Scrum Factory - 4. TOP Core Balls

The core ball provides a variety of challenges to the player in both body management and technical competence

Men's - Ball off the top from lineout 2

An example of playing the ball from the top of a lineout

Junior - Ball off the top from lineout 2

Junior - Ball off the top from lineout 2

Scrum Factory - 3. TOP With Rugby Balls

Expensive training equipment is not necessary and the simple rugby ball can provide an excellent technical and conditioning work out

Sevens - Ball off the top from lineout

Women's - Ball off the top from lineout 1

Junior - Ball off the top from lineout 1

Men's - Ball off the top from lineout 1

Women's - Ball off the top from lineout 2

Sevens - Standard restart with attack winning ball 3

A well organised re start with one main attacker challenging for the ball with support both in front and behind him, if the ball is knocked either side of the main catcher the ball will be gathered by his teammates. Great leg drive to continue the attack and a very long pass to complete the scoring. Key factors : Accurate kick - Focus on the ball - Sideways jump - Catch ball above head - Structured support

Bath - Create Quick Ball From Slow Ball

Quick ball is the platform to score tries from and one of the coaches tasks is to understand how to break defences down to create quick ball. Bath are famous for their attacking play and they are happy to share this technique and help others play fast rugby

Offensive Front Tackle

The offensive front tackle

This practice shows front tackle technique when the defender is in a strong and balanced position

Kicking - The Drop / Ball Placement

Dropping the ball properly is considered the main priority for many kickers, if they get the drop right then the other techniques fall into place. Dave Walder from the Newcastle Falcons explains some of the skills

Passive Front Tackle

The passive front tackle

This tackle is necessary when the defender is not in a position to make a strong aggressive tackle and uses the momentum of the attacker to bring them to the ground

Scrum Factory - 5. TOP Towels & Bands

The use of towels and bands are used to develop front row posture just before engagement when the body weight is forward and balance is important

Ball Control & Passing

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

Grip Games - Ball Retention

This great game helps you work on your ball transfer and fend. It teaches players how to keep the ball away from contact increasing ball retention on the pitch!

Kicking - Striking The Ball

Accurate kicking requires an understanding of how the foot should strike the ball. Expert kicking coach Dave Walder delivers a coaching clinic detailing the key factors and steps coaches should follow

Ball Retention Techniques

Progressions are used to build the technical competency and the confidence of players learning to clear defenders away from the contact area. It is interesting to see that no contact shields are used

Quick Ball Presentation Drills

Use these quick and competitive games to practice good and strong ball presentation. Practice with high standards and it will come naturally in the games!

How To Hold The Ball - Grip Games

Young players are very rarely taught how to hold the ball. This video explains why this is important, how to coach it and incorporates some fun grip games to enforce the technique.

Quick Ball Presentation Drills

Use these quick and competitive games to practice good and strong ball presentation. Practice with high standards and it will come naturally in the games!

More Time on the Ball

Good players have more time on the ball? What they do do is prepare accurately with depth, width and run good lines. This sets them up to catch & pass with time and options. The practises in this clip outline some of the disciplines required to get you "More time"

Worcester Academy - Ball Presentation

Worcester Academy - Ball Presentation

London Irish - Using Round Balls

Adding variety into your sessions keeps players interested as they learn new skills or try to improve key techniques but in a different way. Patrick O'Grady from London Irish explain why he uses different sized balls

Don't Forget the Ball - Conor O'Shea

Early season conditioning doesn't need to be boring. Get the ball in hand and get fit (and improve skills) by using games! There are loads of great conditioned game ideas on PremiershipRugbyCoaching.com

Ground Work and Ball Presentation

It is important for players to practice working hard on the ground to get the ball presented back to their team. This session uses bodyweight exercises to practice the movement and enforces it with a conditioned game. Log in to see the full video.

Front Row Binding - Walk around Binding

Front Row Binding - Walk around Binding

Men's - Turnover and move the ball 2

Strong defence and a turnover allows two quick passes, (One long pass), and then attack the defence. The two passes have changed the channel of attack by 30 metres.

Key factors : Tackle and stay on your feet - Long quick pass / spin pass - Communicate loudly - Support the ball carrier on his shoulder

End Ball & Connecting Players

Fantastic game for warm ups, integrating new players and working on a wide range of skills. Its fun and this example has a "Game within a game"

Men's - Turnover and move the ball 1

Men's - Turnover and move the ball

Men's - Good body position in contact & ball presentation 2

Men's - Good body position in contact & ball presentation 2

Andy Farrell's 3 Top tips For Defence

Continuity - Keeping The Ball alive

Support is one of the "Principles of play" and finding the right depth can be tricky. Harlequins Academy Manager Howard Graham delivers an excellent exercise to practise improving support play

Scrum Factory; Front Row Briefing

England U 20's - TOP Exercises

Tower of Power is made up of various elements and in this clip some of the England U 20's players go though some pushing & movement practises

Scrum Factory - 6. TOP Stick Work

By using sticks and poles, the players are encouraged to self assess their body shape. Peer coaching is also a valuable process in this area and players can work in pairs, quickly learning from each other

Passing Game with Two Balls

Another game to play at home. This time use two balls and four players. Anyone can join in! Three players have a simple task involving just one ball, but the central player has to juggle both balls and work on his/her concentration and hand-eye co-ordination!

