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Rugby: rip the ball

rip the ball DRILLS
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3 v Tackle Bag and body Suit

3 attackers start at the beginning of the grid who will go up against the tackle bag first and then the person in the body suit second; these two should not stand next to each other unless you move on to the progression. At the coaches command the attackers will go into the tackle shield first with the ball carrier going to ground and the two supporters either both clearing out or one person clearing and the next picking up the ball and going into the next defender 5 metres behind who will be in a bodysuit. The ball carrier here will try to stay strong on his feet and offload to the two support runners or one of them will come in and rip the ball and offload to the support runner who will finish by crossing over the line.

Off Loads

Compete

Tell your players the following..... The players on the bags will squeeze the bags together to make removal of the ball hard but not impossible. The running player will aim to removing the balls from between the bags. They will start at the first bag and move on to the second and then the third. When they remove the last ball they swap places with one of the players at the bag, and that player will become the running player. The players competing for the ball will use a jackal position in order to remove the ball.

Sevens

Grip Games

Here are two games to improve your players grip on the ball: 1. Simple grip battle (0.00-0.14) Two players have one ball between them. This is a grip battle where the players are trying to take the ball from each other. Tell your players to focus on how they are gripping the ball and using grip strength rather than by moving their feet or hips. 2. Competitive grip game (0.14-1.04) Set up an area with cones and give half of the players a ball. The players without the ball are trying to knock the ball out of their hands. The players with the balls are trying to stop that happening. Either play that when all the balls go down the defence wins. Or play when a ball goes down those two players swap roles. (1.04) Have players work on the hand off and ball transfer in pairs and then play again and see the difference.

Handling

It's All Rip and Roll To Me!

You may consider these two points when looking to challenge or build confidence. Keep your player briefing, brief! It's best not to have your players standing around listening to you - let them play, let them discover. Split your players into two teams, giving each team their own set of coloured bibs. Normal laws of rugby apply e.g. if you knock the ball on - then it's turned over to the opposition. When touched the ball carrier must turn, a support player will drive onto the ball ripping and rolling or ripping and popping to another attacking player. The defender that made the original touch cannot make a second touch on the player who rips and rolls. The defenders should act as they normally would during a match. If the ball goes into touch, the put-in should be quick. If that can't be the case - the point of the put in becomes the offside line and the defenders must remain behind that line. The ball must go at least 5 meters and can travel straight or backwards. There is no kicking in this game. You decide on a number of touch options e.g. unlimited touches, 4/8 touches, or make it a little more complex with 4 rip and pop touches, and 4 rip and roll touches (this last option forces the team to employ both tactics or lose the ball). Don't be afraid to experiment with different law variations and let us know what worked for you!

Warm Up

Maul Rip in a circle

This is good for upper body strength. 5 or 6 defenders, 1 ball, 2 attackers Defenders must stand in a circle about 2 metres apart to keep contact away from injuring anybody unnecessarily. The ball carrier works into a defender who must wrap around and keep hold of the ball, the support attacker must rip the ball from his partner and move onto a different defender for the process to repeat. The 2 attackers are given a time limit to work as hard as possible.

Maul

Ram Raid

This game is designed to teach the players to work together to drive a maul forward and keep control of the ball. Set Up a field approximately 5m x 5m. Split the players into 2 even groups from size and skill level. Tell the 2 groups to stand at opposite ends of the field to start. Explain to the players that one group will receive the ball and their job is to try and drive the ball to the other teams try line and place it down. The opposition can only push the attackers out or back to their try line. If the players and the ball go over the sideline then it is a restart with the defending team getting the ball. Bring in a point score system in which a try (placing the ball down over the try line) is worth 5 points and simply pushing the maul over the try line is 1 point. The aim is to get the players to understand that when the ball goes into a maul they must start pushing and look to get the ball to the back. R3

Maul

Ruck, Ruck, and Ruck Again

Tell your players the following..... Both the pad and attacking units will jog within the grid, the players in the attacking units don't have to stay together, but must work together on the coaches call. When the coach blows the whistle the attacking units must locate a pad, and hit that pad creating a ruck. The first player, the ball carrier hit, the second player rucks over, and the third player picks up the ball calling the rest of the players out of the ruck, they start jogging again. The second defending player works to steel the ball as soon first attacking player hits. The pad holding defender can also drop their pad and compete for the ball.

