Rugby: Kick Tennis

The box kick is a very dangerous tactic for attack and defense. When attacking it can apply immense pressure on a team by putting the ball behind them. It also isolates the receiver making them vulnerable to turnover. It can also be dangerous if not executed correctly as you can end up giving away possession.

1 player in a group of players kicks the ball into the air for the single player to catch the ball all player have to run and support the catcher and run towards the end of the grid passing the ball to each other.

Split the group into three teams. One team starts in the middle of the grid along the line. The idea of the game is to kick the ball over the middle team and try to land the ball in the oppositions area. If the ball is caught then no points are scored, if the ball bounces in the oppositions area then 1 point is scored. If one of the players in the middle catches the ball (they gain 1 point) then they swap positions with the team that kicked the ball.

Drill to warm up/practice different types of kick. Players form two lines in the 15m channels with all the balls starting on one side. The player with the ball at the front of the line runs out and does a cross-field punt to a partner on the opposite side of the pitch - kick labelled 1. The partner catches the ball, and does a chip kick which they chase and gather themselves - kick labelled 2.  Once they have gathered their chip kick they perform a grubber kick to their partner who has continued their run. Aiming to kick the ball between the posts for their partner to gather and score - kick labelled 3. Players jog back to join the back of the opposite line. Once the first pair have performed the chip kick, the next pair in line can go.  

Practice short kicks while attacking forward (not standing still). The attackers are aiming to land their kick in the target area (yellow cones). Adapt the size based on their ability (e.g. senior players 5m x 5m, junior players 10m x 10m). Set up two cones (red) to simulate the area of a ruck/scrum/line out and give a defensive offside line. Two defenders (red) position themselves on the offside line opposite two attackers (blue). One attacker (1) acts a scrum half and passes the ball to the first receiver (2). The first receiver (2) catches the ball and tries to perform a chip or grubber kick into the target area . The second attacker (3) chases the kick and tries to regather it. The two defenders aim to put pressure on the kicker. Once the attack have gathered the kick they should return it to the feeder and join the back of the line to start again. PROGRESSION: Defenders to start passive and increase pressure as attackers gain confidence Start with a chip kick and progress to grubber or vice versa.

Set up a pitch area (green cones) based on the age of the players (depending on how far they can kick) with fielders spread out around the pitch. (E.g. senior players may need half a pitch whereas 20m x 20m may be big enough for a beginner). Set up a diamond by setting up cones roughly 10m apart (blue) similar to a baseball pitch, with kickers lined up on one side. One player/coach is the feeder in the middle of the diamond. He stands on the white cone and passes the ball to the kicker who catches it and then almost immediately kicks the ball, aiming for space. Once he has kicked the ball he tries to run around the diamond to score points. The kicker is out: Caught - their kick is caught on the full. Stumped - a fielder touches the ball on the cone that the kicker is running to. Out of bounds - if their kick goes out of the area of the pitch on the full. PROGRESSION: Make the feed harder (roll or a difficult pass to catch) Widen the cone diamond so the kicker has to run further Kicker has to do a press up on each cone before continuing to the next one Encourage defenders to work off the ball - they must pass the ball three times before stumping someone out.

Fun game to practice passing/kicking accuracy. Set up a grid with lots of different objects (tackle bags, hit shields, tyres, cones etc) inside. Have four players on one side with a ball each (blue) and four players on the other side (red). The blue players are aiming to pass or kick their ball onto one of the objects in the square, the red players are there to retrieve the balls and return them to the blue players. Each team gets three attempts per player before swapping roles. The team which collects the most items from the grid are the winners. Progression -  Large/medium items require more hits than others before they are removed (e.g. tackle bags need 3 hits, hit shields need 2 hits) Vary the size of the grid Each player only gets one attempt before the teams swap

The aim of the drill is to develop the Bomb kick

Game for scrum halves to practice their box kicking skills. Set out a coned, rectangular/square area between the 22 and the 10 metre lines. This is the target zone for the kicker. The kicker has three kicking stations: the try line, the 5 metre line, and between the 5 and 22. Two balls for each station, aim to kick into the same target zone.

Drill to practice kicking accuracy and contesting the ball in the air. Split the players into two even teams with different coloured bibs (red and blue). Set up two squares (roughly 15m x 10m, with a 5-10m middle zone - see diagram). Split each team in half so half of each team is in each square. Players have to try to kick the ball to a player on their team in the opposite area to score a point. For each kick that is caught on the full by a team mate in the opposite area the team scores one point. The opposition team are trying to disrupt the catch by competing in the air or trying to distract the player catching the ball. PROGRESSION: Use one ball to start with then introduce multiple balls. Players kick with the ball with their less dominant foot. Catch with one hand only. Set a time limit on the time a player is allowed to hold the ball for before kicking it back (e.g. 2 seconds). The catcher has to pass to another player in their team to kick the ball.  

Can be practiced with all players but specifically for the kickers of the team for start off kicking and tactical point scoring. 1 ball, cones to set up target zones etc.

The aim of the drill is to improve reload and positioning before the kick.

The aim of the drill is to improve your feet work prior the kick .  

The aim of the drill improve accuracy and strike.  

Drill to practice grubber kicking (a kick that bounces along the ground, bouncing no more than 1m away from the kicker) to a team mate to score. Set up a grid 15m x 10m, with three attackers (blue) and three defenders (red). The attack are trying to score by getting behind the defenders (red) using a grubber kick. The first attacker runs out and passes to the second attacker. The second attacker performs a grubber kick for the third attacker to gather and score PROGRESSION: Start from the other side Perform the kick with the players weaker foot 1 can kick to 2 or 3 2 can kick to 3 or back to 1 Any player can perform the grubber kick - coach passes the ball into the drill to select which player performs the kick.  

The aim of the drill is to develop kickers footwork and body position into kick. The goal is to execute the full kicking motion and control the balls trajectory (aiming for the coaches chest).

The aim of the drill is to develop players approach and angle.

• The aim of the drill is to develop players follow through after the strike.

Players looking to get the non kicking foot close to tee.

Kicking from hands requires the player to kick the ball before it bounces, unlike a drop kick. 1 ball, cones to give areas for scoring games etc.