Contact Help center
Rugby Rugby
HOME Rugby SEARCH

Rugby: hands up

hands up DRILLS
View All

Catching a high ball

Call for the ball! Head and eyes up looking at the ball, get in line with the ball. Quickly move to the ball's 'drop zone' Adjust position to get under ball, hands up and ready to take ball Turn the body to protect during contact and also to avoid a potential knock on if dropped ball Raise one knee to protect yourself from any potential contact (Note: it's illegal to be tackled in the air). As you land on your feet brace yourself for contact.

Catching

Hands up / Hands Down

Lets just get the ball moving clockwise for a while, just to get the ball moving through the hands. After a minute or two, lets switch the direction of the ball. After another minute, tell them the ball can go in any direction, but...... The receiver must have their hands in the air. The passer cannot pass to a player directly beside them. The passer can dummy, if a player takes their hand down they are out. The reciever can take their hands down to catch a ball if it is coming their way. You can also play this game using a word like RUGBY. Each time a play makes a mistake they get a letter. The loser is the first player to get all the letters that spell RUGBY. Some teams and coaches have more interesting and colorful words to spell - I'll leave this to you. You can make this game a little harder by reducing the size of the circle or by asking the players to touch their toes before catching the ball. You can also increase the number of balls in the circle. Have fun with this!

Passing

Keep Ball

Players work in groups of 5 in a grid 10m x 10m, with 1 Ball per group. 4 Players work as a team to make 10 passes. The defender tries to tag a player who is holding the ball. Either rotate the defenders or if caught and then the tagged player becomes the next defender.

Tag Rugby

Lateral Pass

Passing

Pass Invaders

Tell your players the following..... In groups of 2 they will attack, passing the ball before they reach each unique cone, so when they have passed in front of a cone - that cone is no longer unique and they can move beyond it. Following their pass they must realign, taking steps back to get ready to come onto the next pass. They keep going until they finish the entire grid. When one group is at least two cones ahead, the next group can go. All passes must be legal. Progressions: Place a defender at the first cone, having them move back one each time. Even by staying static - they will apply pressure to the attack. Increase the distance between the cones, increasing the length of the pass. Make all the passes flat, for the attackers to run onto. Increase the number of player in the attack to three, this will mean quicker hands.

Passing

Passing in Traffic

Tell the players the following...... Runners move forward towards the cone opposite to their location. There will be one ball carrier and one reciever in every set of runners, 3 sets of runners at any one time. The ball carrier must make a legal pass to the player approaching, avoiding traffic. That's it - lets get going.

Passing

Pop and Pass

Tell the players the following.... The player on the cone passes the ball forward to the player just in front of the cone, the passer then become the runner. The reciever pops the ball for the runner to run onto. Runner takes the ball and makes a bawards pass to the player on the cone opposite them.  The runner can drift to increase the distance of the pass. Players should side step to avoid one another in the middle of the grid. The first reciever can change the way they present the ball: they could set the ball on the ground for the runner to pick, they could lob the ball into the air for the runner to reach for and catch, they could deliver a low pass aross the knees for the runner to catch etc.

Passing

Pop, roll, down, up and gut

Tell your players the following...... The ball carrier will run/carry the ball directly across the grid, offloading it to the player opposite. The offload will be different, depending on the coaches call - so you need to listen. There will be traffic in the center of the grid, so avoid it. Ok - lets get moving, the first call is to pop to the receiver - the pop should be legal! Calls include: POP THE BALL, ROLL THE BALL, SET IT DOWN, THROW IT UP, GUT PASS (not too hard).

Passing

Quick Hands

Tell your players the following..... The first player runs out with the ball to the first set of cones and passes the ball to the second player. The second player then runs out to the next set of cones and passes the ball to the third player, who runs out to the next set of cones. In the last area of cones, the ball has to be passed quickly amongst all the players.

Passing

Split with Trailer

Tell your players the following...... Player A passes to D and cuts - not getting ball back , but holding up - B cuts and receives the ball off D, then turns it back inside to C, who passes to A to score out wide on Right. Players change position after each attack, the static player will be a runner in the next attack.

