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3 Second Touch - Touch Rugby Variation

Split your players into two teams, giving one group of players a set of coloured bibs to set them apart, and quickly tell your players the following laws: Keep the law briefing, brief! Get your players moving as quickly as you can. When touched a player has three seconds to make their pass, and they can keep running (reduce or increase this time depending on your coaching goals/targets). They don't need to set the ball down - just pass. You could change three seconds to three steps, change depending on your goals and the skill level of the players. No forward passes - normal rugby laws should apply. You might decide on 5 touches before the ball is turned over, but more or less is ok. Also - you might decide on unlimited touches. It all depends on your targets as a coach, and your players age and skill levels. Change the laws as you see fit, and let us know the variations that work for you.

Warm Up

Everyone Gets A Second Chance ? Touch Variation

Split your players into two teams, giving one group of players a set of coloured bibs to set them apart, and quickly tell your players the following laws: Keep the law briefing, brief! Get your players moving as quickly as you can. Normal rules of rugby apply in terms of knock on laws etc. If normal laws are broken - the ball is turned over to the opposition. Make judgement calls that take into account the age and skill level of the player. If a player is touched, shout touch! Allow them to keep running and to hold onto the ball. They can have one more touch. While holding the ball after being touched, the player can: score, pass, keep running, stop and then pass, or even set the ball down - but to do so would be crazy. If they set the ball down - it's in play and can be picked up by the opposition. If the ball carrier is touched a second time - they must pass the ball immediately. If the pass is too slow or there is no support to pass to, the ball is turned over to the opposition. A defensive player cannot simply touch a player twice in short succession. You may decide that two different players must make the two touches, or that a second touch can only be made by the same player that made the first touch 10 meters beyond the first touch. There is no kicking. Have fun with this and let us know any law changes that worked well for your team!

Warm Up

Heads up Passing

Tell the players the following: Lets just get the ball moving down the line. Give the player at the start of one of the lines a ball, tell the line to advance using lateral passing - with the last player in each line passing the ball to the first player in the opposite line. Players should change positions in the line following each attack. Focus on the coaching points - the drill is only a means to an end. No spin passing. When you feel that the players are executing the short pass to your satisfaction - add in more pressure by have two opposite lines run at once. Once the teams have master that - lets get all four units running at one. The firt two groups go, when they each the mid-way point - the second two groups go. This will mean that all four gourps will be working at one. The groups keep moving unit you tell them to stop. Devlop this by alowing players to attack and be creative in their attack e.g. loop, M1, etc. There will be lots of traffic, they need to stay on their toes and work hard to keep the attack and the ball alive.

Passing

Mistakes Cost – Touch Variation

Split your players into two teams, giving one group of players a set of coloured bibs to set them apart, and quickly tell your players the following laws: Keep the law briefing, brief! Get your players moving as quickly as you can. Start this game with a rugby league style touch game - when touched a player can set the ball down, standing over the ball, another player moves the ball from the ground; restarting the attack. Make it a two touch turnover game to start with. Punish every mistake; forward passes, off sides, everything; be harsh. Each mistake results in a turn over. When the players get going; tell them that every touch will result in a turn over. On a turn over ball the defence must retreat 10 Meters. Be harsh; any touch and the attack lose the ball. Any law infringements; and the attack lose the ball. Referee the defense equally harshly; if they infringe; force them back 10 meters and allow the attack to continue. Change the laws as you see fit, and let us know the variations that work for you.

Warm Up

One Touch Off-Load

Keep your player briefing; brief, and get them working as soon as possible.I can't stress this enough, it's not a debating society - players want to play. Split your players into two teams, giving each team their own set of bibs - if necessary. One team will be in attack, the other in defence. Tell the players we are going to play one touch off-load, the normal laws of rugby apply. Any forward passes etc. will result in the ball being turned over. When a player is touched, they must pass right away without delay. A delay will result in the ball being turned over. Use your own judgement here, taking into account the age and skill level of the players. Alternative: You might decide that one team will play 5 minutes in attack no matter what - and 5 minutes in defence. They have unlimited touches, you can change this depending on your training goals. Let them play - don't tell them what it's all about. Let them discover, remember this is the warm-up! Don't hesitate to change any of the above to suit your training goals/targets.

