A passing phase

WHY USE IT

Use a game to motivate players to improve their passing, develop it in an exercise and then return to the game.

set up

A 30m pitch (or appropriate size to suit the numbers), cones, balls.

HOW TO PLAY

GAME: Play a normal game of touch rugby but add in passing rules as the players progress. If a rule is broken, the ball is turned over. Suggested rules (don’t use all of them): call for the ball; follow through to the target; two hands on the ball; pass in front of the receiver; keep the pass off the chest; keep the pass between chest and hip height. Play for up to 10 minutes.

ACTIVITY: Move onto the passing exercise (see illustration). Start them slowly, focusing on accuracy. Speed them up as they improve. Only focus on one key point. Work on this exercise for four minutes and then return to the game.

GAME: Return to the game, with the rule being the focus of the previous exercise. You can either play on and introduce more rules or rotate between exercise and game. Run this for no more than 30 minutes in total.

Coaching points

• Call for the ball
• Pass in front of the receiver
• Follow through to the target

1. The first player runs to the first cone and passes short to the next player
2. The second player passes short when they reach the cone in front of them

1. The first player cuts in towards the middle cone to take a pass
2. The second player runs out to the wide cone
3. The third player passes when they reach the cone in front of them

1. The new middle completes the pass on the cone in front of them
2. Ideally the players pass when they are running, but, if they have to, they might need to stop on their passing cone