Passing

Hands up / Hands Down Passing ...

Lets just get the ball moving clockwise for a while, just to get the ball moving through the hands. After a minute or two, lets switch the direction of the ball. After another minute, tell them the ball can go in any direction, but...... The receiver must have their hands in the air. The passer cannot pass to a player directly beside them. The passer can dummy, if a player takes their hand down they are out. The reciever can take their hands down to catch a ball if it is coming their way. You can also play this game using a word like RUGBY. Each time a play makes a mistake they get a letter. The loser is the first player to get all the letters that spell RUGBY. Some teams and coaches have more interesting and colorful words to spell - I'll leave this to you. You can make this game a little harder by reducing the size of the circle or by asking the players to touch their toes before catching the ball. You can also increase the number of balls in the circle. Have fun with this!

General

Hands up / Hands Down Passing ...

Set up the players in a circle. All players have their hands in the air (except the ball carrier), the ball carrier can pass to anyone in the circle as long as they are :- Not directly next to them. Still have their hands in the air.

General

Quick Hands - Warm Up Sevens -...

Within a group there are two groups of 4 attackers and one chaser/scrum half. At the middle point, marked by a cones, the scrum half moves the ball to the first attacking line. The scrum half firstly tracks the progress of the ball, as the exercise progresses - the scrum half should apply more and more pressure to the ball carrier - working up to the point of becoming a full on defender. When the ball reaches the opposite end of the grid, the last player in the line sets the ball down. The scrum half then feeds the ball to the next attacking line, fulfilling their own role within the exercise. The opposite attacking line should realign in preparation for the next attack. The tempo of this exercise should be high.

General

Quick Hands - Warm Up Warm Up ...

Within a group there are two groups of 4 attackers and one chaser/scrum half. At the middle point, marked by a cones, the scrum half moves the ball to the first attacking line. The scrum half firstly tracks the progress of the ball, as the exercise progresses - the scrum half should apply more and more pressure to the ball carrier - working up to the point of becoming a full on defender. When the ball reaches the opposite end of the grid, the last player in the line sets the ball down. The scrum half then feeds the ball to the next attacking line, fulfilling their own role within the exercise. The opposite attacking line should realign in preparation for the next attack. The tempo of this exercise should be high.

General

Catch Confidence Passing - Rug...

Passing in partners.One player brings their hands up to in front of their face. The other player passes hard to their hands. This is to catch straight, hard passes at an upward angle. Continue passing like this.Passing in this way puts pressure on the catcher to focus on the catch to prevent the ball from hitting them in the face.

General

Quick Hands Primer Warm Up - R...

Set up: Set up the cones as shown with a cone 10 meters each side of the posts on the try line. This will mark where the ball will be passed from (feeder) preferably from a scrum half.<span style=&quot;background-color: transparent;&quot;>Divide the group into 4 and ask them to stand in single file behind each cone, 3 attacking groups, 1 defending group.<span style=&quot;background-color: transparent;&quot;>The ball is fed from a position on the try line (10 meters from the post). <span style=&quot;background-color: transparent;&quot;>The players on the staggered cones opposite the posts will catch and pass the ball using the correct technique.<span style=&quot;background-color: transparent;&quot;>The player on the defending cone will move forward once the scrum half passes the ball to apply pressure on the middle attacking player.<span style=&quot;background-color: transparent;&quot;>The players on the middle cone will receive the ball with a live defender in front of them.<span style=&quot;background-color: transparent;&quot;>The 3rd receiving player needs to receive the ball at pace and run as close to the outside post as possible.

General

Soft Hands Passing - Rugby Dri...

The aim of the drill is to develop players awareness and passing.

General

Quick Hands Passing - Rugby Dr...

Tell your players the following..... The first player runs out with the ball to the first set of cones and passes the ball to the second player. The second player then runs out to the next set of cones and passes the ball to the third player, who runs out to the next set of cones. In the last area of cones, the ball has to be passed quickly amongst all the players.

General

Handling Skills Warm Up Passin...

