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Rugby: Play Divots

Your tips and session ideas have really brought some interest back...

Eifion, Rugby Coach

DESCRIPTION

The Moles want to turn the cones onto their head, and the Green-keepers want the cones the right way up.

Let the kids play, you can start the game by shouting '123 Play Divots!'.

After playing for some time, lets find out who is winning - but don't take too long counting. Now tell the players that they must do one press-up before turning a cone - let the game start again. Play for another minute or two.

COACHING POINTS

It's important that the players are having fun with this, this could be done in the school gym for example with some music to let players know when the action starts and stops.

Ideas....

Change the teams around.
Make the exercise easier by reducing the distance between the cones.
Make the exercise harder by increasing the distance between the cones and the exercises that players need to do before being able to turn a cone.
Factor in communication and team-work skills by telling players that they are stuck in the mud when they turn a cone over and can only be released by a teammate who is not stuck.

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OFTEN USED WITH...

Agility Slalom - Race:

Start with 2 players on the centre cone, each with a ball, and facing each other.

On the shout "GO", they both run backwards to the first cone
They then side step up the grid to the second cone
Next players run through the slalom cones back to the start where the ball is passed to the next players
Next players can only go when each player has received a ball (to ensure each race is fair).

Agility & Running Skills

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

Alcatraz: Jail Break:

This is a great warm-up for defensive and evasion sessions, or it might even be a warm-up that helps you reinforce coaching points made during a previous session. The best bit is that it's fun and relevant to all ages. If you're coaching tag rugby, change the warm-up exercise from contact to tags.

One team runs clockwise round the inside of the circle with the other team running anti-clockwise around the outside of the circle. The circle in this case is marked out using blue cones, but you can use whatever colour you like.

When the coach shouts 'Jailbreak' the players inside the inner circle try to 'escape' to outside the 10m x 10m square (yellow cones). The size of the square and distance from the circle is a suggestion, play with it a little and let us know your variations!

The inside team scores a point for each 'jailbreaker' - swap over. If you have an odd number of players give the defenders the extra man.

Warm Up