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.
in Passing & Handling, Small-sided games, Warm Ups
In this warm-up game, passing and catching are important, but vision and awareness are paramount. When the player is lining up to run, he needs to know who is going, when he needs to go, who he’ll receive from, who he’ll pass to and where he’ll line up next. MORE
in Small-sided games, Warm Ups
This simple game is an excellent warmup exercise that will get your players thinking about their core skills, communication and, most importantly, decision-making. It’s also great for getting players to feel alert and focused at the beginning of a training session. MORE
in Small-sided games, Warm Ups
This is a good warm-up game for a large group of players. It gets their minds and bodies moving and helps to sharpen up their core skills of handling, passing and catching. MORE
in Small-sided games, Warm Ups
A straightforward decision-making exercise that highlights support play and running lines. It’s a good game to use early on in a coaching session when you want to get your players’ core skills nicely warmed up. MORE
in Small-sided games, Warm Ups
This game, which is very simple to set up and play, but quite tricky to master, puts many of the basic skills of rugby to the test, which is what makes it such a great warm-up exercise. MORE
in Warm Ups
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... MORE
in Warm Ups
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... MORE
in Warm Ups
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... MORE
in Warm Ups
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... MORE
in Warm Ups
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... MORE
72 of rugby’s tactical concepts in simple, plain language, perfect for anyone who’s ever been stumped by jargon. MORE
A comprehensive guide to rugby coaching for beginner coaches. Designed to help you build your players' techniques, skills and understanding of the whole game from ages 8 to 16. This is a thorough guide that will help you coach with confidence, even if you’re just starting out. MORE
Ready-made, age-appropriate, safe training activities, to provide a complete rugby coaching curriculum for players from ages 11 - 16. MORE