Groups of four, players stand in a T shape with about two yards between each player.The player in the middle is the focal point and each round is designed to test that middle player as they will be doing the most passing and receiving.Player A - Player BPlayer B - Player CPlayer D - Player BPlayer B - Player DPlayer C - Player BPlayer B - Player APlayer D - Player BPlayer B - Player DThe middle player must receive from the side and pass out the other side.The middle player then plays a one-two return pass with the player opposite.The middle player then receives the ball from the side player they just gave it to and passes it back across to the original passer.Another one-two with the player opposite is then played.Switch positions clockwise after 20/30 seconds.

General

Handling Skills Warm Up Warm U...

Groups of four, players stand in a T shape with about two yards between each player.The player in the middle is the focal point and each round is designed to test that middle player as they will be doing the most passing and receiving.Player A - Player BPlayer B - Player CPlayer D - Player BPlayer B - Player DPlayer C - Player BPlayer B - Player APlayer D - Player BPlayer B - Player DThe middle player must receive from the side and pass out the other side.The middle player then plays a one-two return pass with the player opposite.The middle player then receives the ball from the side player they just gave it to and passes it back across to the original passer.Another one-two with the player opposite is then played.Switch positions clockwise after 20/30 seconds.

General

Quick Hands Race Sevens - Rugb...

Tell your players the following...... The two bottom players will be the feeders, they will be positioned by the cones with the balls. It's a race, team against team. The idea is to take the ball from the feeder and pass it down the line, with the last player setting the ball on the ground. The ball must travel through each players hands. The winning team is the team that can get all their balls down the line the fastest. Any dropped balls must be returned to the start of the line, to the feeder who will pass them out again. You can keep the race going by having the last reciever feed the balls back. So all the balls must travel up and back down the line.

General

Tackle technique 4/5 -boxer ha...

Groups of 2 Ball Hands and arms are introduced. The attacker holds hands behind his back with the ball. The Defender does a shoulder hit, and starts to drive his legs (previous 2 stages).Then there arms from being in tight to there chest (boxer) explode around the attacker, aiming to dislodge the ball. This will add impact and explosivenesss to the hit.

General

Clear, Tackle, Hands Circuit. ...

-4 bags-2 sausages. Put players on each bag, sausage and 2 defenders at the end of the grid. There are 4 working attacking player. Step 1 - Complete 2 shoulder clears on the opposing tackle bags. Step 2 - 2 attackers nominate themselves to tackle the sauages. Step 3 - the 2 support players pick the ball up and try complete the 4v2 (tackling players need to bounce up of feet quickly)

General

Ball Balance - Core Stability ...

Get in pairs. One player starts in a plank position with a rugby ball placed under each hand trying to stay in the plank position. The other player walks around a gently nudges and pushes the player working. The work aims to stay stable on the balls.

General

Up and Down Passing - Rugby Dr...

Tell them the following...... Each attack will be up and down, up the left and down the right side of the cones. Eack attack will see the ball move down the line once. Run out to far cone and back - 1/2 pace - no forward passes. Run out to third cone and back - jog - 3/4 pace back. Run out to second cone and back - fast out - fast back. Off-load the ball to the next attacking line - they do the same. That's it, get working. Refer to the coaching points in order to help your players improve.

General

Continuous passing and pendulu...

3 players work together, the middle player working the hardest out of the 3. The 3 players stand in a line, the middle player doing a side on pass, catching and passing with two hands, same body position as the side on pendulum pass drill. The other 2 players using the pendulum front pass. The player in the middle is working on his fluidity of movement as well as his technique.

General

Quick Hands Targets Sevens - R...

Tell your players the following. They just need to pace the ball down the line, each player will get the ball. A colour will be called, which is the target. The ball must be down the line before they hit that target. They move come onto the ball at pace, and hands will need to be quick when the target is close. That's it, play.

General

Fast Hands Passing - Rugby Dri...

Drill to practice fast, accurate passing.Set up a T shape with 3 cones roughly 5m away from the central cone (see diagram)One player stands on each cone, the player in the middle of the T is the player who works (yellow).The players on the outside (blue) take it in turns to pass to the working player (yellow), who must catch the ball and pass it to the free player on the edge (see video.PROGRESSIONS:Start slowly and increase the pace at which the players pass to the working player, giving them less time to catch and pass the ballIncrease the distance that the working player must pass the ball.