CCRU Game - Ball Touch

Aim of the game: Touch as many players as possible with the ball in one minute. The ball must be held in both hands at all times

Falcons - Grip skills & ball control

The more control you have of the rugby ball, the more accurate you will be with your handling. Practising your grip and ball control is important for all players but especially for younger players to avoid getting into bad habits. These are practises that can and should be done anywhere, at home or in the garden.

CCRU Game - End Ball

Description of activity: One player from each team must stand behind the try line at the end of the pitch and act as a scorer. The team in possession of the ball may score a point by passing the ball to their scorer. The scorer must stay behind the try line but may move along the length in order to receive the ball. Rotate the scorers after every score

Tag Game - End Ball and Rugby Netball

Tag Game - End Ball and Rugby Netball

Improve Ball Presentation and Handling

This exercise from London Scottish works to maintain high levels of both ball presentation and handling skills at the same time.

England Creating Quick Ball

Eddie Jones manages a game at training focusing on creating quick ball, is this the basis of his attacking game & will it work?

Ball Retention Principles

Two of the key principles of ball retention are the efforts of the tackled player to present the ball, and the decision of the support player, to bridge, ruck, or recycle. Log in to find complete sessions on the relevant techniques.

Ball Presentation Touch Game

Ball Presentation Touch

Ball Presentation Game

Use this game to practice great ball presentation. Ensure the tackling player is bouncing back to their feet so that this mentality carries over to game day.

Ball Balance - Core Stability

Get in pairs. One player starts in a plank position with a rugby ball placed under each hand trying to stay in the plank position. The other player walks around a gently nudges and pushes the player working. The work aims to stay stable on the balls.

Turnover session - Competing for the ball

To ensure players consider the best options at the moment they win turnover ball.

The easy option may be to go straight back into contact, but this gives the opposition time to organise a defence.

Encourage players to move the ball away from contact and attack the space wide

Core Strength - Swiss Ball Bridge

A strong core is essential in rugby, particularly for the forwards in the scrum. Here is an example of an exercise using a swiss ball, alternatively you can use any moveable object to replace the swiss ball

Dean Ryan: Turnover Ball

Dean Ryan expresses the importance of turnover ball.

Sevens - Turnovers and move the ball 4

From a turnover in contact the attackers pass the ball wide one way and then a deep wide pass back in the other direction to pull the defence out of shape and create an opportunity to attack. Key factors : Wide flat pass - Players support from depth - Deep wide pass - Running and swerving past the defender

Paul Gustard - Top Tip for Coaches

Paul Gustards 'top tip' for coaches, new and old.

Men's - Turnover and move the ball 4

Men's - Turnover and move the ball 4

Women's - Turnovers and move the ball 1

Women's - Turnovers and move the ball

Tag Game - Keep Ball Tag

Breakdown - Competing For The Ball

A great drill with explanations and supporting theory to help coaches improve their players accuracy and legality at the breakdown

Groundwork Skills

Improving some simple ball presentation skills can have a significant effect on the quality of your breakdown and the speed of the ball delivered from the contact area. This is a great technique that all players should learn

Chapter 2 - Introducing Competition for the Ball

Touch rugby - ball presentation

A game for understanding how the presentation of the ball can affect the speed of the game and the ability to attack space

Ball retention wide

If a drift defence has you pointed towards the touch-line, the wide player should change their running direction and attack the inside defender. This is proactive and gives more chance for the ball to be recycled for another attempt.

Sevens - Turnovers and move the ball 2

A turnover from a strong tackle and quick "Jackle" where the defender uses the momentum of the attacking player to swimg up onto his feet and contest the ball, this results in a line break. Key factors : Tackle technique - Urgency to get up to feet - Core strength - Speed

Offloads - Keeping the ball alive

In this clip, Eton College keep the ball alive through a series of offloads and long passes, deep within their 22. Eventually a gap emerges for them to exploit, finishing off the the try with a final offload.

Offload out of the tackle with ball in 2 hands

Keeping the ball in two hands is a core skill and one that needs to be developed at ALL ages

Men's - Good body position in contact & ball presentation 1

Men's - Good body position in contact & ball presentation 1

Dynamic Jog with Balls

A light team jog with varied dynamic movements to warm up the body for stretching. As a likely first exercise, including a few balls is good to get the players' hand-eye coordination, and concentration kick-started.

Off The Ball Organisation

The aim of the drill is to develop mechanisms to unlock defences in open play. It requires players to communicate, self-organise off the ball, and be aware of their role in the attacking line.

Ball Presentation Game

Creating quick ball is crucial to a great attack. Take your players out of a game and into this practice and you'll notice significant improvements in the game pace!

