to score before calling a halt. Release the next set of players quickly.
TECHNIQUE
Look up and so stay balanced. Drive off one foot to get to the target.
Attack one space hard and then change direction with conviction.
Use this conditioning game to help your players develop better footspeed, evasive skills and stop/ start skills. It comes from basketball, and is easy to set up and certainly fun for the players.
With thanks to Chris Oliver of BasketballImmersion.com, this is a conditioning exercises that the players will love. First, it’s competitive. Second, it has a risk/reward element which makes the players think tactically about their actions. Finally, it has some great rugby outcomes. MORE
Help players make good decisions at the breakdown on whether to pass, run or ruck depending on how many defenders are threatening the tackle ball.
You want enough players to win quick ball without compromising your chances to launch effective attacks. MORE
Develop the idea that if the ball carrier runs an S-line, they can draw in defenders and release support players to attack a flat, organised defence.
The out-in-out nature of the run forces defenders to make decisions which creates enough disruption to pull them out of position. MORE
If a player can attack the ball at an angle the defence is not expecting, there’s a better chance of breaking the defensive line. Here’s how it works and how to practise it.
MORE
This session will help players highlight their core skills under pressure. It works especially on short passes when the ball carrier is running “offline”.
Offline means the passer is either running towards the intended receiver or away. MORE
This activity works on the ball carrier sprinting for the line while the defender tries to intercept him.
Getting to the tackle can be as important as making it. This session is mainly working on chasing tackles, so is quite low impact. MORE