General

Four Handed Touch Warm Up - Ru...

The following are the laws for this game: Equal number of defenders and attackers. Use bibs to identify both teams. Normal laws of rugby apply; a knock on etc. results in a turn over. The attacking team gets 8 touches before the ball has to be turned over. Change this to suit your training goals. It would be ok to have unlimited touches, changing the defence and attack after a set period of time. A player is touched only when two defenders have all four hands on them, if this is not the case - the attacker can play on. Defenders cannot hold the attacker, nor can the attacker use significant force to push through defenders. If a player is touched: they stop, set the ball down, stand over it, and the scrum half is allowed to move the ball again to restart the attack. The defence must remain onside following a touch. Only when the support player passes the ball out can the defence press up on the attack. If the defence goes offside or operates illegally, the attack gains 10 meters. Don't forget to switch the teams around. There is no kicking.

General

2 Hand Passing Hip Drive Passi...

The aim of the drill is to develop players wrist strength.Start with the ball sitting on the outside of the hipNo backward movement before you pass.Push out from the hit.Hands finishes towards target

General

Quick Hands Drills Agility & R...

Hold the ball between your legs, one hand behind, one hand in fornt. Gently throw the ball up and swap your hands, from back to front and front to back and catch the ball before it touches the ground. Flexing legs. See how quickly you can do this, how many in 30secs.

General

Lateral Pass Passing - Rugby D...

General

Realign Into Hands - Competiti...

Three, four or five players are stood close and next to each other on a line. Set up a similar line opposite. On feeders go they drop back and wide to give an attacking line, once ready the players pass the ball with quick hands down the line. The first team to realign properly and get the ball to the end player wins.

General

Beat The Runner Warm Up - Rugb...

Divide your players into groups of five, with one player acting as a running. Each grid will need a runner. The runner starts on the runners cone. You might wish to have two groups of five at each grid, and to have a quick demo before sending all the players to their own grids. Keep your player briefing, brief! The first five passers attack the runners line, passing the pass down the line as they go. The runner sets off as soon as the first ball carrier starts to move. The aim of attack is to score a try in the corner, beating the runner - so quick hands. Each player should realign following their pass, there will be two attacks for each group before they move the ball onto the next group. After the first attack the runner goes to their cones on the opposite side of the grid ready for the next attack. The attack begins when the first players picks the ball off the ground. Don't forget to change the runners. Move the runner cones in to progress the exercise and to put the attack under more pressure.

General

Wave After Wave Warm Up - Rugb...

The front line of players run towards the other side of the grid while passing the ball down the line. When the last player in the line receives the ball the line form behind runs through and receives the ball to continue to the other side of the grid. The first wave should realign behind the second wave, when the second wave has the ball.

General

Jog - Lock and Load Passing - ...

Tell your players the following: Using just one hand they should pass the ball to each other, spinning the ball. They will continue down the grid until reaching the end before turning back and doing the same with the opposite passing hand. They can use two hands to catch. They should be jogging. That's it, get working. Refer to the coaching points in order to help your players improve. This drill is about helping players understand and develop their spin pass, while improving the quality of their pass. It should be using in conjunction with other training exercises to develop the spin pass.

General

Press Up Position Sevens - Rug...

Tell the players the following...... They should advance in 2's. Hit in on the bag with their shoulder, driving forward and placing their hands on the ground in a press-up position over the ball. They then clear the area, and the pads reset for the next hit.

General

hands up SESSIONS
View All

Dynamic Passing and Movement

Improve your player's confidence in a pressure-free environment, with this passing and moving session!
hands up ANSWERS
View All

Looking for Lateral pass coaching games

Looking for Lateral pass coaching games

Archived User Coach

How can i teach 8 year old boys to spin pass

How can I teach 8 year old boys to spin pass

Mark Harris Coach, England

What are the key learning points of a miss pass?