Warm Up

One Touch Ruck

Be brief when telling the players the laws of this game, it's important to get them moving quickly. This is not a contact game. Break your players into two teams, giving each team their own colour of bibs if necessary. One team goes to attack, and one to defense. Nominate a Scrum Half for each team. There is no kicking in this game. Normal laws of rugby apply e.g. a forward pass will result in the ball being turned over to the opposition. If an attacking player is touched: they must go to ground, present the ball, two of their teammates ruck over (staying over the ball), and the Scrum Half moves the ball for the next phase of attack. When you start playing this game make sure that the defense is employing your defensive pattern around the ruck. As the game develops consider telling the defenders that they must have one or more players at the back of the ruck, if they are not fast enough to do this - push them back 10 meters. Have attacking players do what they normally would at the ruck. Depending on your goals decide on the number of touches you wish to allow e.g. unlimited is not a bad option as mistakes will be made! Don't hesitate to shape the game to focus on your session goals, and let us and other coaches know what worked for you!

Warm Up

Pass within a channel

Tell the players the following..... This is simple, just attack from the bottom and top of the grid at pace. There can be two groups in the grid at any one time. Anyone in the line can start with the ball, and the attack should vary between lateral and creative. The ball and attack will be considered alive within the grid, so respond at all times. Players should change places within the attacking line after each attack. The starting position of the ball should change on each attack. Players should avoid contact within the grid.

Passing

Passing in Traffic

Tell the players the following...... Runners move forward towards the cone opposite to their location. There will be one ball carrier and one reciever in every set of runners, 3 sets of runners at any one time. The ball carrier must make a legal pass to the player approaching, avoiding traffic. That's it - lets get going.

Passing

Path Of Least Resistance

In this example we will play one touch offload, but remember you can change the version of touch to suit your training goals, applying the same mismatch strategy. Tell the players we are going to play one touch off-load, the normal laws of rugby apply. Any forward passes etc. will result in the ball being turned over. When a player is touched, they must pass right away without delay. A delay will result in the ball be turned over. Alternative: You might decide that one team will play 5 minutes in attack no matter what - and 5 minutes in defense. They have unlimited touches, you can change this depending on your training goals. Tell the players the defenders in the different coloured bibs don't have the ability to make a touch that counts. That doesn't mean that they don't try! If you are an attacker, and if you are touched by one of those players, keep going. You can start the game with lots of players on the defense wearing mismatch bibs, and reduce it as the session develops. Let them play - don't tell them what it's all about. Let them discover, remember this is the warm-up!

Warm Up

Pop, roll, down, up and gut

Tell your players the following...... The ball carrier will run/carry the ball directly across the grid, offloading it to the player opposite. The offload will be different, depending on the coaches call - so you need to listen. There will be traffic in the center of the grid, so avoid it. Ok - lets get moving, the first call is to pop to the receiver - the pop should be legal! Calls include: POP THE BALL, ROLL THE BALL, SET IT DOWN, THROW IT UP, GUT PASS (not too hard).

Passing

Traffic Lights Game Passing - ...

Brief your players one what you would like the to do by telling them the following.... One of the players will stand outside the grid, they are the traffic light. The rest of the players will be inside the grid passing one ball. When the traffic light player shouts GREEN, they turn and face away from the grid (they can decide for how long). The players within the grid and continue to pass the ball, as fast as they can - they don't want to be the player holding the ball when the Traffic Light shouts RED. On the call of RED the Traffic Light player turns around to see who is holding the ball. On the RED call the players must stop passing the ball right away. The player holding the ball becomes the new traffic light, and the old traffic light enters the grid as a passer.

General

Traffic Passing Warm Up - Rugb...

This passing exercise will keep large groups of players busy passing, running onto, and moving the ball in traffic without the need to spend large amounts of time standing around and doing very little. It's a little confusing to start with, but when the players get going - it's great fun and very busy. Create a large box, the size is up to you and can be varied depending on your coaching goals. Each side of the box should have 4/5 players, more or less if you wish, standing in an attacking passing line - ready to go. You'll need two balls, give one ball to the first player on one of the lines, and the other to the last player on the line opposite. The lines advance passing the ball down the line as they go - they will pass through one another. When the ball gets to the end of the line, the last ball holder passes the ball to the first receiver of the line closest to them - and that line advances. There should be two lines active at any one time, and two lines getting ready to go. I hope that makes sense!