Sevens

Serious Fun

Tell your players the following, keeping your player briefing, brief! It's vital to get the players moving as quickly as possible. Each of the three cones should have one player. The player in the middle will have a ball, and one of the two other players will have a ball. The player in the middle has to throw their ball up in the air (vertical), catch the ball being passed from the other ball carrier, and then forward the passed ball onto the other player in the group, before catching the ball that they just threw up into the air. Once that is done, they do the same again - this time the lateral pass will come from the opposite direction. This is repeated, the tempo increasing as the players get more comfortable handling the two balls they must keep in play. Change the position of each player in the group; there can be a competition between the players to find out who can do the most without dropping any of the balls, or giving a poor quality pass. Have fun with this, but don't forget that there are great lessons to be learned here, many of which are noted in the coaching points.

Passing

Wrestle the ball

In pairs, in a 5 x 5 m grid Pupils roll the ball to their partner who gathers it up. The first pupil runs and tries to take the ball from their partner. Change after the ball is successfully defended or wrestled away.

Ball Presentation

Maul - Rip Maul - Rugby Drills...

General

Maul Rip in a circle Practices...

This is good for upper body strength. 5 or 6 defenders, 1 ball, 2 attackers</ br> Defenders must stand in a circle about 2 metres apart to keep contact away from injuring anybody unnecessarily. The ball carrier works into a defender who must wrap around and keep hold of the ball, the support attacker must rip the ball from his partner and move onto a different defender for the process to repeat. The 2 attackers are given a time limit to work as hard as possible.

General

Rip and Ruck Maul - Rugby Dril...

Players stand in a circle, about 5 meters apart.Two player, one with a ball, positioned in the centre of the circle.The ball carrier (player 1) runs towards on of the players in the circle and drives into them for about 1 meter.The ball carrier then drops to the ground before presenting the ball for the supportive player (player 2).The supportive player then clears the ball out and passes it to another player in the circle.Player 1 the regains to their feet, moves onto the next player in the circle who has the ball, secures the ball from them, drives forwards a meter, drops to the ground and presents the ball.The drill continues.

General

Rip and present conditioning W...

Players stand in a inner circle and have an outer circle 5m behind them. 2 players in the middle. one player passes the ball to one of the outside players. The other central player runs at the player with the ball rips the ball off the player and presents the ball to the original passer. This player then passes the ball to another player in the circle and the practice repeats it self.

General

It's All Rip and Roll To Me! W...

You may consider these two points when looking to challenge or build confidence. Keep your player briefing, brief! It's best not to have your players standing around listening to you - let them play, let them discover. Split your players into two teams, giving each team their own set of coloured bibs. Normal laws of rugby apply e.g. if you knock the ball on - then it's turned over to the opposition. When touched the ball carrier must turn, a support player will drive onto the ball ripping and rolling or ripping and popping to another attacking player. The defender that made the original touch cannot make a second touch on the player who rips and rolls. The defenders should act as they normally would during a match. If the ball goes into touch, the put-in should be quick. If that can't be the case - the point of the put in becomes the offside line and the defenders must remain behind that line. The ball must go at least 5 meters and can travel straight or backwards. There is no kicking in this game. You decide on a number of touch options e.g. unlimited touches, 4/8 touches, or make it a little more complex with 4 rip and pop touches, and 4 rip and roll touches (this last option forces the team to employ both tactics or lose the ball). Don't be afraid to experiment with different law variations and let us know what worked for you!

