Rugby coaching tips to get a strong body position at contact

This rugby coaching session concentrates on the moments just before contact, highlighting the need to be in place quickly and with a strong body position.

What you tell your players the rugby contact drill is about

• Getting into a strong body position just before contact.
  
  
• Bending at the hips and knees with the head in a neutral position for “maximum shove”.

What to think about in contact drill

How near to the contact situation should players get before bending?

It is better to bend early to avoid being too high before the contact situation. Sometimes players can touch both hands on the ground, which helps them “square up”. However the player needs to be balanced so he can react to the changing contact situation in front.

How quickly should a player approach the contact situation?

Avoid long run ups to the contact situation in training because this rarely happens in the game. Players are better off slowing down and using leg drive from a strong position to create go-forward at the contact. It is better to be accurate rather than quick.

What you tell your players to do in the drill

• From a standing position, place your feet a shoulder width apart, bend at the hips first, then the knees. Do not look up by adjusting your neck.
  
  
• Going into contact, drive-in with the shoulder and use short steps.

What you get your players to do

• Split your players into pairs, one to coach, the other to perform. One player stands up straight and relaxes. He bends at the hips, then knees, so he is on the balls of his feet, with the back straight.
  
  
• The other player checks his form. They swap and repeat. They then walk 5m and back, get into position, before running 5m and repeating. Check for accurate form and shape at all stages.

What to call out in rugby contact drill

• “Keep your head neutral, so your neck is neither stretched forward or back.”
  
  
• “Don’t bend your knees before the hips.”
  
  
• “Focus on making contact with your shoulder.”
  
  

Develop the rugby drill

• Three pairs work at each station. One pair holds a pad each about 2m apart, another pair stands at the sides of a box.
  
  
• The third pair works. One stands in the middle of the pads and drives into each pad, the other runs up and down the box, passing the ball to the static players.
  
  
• After six hits these players swap over. Work each pair for 30 seconds and swap them around.

Put drill skills into a game situation

In a new box, put four attackers in the middle, with three defenders at each end. Place a ball in each half. The attackers try to score at one end. The defenders can only move once the ball is picked up.

The attackers fail if they lose the ball or the attack stops going forward for more than three seconds. They then have to attack the other way. Stop after a minute and swap the players around.

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Click here for a contact rugby warm-up drill.