What are the key learning points of a miss pass?

dave walker Coach, England

Dennis%3A The boys will be starting at under 11 next?

Dennis%3A The boys will be starting at under 11 next season this will become the first season they are able to actively kick during games. By kicking I mean all types of kicking. all advice, literature, web sites etc... welcome

iain Coach, England

What's a good methord when starting training a Scrum?

What's a good methord when starting training a Scrum?

Christopher Bower Coach, England

My guys in Cape Verde can't seem to get the concept?

My guys in Cape Verde can't seem to get the concept of a good pass... They just throw the ball in the general direction of the closest player and there is always SO MUCH scrambling around on the ground to get it again.  I've showed them video clips on you tube of drills and real games, I tell them every day that if they make good passes to their teammates then they save the time of fumbling around on the ground for the ball, but they seem to almost enjoy doing that....any ideas??

Archived User Coach

Outside Centre attacking game .. how do I get a player to make this position his won?

Outside centre attacking game .. how do get a player to make this position his own?

Archived User Coach

how to keep a defensive line for u7+u8

i currently help out with the coaching of the u7+u8 tag rugby but we are struggling to keep a defensive line can have anybody got any drills

jason halse Coach, Wales

Can I and should I coach basic tackle skills to U8s?

Does anyone have a definitive answer to this question%3A can I coach basic tackling skills to U8s now, in preparation for next season, without falling foul of any RFU rules or regulations? Hugo

Hugo Norton-Taylor Coach, England

Blindside position - I'm new to the game and I'm not sure what to do?

This is my first year playing on a rugby team for my school, grade 9, im much smaller than everyone else but i run fast and can be strong. my position is the blind side wing, and i dont understand what im supposed to do. it seems like i just jog and stay far away, but i dont know what im supposed to do if someone from the opposite team comes near me and noone else is one them, am i supposed to tackle? i also have trouble tackling cause my arms dont rap fast enough when they run into me, any advice?

Archived User Coach

Is this penalty play legal?

I want to run a play that catches opposing players off guard when my team has been given a penalty. Is it legal to call for a shot at the posts, place the ball on the tee, and go through the motions of a penalty kick. However, I keep four or so guys ready behind my kicker, who only kicks the ball off the tee 10m in front. Both the kicker and 4 team mates then run onto the ball, scoop it up and put it through the hands if required to score. I notice a lot of our opposition huddle under the posts, or leave massive areas open, when we call for a shot. Can you call for a shot, but not actually take a shot?

Archived User Coach

Teaching Touch Rugby to Beginners - Help

Coaching touch rugby to beginners, what should I do?

Archived User Coach

Warm up ideas before a game

What are the best warm up drills to do before a game Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

Liam Manley Coach, England

Sealing not bridging the ruck

We play a team that does not contest the ruck very often so we seal the ruck by positioning our first Rucker over the tackled player and holding on to his shirt with Wright on feet and butt down. Second guy comes in a no connects with first and seal the ball until it is removed. We have been blown up for bridging when we have no hands on ground or weight forward. Anyone have any ideas On how to explain to the ref we are sealing not bridging?? Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

gary jones Coach, United States of America

Spin pass for a 14-year old boy?

I need coaching points on how to spin passin a casual game how to quickly get it away

sarah milford Coach, England

skills or training session for high-ball receiver

hello there people I am looking for new ideas on high ball skills that I can incorporate into a 1 week training session much help will be appreciated cheers kudz

kudz Coach, France

Do U9's have to have both hand...

In relation U9's, I've read about the two hands on the ball ruling in U7 tag, Is there a similar requirement in U9's to have both hands on the ball when running etc (this was flagged up by a learned touchline parent?). Can anyone close the loop on this one for me?

P Naylor Coach, England

How can I overcome my son's fe...

How can I overcome my son's fear of tackling. He's 10 and shaping up to be a useful player in other areas but is very reluctant to engage other players in contact. What drills might help overcome this?