General

Compete Sevens - Rugby Drills,...

Tell your players the following..... The players on the bags will squeeze the bags together to make removal of the ball hard but not impossible. The running player will aim to removing the balls from between the bags. They will start at the first bag and move on to the second and then the third. When they remove the last ball they swap places with one of the players at the bag, and that player will become the running player. The players competing for the ball will use a jackal position in order to remove the ball.

General

Ram Raid Maul - Rugby Drills, ...

This game is designed to teach the players to work together to drive a maul forward and keep control of the ball. Set Up a field approximately 5m x 5m. Split the players into 2 even groups from size and skill level. Tell the 2 groups to stand at opposite ends of the field to start. Explain to the players that one group will receive the ball and their job is to try and drive the ball to the other teams try line and place it down. The opposition can only push the attackers out or back to their try line. If the players and the ball go over the sideline then it is a restart with the defending team getting the ball. Bring in a point score system in which a try (placing the ball down over the try line) is worth 5 points and simply pushing the maul over the try line is 1 point. The aim is to get the players to understand that when the ball goes into a maul they must start pushing and look to get the ball to the back. <div id=miniAd>R3</div>

General

Maul Full Maul - Rugby Drills,...

General

3 v Tackle Bag and body Suit T...

3 attackers start at the beginning of the grid who will go up against the tackle bag first and then the person in the body suit second; these two should not stand next to each other unless you move on to the progression. At the coaches command the attackers will go into the tackle shield first with the ball carrier going to ground and the two supporters either both clearing out or one person clearing and the next picking up the ball and going into the next defender 5 metres behind who will be in a bodysuit. The ball carrier here will try to stay strong on his feet and offload to the two support runners or one of them will come in and rip the ball and offload to the support runner who will finish by crossing over the line.

General

into contact and give the ball...

circle of players 2 players in the middle one of the player with a ball. The ball carrier has to run into contact with one of the outside player and turn to give the ball to the 2nd player in the middle who has to support very close. On being given the ball the new player with the ball has to run into contact with another player in the circle for the other player to support and get the ball.

General

Loop Maul - Rugby Drills, Rugb...

First attacker runs straight and passes to second attacker (in middle channel). First player runs around second to recieve the pass in the end channel.

General

Wrestle the ball Ball Presenta...

In pairs, in a 5 x 5 m grid Pupils roll the ball to their partner who gathers it up. The first pupil runs and tries to take the ball from their partner. Change after the ball is successfully defended or wrestled away.

General

Speed Maul - Hands on! Maul - ...

Set up lines of defenders with pads aligned laterally across your working area. You can either have 1 line so the attacking players work once and in 1 direction or you can have a series of defensive lines so they attackers work continuously off both shoulders. Rotate defensive units.Work in attacking groups of 5 with 1 ball per group. The attacking groups start at point X. On the command, Player 1 carries the ball towards defender A. Just before or as the Player 1 makes contact with the tackle shield, Player 2 gets &lsquo;hands-on&rsquo; the ball, moving it away from the defender. Both players then make contact powerfully with the defender (particularly Player 1 and get some go-forward (1 or 2 driving paces) before releasing to the acting half-back when feeds to Players 4 and 5 who repeat into defender B. Players 1 and Player 2 then loop behind and receive pass from player 3 before engaging defender C.

General

Grid Island Practices for Juni...

Fun game to practice passes/kicks not being intercepted.Divide players into two equal teams and set up two grids (one small and one big - see diagram).The blue team are divided in half with half in the small grid, and half outside the big grid. They are trying to pass/kick the ball between themselves to score points - one for every pass/kick which is caught on the full.The red team are trying to intercept the passes/kicks or distract the blue team players. They cannot leave big grid or enter the small grid.Players in the small grid cannot leave the small gridProgressions - Players can only hold the ball for 5 secondsIf a ball is dropped/intercepted it is taken out of the game

General

3 v Tackle Bag and body Suit M...

