Introducing evasion to young players

Developing skills in youngsters

Conditioning for Young Players

Even if players are too young to go to the gym, it can be beneficial for them to do bodyweight exercises that help to prepare their bodies for more physical rugby in future years. Sam Bennett from Leeds Carnegie highlights some of the key points for young players to consider, which apply to all players at amateur or competitive level.

Contact Skills for Young Players

Leeds academy coaches cover the fundamentals skills for the contact area. This is a useful session for young players to focus on body position and key techinques.

Fun Sessions for Young Players - Start with Safety

We all want our sessions to be fun, but it all starts with the set-up, safety and reassurance from coaches. Particularly for young players. Achieve that and you will have a fun, productive session.

Evasion Training

Rugby is a game of evasion. The movement and agility of players is integral to evasion and coaches should integrate specific exercises into training sessions. Coaches can use small sided games along with some simple practises

The Most Important Values For Players

Saracens academy manager Don Barrell explains his views on what the most important values young players should have and what he looks for

The Lineout Game - Lifting

When introducing lifting, consider the suitability of the players for each role. It may be that a small, light player now takes up a key role in jumping and catching while the bigger players, who may have previously jumped are best suited to lifting at this stage in development
When introducing lifting to young players, always side on caution and use spotters to assist in the initial learning stages. This will develop confidence and competence

Always be aware of fatigue and do not over work the players even if progress is slow

Tacking & evasion exercise

Developing core skills for evasion with other players

Ben Youngs Feature - Energy in Attack

Ben Youngs is a great example of a player who adds energy and pace to an attack through his efforts to produce quick ball for his backline, and his ability to catch defences off-guard. Log in to see coaching ideas from Leicester Tigers and other Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs.

England Players - Make sessions fun

Ben Youngs and Lee Mears describe what they think are the essential ingredients that make up a fun and productive rugby session. Both were taking part in an England Rugby coaching challenge with schoolchildren in the build up to the 2012 Six Nations.

Game - Tackle Touch

Whether you're introducing tackling to young players for the first time, or re-introducing it to senior players after a summer away, this is a great game to play to ease back into it. It isolates the 1v1 tackle and puts emphasis on technique without the high speed impact of a full contact game.

Step 4 - Introducing the 2 v 2 Scrum

Step 3 - Introducing the 1 v 1 Scrum

Evasion skills - Spin

With only one defender to beat, and some space on the outside, this Tonbridge School player attacks the inside shoulder of the defender, before spinning and using his pace to beat him on the outside. This requires pace, balance, and the initial step must commit the defender the wrong way.

Evasion Skills - Hand-off

Hand-offs can be an extremely effective attacking tool, particularly in sevens where there are fewer defenders to beat. Here, a player from Stowe School performs two to complete an 85m run-in. Using a strong, outstretched arm keeps the defender at a safe distance.

Step 5 - Introducing the 3 v 3 Scrum

Step 6 - Introducing the Lineout

Chapter 2 - Introducing Competition for the Ball

Chapter 6 - Introducing the Lineout

Introducing a defensive System

This exercise focuses on the key elements of a strong defensive system, including scanning, line-speed and staying linked with your team mates.

Learning to Tackle - Under 9's & Up

The RFU new rules of play have completely changed the approach of introducing young players to tackling. A phased approach may challenge previous methods however by viewing the practical session on this video you can see how the process works

Scarecrow Tag

A good warm up game, especially for young players, that encourages spacial awareness and evasion skills.

Introduction to tackling - Step 4

Jailbreak is a fun game that allows young players to become familiar with live tackling, as well as evasion. The game is played in a small area, to the increase the chance of tackles being made, and reduce the speed of the ball-carriers.

Tag-grab

A familiar playground game which gets young players used to using tags, or just to promote evasion, footwork and spacial awareness.

STG - Statues

A fun and easy-to-grasp game that encourages good footwork and evasion skills. This is a good warm up game to use before teaching young players contact skills for the first time, but should always be followed by an upper-body warm up as well.

Tackling games for juniors

Tackling and contact are key components in the development of young players, this clip shows how coaches can introduce tackling using a game that reduces the risk of injury and focuses on the technical skills

Agility & evasion exercise through poles

Developing core skills

Aliens

Develop spacial awareness and evasion skills with young players in a fun, interactive way.

Intro To Safe Tackling

In this video we take a look at how these coaches introduce young players to safe tackle technique.

Introduction to Contact - Be safe

Session Introduction. It is important for young players to be introduced to tackling in a structured and safe way.

A Player's Responsibility to Prepare

It's not just down to coaches to prepare players for the game. Most of the work must be done by the players themselves, to ensure they are in the best physical and mental condition to perform and learn.

