Warm-ups and cool-downs are two of the most important aspects of your training and match day routines.
It’s vital that your players warm-up and cool-down properly in order to maximise their performance and reduce the risk of injury. We tell you how and why warm-ups and cool-downs work and we suggest some warm-up drills that you might try with your team.
By Darren Kingham-Scott, head coach of Winchester RFC and Hampshire RFU women’s and U15s coach Overview This is a good warm-up activity using tackle tubes. Remember good technique is more important than “flying” into the tubes. Set up 20m x 10m box Five tubes in zigzag formation approximately 7m apart One player stands behind each […]
From 48 Rugby Skills Games This is constantly moving warm up game, which can be replicated across lots of boxes. It works on passing anticipation, because no player is allowed to stand still or take a pass standing still Set up Players: 3 attackers v 1 defender Area: 7m square Equipment: One ball Game notes […]
By Eamonn Hogan, experienced rugby coach working with representative teams in the UK and the US Overview This exercise will allow players to begin the process of game-related practice with ball placement. Set-up Put players in pairs by a marked line on the field or a line of cones. One player with a ball lies […]
The trouble is that “skills” training can be quite boring because it has to be, by nature, repetitive. That’s not to say you can’t use games and gamification to make things better though. Why not try a skills circuit, with tight timings for each station. Players work in groups of four – as two pairs […]
From Rugby Coach Weekly Some teams will warm up with two laps of the pitch. There are three good reasons not to do this: It only suits certain types of players It does not replicate the type of training or game that rugby needs It wastes valuable time that could be used to work on […]
This rugby coaching game is a real brain teaser, which will appeal to your players while helping improve vital skills.
It is widely recognised that there are a number of training benefits to be gained from using wrestling drills with rugby players. Use the following tips and drills to integrate one-on-one combat in your training sessions.
Jumping is a crucial skill in rugby but one which is often poorly coached or not coached at all. Basic jumping skills can be built into your rugby warm-up drills and can easily be improved with coaching.
Players can sometimes take time to focus their minds when they arrive for a rugby coaching session. Add a simple decision-making game to your training drills to warm up the team.
This rugby warm-up drill prepares players to stop and start quickly as well as change direction.