3 attackers start at the beginning of the grid who will go up against the tackle bag first and then the person in the body suit second; these two should not stand next to each other unless you move on to the progression. At the coaches command the attackers will go into the tackle shield first with the ball carrier going to ground and the two supporters either both clearing out or one person clearing and the next picking up the ball and going into the next defender 5 metres behind who will be in a bodysuit. The ball carrier here will try to stay strong on his feet and offload to the two support runners or one of them will come in and rip the ball and offload to the support runner who will finish by crossing over the line.

General

Quick Ball From Slow Ball Cont...

BagsBalls 2 attackers line up opposite 2 defenders with bosh bags. The coach delivers a ball into the attackers. The ball carrier aims to run an overs line - Outsid ehsoulder of first defdner, and attack the second defender.The second attacker looks to leach on/latch on to the ball carrier pushing them through the contact area. Looking for a quick exstra few yards.

General

Realign Into Hands - Competiti...

Three, four or five players are stood close and next to each other on a line. Set up a similar line opposite. On feeders go they drop back and wide to give an attacking line, once ready the players pass the ball with quick hands down the line. The first team to realign properly and get the ball to the end player wins.

General

Ruck, Ruck, and Ruck Again Sev...

Tell your players the following..... Both the pad and attacking units will jog within the grid, the players in the attacking units don't have to stay together, but must work together on the coaches call. When the coach blows the whistle the attacking units must locate a pad, and hit that pad creating a ruck. The first player, the ball carrier hit, the second player rucks over, and the third player picks up the ball calling the rest of the players out of the ruck, they start jogging again. The second defending player works to steel the ball as soon first attacking player hits. The pad holding defender can also drop their pad and compete for the ball.

General

Rugby: Taking the ball into co...

Drill to improve players taking the ball into contact and ruck clear out.Set up a square roughly 5m x 5m. Get two lines of players behind two of the cones with a ball on one side. Get a defender to stand with a hit shield towards the edge of the square where the players are lined up.The player behind the red cone runs around the opposite red cone, when he enters the square the player behind the green cone passes him the ball and then runs around the opposite green cone to support him. When the player receives the pass he continues running and hits the hit shield, before going to ground and presenting the ball. The support player comes in and clears out the defender with the hit shield.The players then swap lines and the ball is passed to the front of the line behind the green cones for the drill to continue.

General

3 vs 2 School - Rugby Drills, ...

Simple 3 v 2, with two defenders with tackle bags. The attackers must pass their way through the grid, using quick passes and good handling, while the defenders work hard to pressure them.

General

Pre-Contact Circuit Warm Up - ...

Brief your players, but keep it brief! In each grid there will not be two channels. In each of the two channels there are two players with a tackle bag and two players binding with their back to the runner. The players binding will be leaning/driving against a tackle shield (similar to how they would be during a maul). The shield will provide support and resistance just before and during the runners hit. The first player starts and runs to the player with the tackle bag and makes a tackle before moving on. After the 2nd tackle they runs to bind with the 2 players and drives them across the line, their bind should result in their head between the hips of the two players in front of him and his shoulders in contact with the from two players backsides. The players driving position should be low and the hit proportionate. When the 3 players cross the line, one of the 2 binding players takes over and continues to run up the other channel, with the first running player now binding with the other remaining player and taking up a driving position against the shield. Change players around to ensure that every player has an opportunity to play different roles.

General

4v3-realign Tackling - Rugby D...

4 sausages 4 Bags The sausages and bags are lined up alternately in a line.8 defenders start lined up outside of the tackle grid.Whistle goes, the tacklers must shuffle across as a team (in a line) to line up opposite a bag or sausage before making a hit.

General

Driving Maul Maul - Rugby Dril...