General

Passing in Traffic Passing - R...

Tell the players the following...... Runners move forward towards the cone opposite to their location. There will be one ball carrier and one reciever in every set of runners, 3 sets of runners at any one time. The ball carrier must make a legal pass to the player approaching, avoiding traffic. That's it - lets get going.

General

Building Speed Onto The Ball S...

The speed of the pass should be reasonable and provide the interceptors with a chance of success. Tell the players the following.... The rest of the players will start one cone back from the passers, each standing one behind the other. The first player will go, aiming to intercept the flat pass. Then the next, until all players have intercepted the pass. They then move another cone back - to do the same. They keep moving back until they don't have enough speed to get onto the ball. Don't forget to give the passers a chance, they could be injured players who you might want to keep busy with simple passing.

General

The Next Pass Passing - Rugby ...

Keep your player briefing, brief! Tell the players the following or have a demonstration group..... We have 8 static passers and one runner. There should be a static passer on each cone, eight in total. The 9th player will be the ball carrier. The ball carrier starts at the top of the grid facing the bottom. Moving forward they will take a pass off the first static passer with a ball, passing that ball to the player opposite to the passer. The attacker moves forward and does the same at the next set of cones, then the next, and then the next. When they get to the end of the grid, completing all 4 passes - they turn and start again. They keep going until told to switch with another player. Don't forget to change the runner.

General

Two Man Piggy In The Middle Pa...

Tell your players the following...... Two players will be defenders, it's their job to try and intercept the ball. The rest of the players will be passers, it's their job to keep the ball away from the defenders and to keep the ball moving. If a defender gets the ball, they become a passer - and the passes becomes the defender. That's it - lets get playing! Don't forget to change the defender if they stay in place for too long.

General

Building The Pass Out of The T...

Tell your players the following...... One player will be a ball carrier. The player directly opposite will make a half tackle, lifting the ball carrier onto their shoulder. The ball carrier will look for an off-load to a supporting player on the left or right. The support players will be the first player on the other two cones, to the right and left of the ball carrier. The ball is off-loaded and the catching player becomes the new ball carrier, while the remaining support player becomes the new defender. The other two players clear the traffic and the above happens again - with the new support players coming from the other two cones. This can take a minute or two to get going, but stay with it.

General

One Touch Off-Load Warm Up - R...

Keep your player briefing; brief, and get them working as soon as possible.I can't stress this enough, it's not a debating society - players want to play. Split your players into two teams, giving each team their own set of bibs - if necessary. One team will be in attack, the other in defence. Tell the players we are going to play one touch off-load, the normal laws of rugby apply. Any forward passes etc. will result in the ball being turned over. When a player is touched, they must pass right away without delay. A delay will result in the ball being turned over. Use your own judgement here, taking into account the age and skill level of the players. Alternative: You might decide that one team will play 5 minutes in attack no matter what - and 5 minutes in defence. They have unlimited touches, you can change this depending on your training goals. Let them play - don't tell them what it's all about. Let them discover, remember this is the warm-up! Don't hesitate to change any of the above to suit your training goals/targets.

General

Passing in Contact Passing - R...

Keep your player briefing, brief! Tell you players the following...... Players will attack in groups of 2, so we have 2 v 1's. That's it - get them moving for a while - and remind the defenders that they can only move from side to side. After a while - tell the attackers that the ball carrier must take contact - and pass the ball out of contact. That's it - get the players moving again and let them discover how it's done. Don't forget to change the defenders.

General

Path Of Least Resistance Warm ...

In this example we will play one touch offload, but remember you can change the version of touch to suit your training goals, applying the same mismatch strategy. Tell the players we are going to play one touch off-load, the normal laws of rugby apply. Any forward passes etc. will result in the ball being turned over. When a player is touched, they must pass right away without delay. A delay will result in the ball be turned over. Alternative: You might decide that one team will play 5 minutes in attack no matter what - and 5 minutes in defense. They have unlimited touches, you can change this depending on your training goals. Tell the players the defenders in the different coloured bibs don't have the ability to make a touch that counts. That doesn't mean that they don't try! If you are an attacker, and if you are touched by one of those players, keep going. You can start the game with lots of players on the defense wearing mismatch bibs, and reduce it as the session develops. Let them play - don't tell them what it's all about. Let them discover, remember this is the warm-up!

