Rugby: Kamikaze Passing

Keep your player briefing short, and get the ball moving around the circle as quickly as possible.

• First have the players move the ball - clockwise around the circle, passing off their right hand.
• Then switch it, and have the ball move anti-clockwise around the circle, with the players passing off their left hand.
• Once the players have gotten into a rhythm of passing the ball, tell the players the following.

1. The player holding the ball will become a runner, their job is to pass the ball and then to set-off in the direction the ball will be traveling, trying to get to their starting position before the ball does.
2. They win if they make it back before the ball.
3. The players win if they can get the ball back before the runner.
4. The passers cannot miss-pass, the ball must travel through every set of hands.

• Each player in the group should have the chance to become a runner.
• Change the direction of the runner and the ball half way through.
• You might decide that the runner has to do a press-up or two, if they don't make it back ahead of the ball.
• And you may also decide that all the other players need to do the same if they do not get the ball back before the runner.
• You can further develop this game by making the circle bigger. This will push the runner and will increase the length of the pass required between each player. Just ask all of the players to take one or two steps back.

Lets get the ball and the players moving with lateral passing through the hands. Each training area only needs one ball, and that ball should start with the any of the two players at the very ends of the L.

• Tell players to move forward, passing the ball down the line. When the ball gets to the last receiver, that player will pass it to the first receiver in the next line that is waiting to go.
• They should advance right away. Allow the players to simply move the ball down the line.

Start with 2 players on the centre cone, each with a ball, and facing each other.

1. On the shout "GO", they both run backwards to the first cone
2. They then side step up the grid to the second cone
3. Next players run through the slalom cones back to the start where the ball is passed to the next players
4. Next players can only go when each player has received a ball (to ensure each race is fair).

Tell the players the following:

• Lets just get the ball moving down the line. Give the player at the start of one of the lines a ball, tell the line to advance using lateral passing - with the last player in each line passing the ball to the first player in the opposite line.
• Players should change positions in the line following each attack.
• Focus on the coaching points - the drill is only a means to an end. No spin passing.
• When you feel that the players are executing the short pass to your satisfaction - add in more pressure by have two opposite lines run at once.
• Once the teams have master that - lets get all four units running at one. The firt two groups go, when they each the mid-way point - the second two groups go. This will mean that all four gourps will be working at one.
• The groups keep moving unit you tell them to stop.
• Devlop this by alowing players to attack and be creative in their attack e.g. loop, M1, etc.
• There will be lots of traffic, they need to stay on their toes and work hard to keep the attack and the ball alive.