Rugby coaching warm up drill to prepare for contact

Horse wrestling warm up

Two players on their hands and knees face the same way, side by side. On your command they aim to make the other player's hips touch the floor, just using their arms and hips.

What to say:

• "Use hips for leverage."

• "Strong grip on shirt."

• "Roll shoulders to unbalance opponent's grip."

Press-up battles warm up

Two players face each other in the press up position. On your command, each player tries to tap one of the hands of the other player. Pulling or grabbing the other player is not allowed. Three taps to win.

What to say:

• "Keep some flexibility in the arms."

• "Spread the load evenly across the hands and feet."

• "Bounce up off both hands to keep your opponent guessing."

For more rugby coaching warm up exercises, click the link to order a copy of The Ultimate Rugby Warm-Ups manual.

Click the link to get ideas for an improvised rugby warm up to use when your original plans for the coaching session have fallen by the wayside.