Player / Coach Relationship

How much say do your players have in how you train and prepare? Premiership Rugby stars share their experiences.

Core Stability for Rugby Players

Becoming stronger and more powerful is important for rugby players of all standards. However, it is important for players to have a strong core before they progress into lifting weights. Here are some simple core exercises that can be done anywhere without any equipment.

Ruck touch - Focus on rolling players away

A key technique at the breakdown is the ability to roll players away, this applies when your opponent already has a good body position over the ball. Danny Wild from Leeds carnegie uses a game and breakout sessions to deliver his session

Stop Your Players Crabbing Sideways

Successful rugby requires players to run straight and fix defenders. This is a constant challenge to coaches and new ideas and exercises can freshen up your training sessions, this clip has two practises along with some advice from elite coaches

Being positive with players is crucial

Building a positive environment for your players is important for their self-esteem and confidence on the pitch.

Player Welfare and Tackle Technique

Head injuries are a serious consequence to rugby and an area that deserves the attention of all players and coaches. Be proactive by coaching and re-coaching tackle technique to reinforce good habits.

Tactics Are For All Your Players

Danny Care scores a great try due to a lack of tactical understanding from several players. Simple match analysis would resolve this and outlines why coaches should work with all players on roles & responsibilities

Jonathan Joseph - Improve Player Skills

Holidays are the perfect time to get stuck into some individual skills and this clip provides a few ideas and advice from leading players

Trust your players - John Neal

Psychologist John Neal explains the importance of trust in the development of a coach's relationship with their players.

Four Player Continuous Passing

A quick drill to focus the players before going into a session or at the start of a match day warm up.

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"

Expert - Conor O Shea - what makes a great player

Conor O Shea gives us his thoughts on what makes a great player

Improving your relationship with players

Psychologist John Neal explains how critical it is for a coach to have rapport with their players, parents, co-coaches and club staff, to understand how they think, and therefore build better relationships.

Men's - Support Player Leach

Men's - Support Player Leach

Paul Hull: Do Players make Good Coaches?

Paul Hull explains that sometimes former players can make great coaches, but they need to combine their technical knowledge and experience with the right communication skills.

Players First - Challenging & New Games

What are the biggest challenges you face as a coach, we all differ and in this clip two under 15's coaches discuss what the struggle with and offer some solutions

Coach Player Rapport

Do you understand the significance of 'Rapport" and how this can influence how good a coach you are. Elite coaches, experts and pundits provide a clear view of how important this is

Pressure players to make decisions

A simple attacking drill mixed up by calling a random number of attackers and defenders instantly before. This takes the players out of their comfort zone as they are forced to react and make decisions rather than pre-plan.

Ben Youngs - Energy in Attack

Ben Youngs

Group exercise for evasion & agility

Developing core skills for evasion and agility

Junior - Players warming up

Junior - Players warming up

Junior - Accurate clearing of players 1

Junior - Accurate clearing of players

Defence - 9. Widest Players Organise

The widest players are most often best place to assess the threats and have a major role in directing the defence

Women's - Injured players and medics

Women's - Injured players and medics

Players First - Circle & Caterpillar Game

A great fun game to get training started and integrate new players into your squad. Lots of progressions and a variety of skills on show

Three player passing challenge

A simple passing game that is fun and competitive. You can add more players in and vary the distance to make this harder or easier. Different balls could be used as well. Dad's can do this at home as a fun game

1 v 1 Evasion Skills

A lone attacker must beat a single defender. This is great way to develop evasion skills in the attacker, and positioning for the defender.

Providing feedback to players - John Neal

Psychologist John Neal expresses the importance of giving effective feedback as a coach.

Breakdown - Coaching Players To Make Decisions

The coach uses a combination of drills & games to deliver a session on making decisions at the breakdown. There are some technical points and observations on the coach using classic "Tell & Yell" instructions

Small sided evasion game

Developing core skills for agility and ball carrying

Learning to Pass - first steps

Young Brazilian players just learning the game start out with some smile passing exercise, this is perfect for any young player starting out in the game

L2 - Continuous Rugby

Skill Practice Description • Play 7 v 7 Continuous Rugby i.e. after a score, the team who has just scored, keeps possession and immediately starts attacking the far try line. • This allows attacker to play against broken defences (defence not spread in a flat line across the field of play). • This will help players to use evasive skills and maintain continuity, with more passing before being tackled (3 second recycles after a tackle or it becomes a turnover). Key Coaching Points • Communication • Quickness of attack at a disorganised defence • Skills to attack space • Footwork and evasion skills • Scanning skills Relevance to the Game • Great for coaching counter attacking and challenging speed in organisation of both attack and defence. • Any player can be ball carrier and communication is vital as is decision making in identifying space and the best way to attack it successfully

Scrum - Tighthead tips for Senior Players

The dark arts are not for all of us, but the minority of specialists will benefit from this clip. You can share this video with those who should see it. Go into the video library where you can send it on - RCD Video Library

Lions 09 - Lions speed and tracking the player

Developing linespeed, footwork and tracking

1v1 Evasion Skills

This video takes you through the skills to use in a 1v1. Use the fend, ball transfer and footwork to beat the man.