General

Pop, roll, down, up and gut Pa...

Tell your players the following...... The ball carrier will run/carry the ball directly across the grid, offloading it to the player opposite. The offload will be different, depending on the coaches call - so you need to listen. There will be traffic in the center of the grid, so avoid it. Ok - lets get moving, the first call is to pop to the receiver - the pop should be legal! Calls include: POP THE BALL, ROLL THE BALL, SET IT DOWN, THROW IT UP, GUT PASS (not too hard).

General

Space Invaders Warm Up - Rugby...

Keep your playing briefing, brief and tell the players the following laws. Both teams are in attack and both teams are in defence, at the same time! It is up to you how many players you allocate to your attack and how many you allocate to your defence. If you are touched while carrying the ball (decide if the touch is one handed or two handed), you and your entire team must return to your red zone before being able to restart your attack. While your team is returning to your own zone - you cannot defend the neutral zone and any touches in there will not count. If your team makes a mistake e.g. a dropped ball or forward pass. Your entire team must return to your own red zone, not defending the neutral zone as you retreat. The winning team is the team that invades the oppositions space and scores a try, just outside the grid, first. There is no offside in defence. There is no kicking.

General

Seven v Three Sevens - Rugby D...

Tell the players the following....... The 7 attackers, will always be in attack. The 3 defenders will always be in defence. Normal rules of 7's apply. Play! Don't forget to change the defenders around.

General

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traffic ANSWERS
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In 7's rugby, what is the best way to bind in the scrum??

In 7's rugby, what is the best way to bind in the scrum? Is it the same at 15's, I've seen props bind onto one another then the hooker sits in the middle but slightly back from the props. What is the advantage of doing this?

Archived User Coach

Does anyone have a player development sheet that can?

Does anyone have a player development sheet that can be used to have as an interaction tool between a coach and individual players, and give a basis for ongoing individual player development

Archived User Coach

My U11's are a mixed bunch whe...

My U11's are a mixed bunch when it comes to tackling. Some very good, most OK, some ...hmmmm... enough said. Been through all the drills and when we break things down, go back to basics, everything appears OK, but it doesn't always transfer into the game. Any ideas on small group games that will allow me to combine technique with confidence?

Archived User Coach

im coaching the under 6's how ...

im coaching the under 6's how do i keep them interested in the game

Archived User Coach

Coaching the Tackle for U9s wh...

Some of my U9s players, who are experiencing contact for their first season, are showing reticence in tackling - how do you coach or get through the fear factor/element?

Archived User Coach

(U11 Rugby) - How to referee t...

I'm coaching and reffing U11 rugby and one of my players is the definitive 'big lad'. His 'strength' is his size and his power, but last weekend he didn't seem to get reffed fairly. The opposition couldn't tackle him down, one on one and when another two joined in to make a mini maul, that didn't slow him down much either. The ref then let other people join in the (one sided) struggle to tackle him down, which seemed very unfair as A) it's outside the laws of U11 rugby,, B) it makes it nigh on impossible for him to offload, C) when he is brought to ground, he has 4-5 players all over him and he got pinged for 'holding on'. He is a recent arrival to rugby and it was our first game for a couple of months, so the situation hadn't reared his head before. We are keen that he learns all of the core skills of rugby and doesn't get used as a battering ram, but after seeing a pack of hyenas trying to pull down the big fella, something just didn't seem right to me.I'd be grateful for any thoughts and opinions.

Archived User Coach

First time coaching the U13s n...

I have just started helping our head coach with under12's team. He wants to retire and has put me forward to be head coach next season. I am a little worried on how i should aproach training with the boys, going to a full 15 a side team on a full pitch. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Archived User Coach

u8s running sideways not forwa...

What drills would anybody reccomend to encourage forward running in an u8s side,whilst keeping it fun?Some players tend to crab along the pitch.