One handed passing down channel holding 2 balls

This drill allows you to develop control over the ball and the ability to pass one handed if needed to

Mike Catt - Attacking from Lineouts - Quick Ball

Classroom session with Mike Catt - discussing the key points of attacking from a lineout

Using Games - 'Choke Ball'

Jake Sharp from Oaklands college delivers a fun game that requires a range of skills from the players. The coach uses lots of questioning to cement the learning and talk about why games are such an important coaching tool

End ball game for warm ups

A fun but competitive warm-up game that get's players switched on and ready to train.

L2 - Diamond Support Development

Skill Practice Description • Play a game of touch or grip tackle. • At the coach’s discretion, call “slow ball!” or “freeze” and allow the attack to form a diamond behind the 1st or 2nd receiver. Then call “Play!” • The defence will also be organised but this will be the case in a full game. • Allow the game to progress and shorten the time they have at the slow ball scenarios. • Don’t be concerned if there are not four players in the formation as long as there is at least a second tier of support. • As players become competent at forming the shape in front of the tackle line, the coach may develop the ability to form again, having made a line break. • Develop the game into full contact. Key Coaching Points • Holding spaces open. • Ball carrier to watch the defensive shape and not look round for the support. • Listening and cooperation. Play with the eyes in front and the ears behind. • Intuitive decision making. • Support to hold depth and not arrive at the tackle line flat.

The Lineout Game - Under14

Players begin to use movement with the intention of deceiving the opposition as to where the ball will be thrown. However if the ball is always thrown to the front, how effective will this movement be?
This clip illustrates how the front ball is secured by jumping and catching skill and then protected by the support players. If the same skills could be used with a middle ball, the tactical decision making will also be developed

How many coaches opt for safety and not for the long term development of their players?

Scotland New Lineout Move

Scotlands clever score from the line out v Ireland was a great example of coaches or players being innovative and looking at new ways to do things. This clip shows a few slightly different uses for placing your scrum half at the front of the line out. It is just ideas and about pushing the boundaries of the laws

Tackling 9 - Revise Tracking and Front Tackling

Turnover ball - Attacking from flat

This quick practice runs through how to attack straight from a turnover.

Tower Of Power; Swiss Ball

L2 - Support Line Breaks & Offloads

Skill Practice Description • The game begins with touch tackles. • Once tackled the ball carrier is allowed to step beyond the tackle line and the support from either side run toward (or attack) the ball. • The pass must be delivered behind the tackle line and not put back in front of the defence, so speed and decision making is vitally important. • Develop the game to grip tackles below the rib cage so the ball can be off loaded. • Progress to full tackles and the ball carrier must fight to keep the ball available. • The support must be aggressive in attacking the ball and getting between and beyond defenders. • When in full contact and the ball carrier cannot off load immediately, rucks and mauls may be played. Key Coaching Points • The game relies on good support play in all areas. This game illustrates the need for consistent and aggressive support. • The supporting players need to work for the ball carrier and attack the ball, getting in behind the defence for an off load. • Once the tackle line has been breached the attack must not allow the defence time to reorganise. • When progressed to full contact, the demand on decision making increases

Sevens - Uncovered - The Aerial Battle

Re - starts are as numerous as scrums in seven's and coaches should put as much emphasis on the kick off as any other facet of the game. Possession is crucial in seven's and an effective re - start strategy can win not only matches but tournaments for teams. You must posses players who can kick and contest the ball in the air becasue if not you will be competing without the ball for long periods of the match. Listen to the top coaches on how important they think the kick offs are

Sevens - Standard restart with attack winning ball 2

Step 2 - Introducing Competition for the Ball

Core Strength - Swiss Ball Leg Lift

A strong core is essential in rugby, particularly for the forwards in the scrum. Once you have mastered the bridge, attempt lifting one leg at a time, while keeping your core strong.

Sevens - Turnovers and move the ball 3

Sevens - Standard restart with attack winning ball 1

Mike Catt - Attacking from Lineouts - Back Ball

Classroom session with Mike Catt - discussing the key points of attacking from a lineout

Sevens - Turnovers and move the ball 1

Front Squat technique

Lifting weights is a complex method of developing a young player's power and strength. Following specific guidelines with specialist coaches is the only way to learn. Here, the 'squat' is implemented in a safe and secure environment with a qualified coach to support

Women's - Turnovers and move the ball 3

Tag Game - Ball Manipulation

Junior - Turnovers and move the ball

Women's - Standard restart with attack winning ball

Junior - Standard restart with attack winning ball 2

Junior - Standard restart with attack winning ball 1

Broncos 5 - 2 Ball touch to test the defence

This exercise tests the defenders ability to keep a peripheral view of where the next threat might be coming from and to keep communicating with colleagues. Attackers are always looking for the next opportunity an so should defenders

Men's - Turnover and move the ball 3

Men's - Standard restart with attack winning ball

Breakdown - How to ensure quick ball

An exercise to promote quick recycling at the breakdown. Coaches can use a variety of conditions to make this exercise harder or more intense

Touch rugby - roll ball back

A game for understanding

Women's - Turnovers and move the ball 2