Archived User Coach

JOIN SPORTPLAN FOR FREE

  • search our library of 1100+ rugby drills
  • create your own professional coaching plans
  • or access our tried and tested plans
STAY CONNECTED

in more ways than one

sportplan_rugby
LATEST FROM THE BLOG
Set Yourself Up For Success This Year

Set Yourself Up For Success This Year

Create a resolution to develop your coaching confidence by seizing the opportunity to discover new drills, turn ideas into action and seek advice from the coaching community.

December 31st, 2023
|
Archie Dunnill
Should Aaron Smith's World Cup Final try have stood?

Should Aaron Smith's World Cup Final try have stood?

World Rugby has reportedly conceded Aaron Smith's disallowed try in the World Cup final should have stood.

November 14th, 2023
|
Archie Dunnill
Sportplan Spotlight: Vary Your Sessions

Sportplan Spotlight: Vary Your Sessions

"It is not only useful for staff who are experienced but a valuable tool for those subject staff who have to take teams."

January 25th, 2023
|
Archie Dunnill
VISIT THE BLOG TO READ MORE
Rugby POPULAR SEARCH TERMS
warm uptacklingjunior backline drillstackleruckingtag rugbytouch rugbymauldefencepassingtagruck7scrumtouchfitnesslines of runninglineoutunder 8sevens

What our users have been saying...

Coaches from around the world look to Sportplan for coaching confidence.

Sportplan rugby has played a large role in my team's love for the game!

Heather Weston Rugby Coach, United States

I am so pleased with all of the drills and advice on rugby. I am a player for my local club and we don't have a coach at the moment so I, as a senior player, am filling that gap. With your help, the team has been able to improve our skills.

Mokie Tau Rugby Coach, Papua New Guinea

Your tips and session ideas have really brought some interest back to our rugby training. The players and I now really enjoy our training sessions.

Eifion Highes Rugby Coach, United Kingdom

Wow what a great website, I have found sportplan an important tool for me when planning my netball sessions with my netball team. There are alot of very helpful tips/ideas/skills that I can learn and teach to my team. Thank you sportplan I hope to continue to use your helpful tips and to learn more about improving my teams netball skills. Thanks again....keep it up....

Monique New Zealand

I have been using Sportplan now for 3 years and can honestly say that I have never repeated the same session twice. My girls are always focused and are improving every year. Thanks Sportplan.

Debbie Cross Australia

What a fantastic tool. The Chalkboard and session tools make an unbelievable difference in making training plans in both time and organization. I will be instructing all of my assistant coaches that this tool must be used for all sessions during the season, so that we may build a club coaching resource library.

Wes Campbell Rugby Coach Canada

I can't get enough of the Sportplan, It has given me back the enthusiasm i was starting to lose. My girls are so keen and are ready at 14 to take the next up in their game. Sportplan will help no end.

Cornel Basketball Coach, South Africa

SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE

  • search our library of 1100+ rugby drills
  • create professional rugby coaching plans
  • or access our tried and tested rugby plans

Sportplan App

Give it a try - it's better in the app

SPORTPLAN USES COOKIES

Sportspeople like cookies too! By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. More info

Privacy Policy
We are committed to privacy and support current industry initiatives to preserve individual privacy rights on the Internet. Protecting your privacy on-line is an evolving area and this website will constantly evolve to meet these demands.


Cookies
Some of our web pages utilise "cookies". A "cookie" is a small text file that may be used, forexample, to collect information about web site activity. Some cookies and other technologies may serve to recallPersonal Information previously indicated by a web user. Most browsers allow you to control cookies, includingwhether or not to accept them and how to remove them.

Some cookies are necessary for the operation of our website, if you choose to block them some aspects of the site may not work for you. Non necessary cookies are only set when you have given your explicit consent to their use. Such cookies included those set by our statistics package Google Analytics.

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.

More info
Rugby POPULAR SEARCH TERMS
3 v 2 7 counter rucking defence defense fitness football forward drills junior  backline drills lesson plans line out lineout lineout drills lines of running maul passing ruck rucking rugby scrum scrum machine search sevens tackle tackling tag tag rugby touch under 8 warm up
YOUR SESSION IS STARTING SOON... Join the growing community of rugby coaches plus 1100+ drills and pro tools to make coaching easy.
LET'S DO IT