EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
Here are four great warm-up games to energise your players while working on skills and decision-making.
Notice that I’m keen to showcase player-led activities for warm-up games. This is a good chance to build more cohesion amongst the players, while you are still providing a certain amount of control on the direction of the session.
Set up and run the game over several weeks before giving over the reins to the players. However, don’t be afraid to step in sometimes to reiterate rules or the reasons for the exercise if you feel the standards are not matching your expectations.
Developed by Harlequins DPP coach, George Ross, Warm-up Rondos are quick to set up and can be player-led if you want. With six variations, they will be a good heart-rate raiser for the session as well as a good breakout exercise.
The grid game from Tom Sheridan can also be used as a breakout exercise. A more developed version of rugby netball, it has challenging ways to increase the pressure on the players.
Prison break can also be player-led and explores footwork skills. Good for younger players who aren’t yet confident with their ball handling.
Blockers: Super-quick footwork and handling warm-up is one of my favourite super-quick set up games. It will create lots of energy as players look for spaces while others try to take that space away.
in Footwork and evasion, Rugby drills
One player goads another, then touches the line and races to the other end to avoid being touched by the chaser. It’s a like smaller version of the Bangladeshi game of Kabadd MORE
in Attack, Rugby drills
Create attacking shape, where forwards understand where they are supposed to run to support the next phase of play. The groups of forwards are called pods and need to work together. MORE
in Attack, Rugby drills
Should an attack be successful at a 2 v 1 every time? At the top level, most of the time you would have thought, yet you would be surprised how often they fail. Add in another attacker and defender, or even two attackers and one defender, and that ratio of success drops very quickly. But it is still a golden opportunity to make ground and even score. So, you need to increase the success rate, and you do this by creating as many scenarios as you can. MORE
in Rugby drills
Dropped balls or loose kicks mean that the ball is on the ground and needs recovering. Use this session to work on the skills and decision-making around this situation. It’s not a natural action to fall on the ball. Help the players understand how to develop this technique as smoothly as they can. MORE
in Attack, Rugby drills
Get your players in place quickly to attack at pace from the next ruck in this simple realignment activity. Creating and keeping depth in an attacking line running onto the ball at pace and still have space and time to pass. MORE
in Footwork and evasion, Rugby drills
Improve your players’ footwork and ability to evade contact. The “hot box” means your players will need to use their peripheral vision and their ability to see where defenders are. MORE