Evasion 1 v 1

A decision making exercise to beat defenders and attack shoulders

Men's - Injured players and medics 1

Men's - Accurate clearing of players 1

Evasion 1 v 1 after pass

Core skills handling

Men's - Injured players and medics 2

Men's - Players warming up

Women's - Accurate clearing of players 1

Women's - Accurate clearing of players 2

Women's - Accurate clearing of players 3

Men's - Accurate clearing of players 2

Junior - Support player / Leach 1

Junior - Support player / Leach 2

Junior - Accurate clearing of players 2

Junior - Injured players and medics

Sevens - Accurate clearing of players 1

Sevens - Accurate clearing of players 2

Step 2 - Introducing Competition for the Ball

Introducing live defenders for 2 v 1

Developing passing skills with more pressure and intensity

Stay on feet gauntlet - single player

Managing contact and collisions and then being able to maintain your feet assist the opportunity for support to arrive, gain time on your feet

Chase the player from kneeling reaction drill

A progression from standing this develops the ability to get to back into the game from the floor

Passing in 4s

A basic handling drill for groups of young players with a mixture of talent. Emphasise technique, passing backwards, and running straight. As players become better they can try wider passes and add more pace. Encourage players to swap position. Counting the number of completed passes in a row challenges the players to never drop the ball.

Chapter 1 - Playing Tag Rugby

Introduction to TAG

Back Play - Attack From Scrum - Younger Youth

To take advantage of the forwards being grouped and to utilize the space this provides, young players should be encouraged to develop their decision making from a non-prescriptive environment.
It’s not a matter of going through a strike move repertoire. Its a matter of attacking the space between the two teams and running support lines that will assist the ball carrier

Breakdown Touch

This is a game which can be used to introduce contact gradually into pre-season training. With each touch, one player from each side must compete at a controlled breakdown situation. It is important for players to maintain good technique when they are fatigued, and for the coach to manage this.

L2 - Colours Touch

Skill Practice Description • Each player is given a colour. • The coach will call out a colour at any time during the game. • The defender/s who have been given that colour need to leave the defence line, run round the nearest cone of that colour and rejoin the defence. • The attack should identify where the spatial opportunity has appeared and take immediate advantage. • The frequency of the call depends on how much the coach wants to work the players. • The coach may call for all players, both defence and attack, to run around an allotted cone colour. • Coach should have two rugby balls to ensure a fast game and a change of defence to attack at times. Key Coaching Points • Visual Acuity-Looking for space • Spatial awareness • Communication - highlighting spaces and mismatches • Evasion skills and footwork • Decision making Relevance to the Game • Spaces are created by the leaving defenders, which the attack has to identify, decide on the appropriate action and attack accordingly. • By using the second ball, the coach can also develop counter attack

Tackle Technique & Progressions

Introducing tackle technique to players is a challenging process and the Wasps coaches ensure the players understand and are competent at each step prior to progressing to the next one

Skills at home - Learning to spin pass

Learning to spin pass is one of the first things young players want to do, it takes hours of practice and older / elite players continue practising throughout their careers. This video shows some simple exercises to do at home

Agility Games for contact warm up

Saracens community coach uses games and competitive activities to introduce the contact elements of rugby. This builds confidence in players prior to actual contact skills

Passing in pairs

To get young players used to passing and catching the ball. This is best suited to a warm up exercise and get the players moving and active quickly

Learning to tackle - Step 5

Putting more pressure on players to take responsibility and make a tackle, 1v1 drills are challenging for young players, but also very beneficial.

Continuity in Attack - The Game

What style of game would we wish to coach our young players to aspire to?
How can we set a coaching environment that encourages creativity in our players?

Continuity in Attack - French Mini's

These young players may not run forward every time, but they do manage to keep possession through communication, support and passing. The coach allows the players to learn through discovery and with little intervention and direction

Simple Passing Exercises & Games

The Wasps coaches use a mixture of games and drills to develop the passing skills of young players. Players are encouraged to respond to questions. Games are used to improve the learning experience

Warm up - 10 Pass Game

The 10 pass warm up game is excellent to introduce an activity that has a focus on dynamic mobilisation and raising the heart rate.

Players should be asked to focus on their special awareness, passing technique and communication.

To maximise participation, introduce another ball or split the game into two or three smaller games.