Archived User Coach

Positional rotation at U9 leve...

Positional rotation at U9 level... I originally posted this as answer to a question about squad rotation, but thought I might get a better response if I posted it as a question in its own right... I have an 8 year old at the age level you are talking about - he isn't the best player at the club by any means, but has his good moments. He loves watching the game, he has a good understanding of the way it is played (to the extent that he has often shouted at the telly over recent weeks at some of our illustrious stars when they're out of position) and he has good handling skills - to be honest he's just not brave enough in the tackle yet, but I know it'll come so I'm not making a big thing of it. However, he and a couple of others are constantly stuck on the wing, and are getting fed up with the fact that they don't get the opportunity to get involved much. The coaches seem to have their "big names" and as you say seem more interested in the short term aims of winning each game rather than trying to keep the lads interested and challenged each week. I know my son's aware that I think they should move them all around, although I have made a point of not criticising the coaches at all - I think he heard me talking about it to someone else. The coaches have talked about moving players to different positions, but haven't done it, and aren't really receptive when they are asked about it. There are two coaches, and the one that seems to have the "casting vote" is pretty autocratic and doesn't seem to accept criticism or suggestions. My son has mentioned about moving to another club, where he may or may not get more of a chance to shine, but I am not sure this is the right move as it may teach him to give up rather than sticking with something. Any thoughts please?

Archived User Coach

Over confident players not off...

hi I help coach a under nines team where the bulk of the team are constantly trying to run through tackle after tackle.when we talk to them they all understand about off loading the ball to avoid the seven tackle turnover, but as soon as on the pitch try line fever sets in.any ideas to encourage passing of the ball

paul stuart giltrow Coach, England

Under 9`s rugby, fear of tackl...

I coach under 9`s rugby and a lot of the kids have a bad fear of tackling, they lack the confidence to get stuck in. What is the best thing to help them overcome this?

Archived User Coach

U10s organisation in defence. ...

I have started an under 10s team up, and I would say about 8 from the 13 children I have , did not play rugby until about 6 months ago. Of these players, there seems to be a lot of potential, as we are scoring tries against teams, that very rarely concede tries.the problem I got with them, is that we are very poor at organising our selves in defense when the opposition has the ball, which does result in us conceding quite a few tries. We have some very good tacklers in the team. Can anyone offer some ideas on how I can get them to organise themselves? Thanks . Chris.

christopher jenkins Coach, Wales

Rugby warm-Ups for Mini Rugby ...

Hi. I am in charge of the Mini Rugby (age 8) warm-up and am interested in more ideas. I try and keep them fun, sports specific and interesting for the boys and they seem to like what I do. Can anyone please help? Thanks!

Archived User Coach

How do I coach women the game ...

I just finished my collegiate rugby career. I feel inspired I would love to coach rugby to women in countries that have a lower popularity of women's rugby. How do I get started?

Archived User Coach

Do U9's have to have both hand...

In relation U9's, I've read about the two hands on the ball ruling in U7 tag, Is there a similar requirement in U9's to have both hands on the ball when running etc (this was flagged up by a learned touchline parent?). Can anyone close the loop on this one for me?

P Naylor Coach, England

Using pads & contact shields -...

an RFU directive states that coaches should not hold pads/shields for juniors to run into during sessions, or even juniors holding pads for each other!!! I notice a lot of drills utilise pads as this was something we always used when I trained years ago! I personally think they are a good thing (especially since some of the juniors I coach are 'not small'!) BUT wondered what the general thoughts were out there in SportPlan world....

Archived User Coach

Getting 9-10 year olds to spre...

Getting quite frustrated that my u10's are not using the space on the pitch and tend to bunch up. Despite various drills and game scenarios to force them to spread out and pass to someone in space they revert in any game to bunching up around the ball and taking it back into the thick of the opposition rather than looking left or right! Any ideas how to change their ways?

Ian G Coach, England

Tips on breaking through a def...

Hi my name is Mac and i am a 8 man and i struggle to push through a defensive line when i have the ball due to how my coaches make us practice so i wanted to know tips on how to push/break through a defensive line when i have the ball.

Mac Coach, United States of America

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