3 attackers against two defenders with contact pads.Ball carrier takes ball into contact turning before hitting pads and presenting the ball.<BR>Next two players bind on either side and drive the maul to the end of the grid to score.<BR>

General

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rip the ball DRILL CATEGORIES
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Ball Presentation Drills
Catching Drills
Handling Drills
Lineout Drills
Maul Drills
Off Loads Drills
Practices for Juniors
Ruck Drills
Scrum Drills
Tackling Drills
Ball Presentation Drills
Catching Drills
Handling Drills
Lineout Drills
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Off Loads Drills
Practices for Juniors
Ruck Drills
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rip the ball ANSWERS
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Big Hit or Step Up tackle

Describe a 'step-up' or 'big hit' tackle. How would you coach it, what is the technique and what are the key factors technically?

Archived User Coach

Order of operations for a maul.

I'm kicking around two different orders for creating mauls. 1) 3rd Man Rip First supporters arrive and drive over rather than stripping ball. I like this one because it allows the supporters to join more quickly and keeps everything going forward. Because the original ball carrier keeps the ball until the 3rd man joins, this maul turns into a clean ruck very easily. I don't like this one because of the increased stress on the ball carrier to protect the ball, and the ball's slower movement to the back. 2) First man rip First supporter arrives and strips, third and fourth drive over. I like this one because the ball is cleared from the front straight away. I don't like this one because it can fall and be a mess, as well as as lack forward momentum as the focus is put on the ball. What do you think about the two ways of forming a maul? I've seen teams do both. Keep in mind I coach mainly older, new players.

Josh Macy Coach, United States of America

Post lineout rules. Defending maul.

Hi, I have an enquiry about the post lineout rules. A lineout jumper successfully catches the ball, returns to the ground and precceds to maul. The defending team has three options to put (1)leverage against with defending maul, to (2) attack the main front men of the maul but also I heard on this weekends commentary there is a (3)dragging down. When the lineout jumper is returning to the ground it seems the defending team can hold the jumper as long as no pressure is excerted and when they hit the floor the defending team can tackle him (drag him to the ground) stopping the maul. Is this right and if so are there further rules governing this that i cannot yet find? I have read the IRB 2009 laws but still i have no answer. Many Thanks

Archived User Coach

Looking for varations for touch rugby games.

Looking for varations for touch rugby games. Using as a bit of preseason want to freshen the game up.

Jack Redfern Coach, England

When can you rip the ball in U10s game?

I believe it's only when a maul and not 1 on 1 tackle. And what games can you play to demonstrate this?

Tristan Taylor Coach, England

When can you rip the ball in U...

I believe it's only when a maul and not 1 on 1 tackle. And what games can you play to demonstrate this?

Tristan Taylor Coach, England

Order of operations for a maul...

I'm kicking around two different orders for creating mauls. 1) 3rd Man Rip First supporters arrive and drive over rather than stripping ball. I like this one because it allows the supporters to join more quickly and keeps everything going forward. Because the original ball carrier keeps the ball until the 3rd man joins, this maul turns into a clean ruck very easily. I don't like this one because of the increased stress on the ball carrier to protect the ball, and the ball's slower movement to the back. 2) First man rip First supporter arrives and strips, third and fourth drive over. I like this one because the ball is cleared from the front straight away. I don't like this one because it can fall and be a mess, as well as as lack forward momentum as the focus is put on the ball. What do you think about the two ways of forming a maul? I've seen teams do both. Keep in mind I coach mainly older, new players.

Josh Macy Coach, United States of America

(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

Can I and should I coach basic...

Does anyone have a definitive answer to this question%3A can I coach basic tackling skills to U8s now, in preparation for next season, without falling foul of any RFU rules or regulations? Hugo

Hugo Norton-Taylor Coach, England
rip the ball COMMUNITY DRILLS
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Autosave 78931768

Rugby coach: wrestling techniques - rip the ball

4 Corners

Autosave 670181

Standard passing Skills progression

WU - Cross over drills

Warm Up -

Auckland Grid Passing Drill

Introduction to mauling

Ball retention - Maul

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