Add in the reaction of getting off the floor and back into the game and you are ready to play
Increasing the tempo is important in getting ready to play
All athletes and especially sprinters use agility drills to get the body ready for speed training. Tom Varndell outlines some of the essential techniques players go through before the sprinting starts. You MUST WARM UP
Speed drills are exercises that educate & prepare the body for explosive sprinting and are integral to getting quicker. These exercises should be practised regularly as part of a players overall conditioning program
In this game, defenders are randomly selected to sprint back to their try line before re-joining the game. This creates spaces for the attacking side to spot and exploit.
Footwork is a vital skill for rugby players as it means they can win contact situations and beat players. Log in to Premiership Rugby Coaching for more training ideas.
All players can train to get quicker & being quicker off the mark is a great asset to have when playing rugby. Tom Varndell one of the quickest players in the game goes through some acceleration drills
Ben Mann from Northampton saints delivers a simple warm up that includes lots of movement and dynamic activities to increase blood flow in preparation for the main training session. Coaches can use lots of similar practises to keep children moving and engaged
See some of the exercises the England 7's players go through for fitness & speed
The warm-up is an essential part of training and match preparation. Here's an example from Harlequins Academy on how to prepare for a handling session.
The transition from practicing tackling on knees to tackling on feet starts with the tackler remaining on their knees and the ball-carrier walking past. Then progress to having both players on their feet, but still executing the tackle at a controlled, walking pace.
This clip demonstrates the skills and movements required to fix and beat defenders. Using a combination of passing accuracy and physical agility can significantly improve your attacking options. The coach uses questions to help the players learn
Pre season fitness can be tedious and repetitive however you can integrate the latest fitness drills into games of touch or other conditioned games to make your training more challenging
A counter attack invlving moving the ball wide quickly, then attack defenders with support runners and finally a 2 v 1 to score in the corner. Key factors : Strong communication - Wide spin passes - Attacking the space around defenders - Support the ball carrier from behind - Offload with two hands - straight running - Flat pass
Complimentary Attack
Another great conditioning exercise from Phil Greening at the Athlete Factory. This is perfect for Pre-Season and combines fitness and technical pointers for accurate body position at the breakdown. Use in isolation or integrate into games
Another great conditioned game for pre-season training. With the addition of 'reptile crawls' for players who have made a touch, you incorporate an excellent core strength exercise that requires concentration under fatigue.
Burpee's have disappeared from most fitness training but with the breakdown now so important the "original" military exercise is back with a vengeance. There are two progressions and an explanation on how to integrate them into your touch games
Controlling the ball is a fundamental skill, it may be simple but it is very important. Practise is important and is the foundation to passing and the ability to control and vary your pass
Love them or hate them, burpees are a great tool for fitness. Whether incorporated into a game of touch or your own fitness circuits, the whole-body exercise is extremely game related and requires technique under fatigue. When you have got the technique nailed, see how many GOOD burpees you can complete in a minute. Look to constantly improve on this number.
Understanding tackle techniques and the progressions is integral for all coaches as a basic fundamental in coaching contact. The IRB "rugby ready" course provides a step by step approach to compliment the technques in this section