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Rugby: hit the gap

hit the gap DRILLS
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Hit The Gap Drill

A drill to practice decision making and finding space between defenders. Set up a line of three defenders with tackle shields (roughly 2m apart), with one defender 2/3m behind the middle defender (blue - see diagram). Roughly 5m opposite the defenders set up three attackers, one opposite the middle defender with the ball and one either side of the ball carrier (red - see diagram). When the ball carrier starts running towards the defenders the defender behind moves in to fill one of the defensive gaps. The attackers must successfully select the space and pass the ball to the player to run through the gap and score. PROGRESSION: Defenders put more pressure on attackers. All players must touch the ball. The third attacker must get through their space as a support player. The ball starts on one side instead of in the middle and players have to call whether the space is the first gap or the second gap, in which case the ball carrier should through a miss-pass.

Decision making

Running Lines and Breakdown Continuity

A coach or scrum half feeds a ball carrier who should be running onto the ball. The ball carrier should run towards the tackle sausage and use footwork and a hand off to move past the tackle sausage towards the first two tackle bags. The player should aim to hit the gap between the two tackle bags and power beyond the contact. Those two players then drop the bags and follow the original runner in support. The ball carrier then hits the bag, goes to ground and looks to lift the ball up to one of his support players. The next player then hits the last tackle bag, goes to ground and presents the ball. The next support player clears away the bag to secure the ball. This drill works on a number of skills (running onto the ball, hand off, footwork and hitting gaps, communication and support, clearing out a ruck) in continuity which means its more game realistic and trains players to not only perform the individual skills, but also to be thinking about how the skills link together and what their next job is.

Agility & Running Skills

Hit The Gap Drill Decision mak...

A drill to practice decision making and finding space between defenders.Set up a line of three defenders with tackle shields (roughly 2m apart), with one defender 2/3m behind the middle defender (blue - see diagram).Roughly 5m opposite the defenders set up three attackers, one opposite the middle defender with the ball and one either side of the ball carrier (red - see diagram).When the ball carrier starts running towards the defenders the defender behind moves in to fill one of the defensive gaps. The attackers must successfully select the space and pass the ball to the player to run through the gap and score. PROGRESSION:Defenders put more pressure on attackers.All players must touch the ball. The third attacker must get through their space as a support player.The ball starts on one side instead of in the middle and players have to call whether the space is the first gap or the second gap, in which case the ball carrier should through a miss-pass.

General

Running Lines and Breakdown Co...

<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>A coach or scrum half feeds a ball carrier who should be running onto the ball.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>The ball carrier should run towards the tackle sausage and use footwork and a hand off to move past the tackle sausage towards the first two tackle bags.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>The player should aim to hit the gap between the two tackle bags and power beyond the contact.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>Those two players then drop the bags and follow the original runner in support.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>The ball carrier then hits the bag, goes to ground and looks to lift the ball up to one of his support players. <li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>The next player then hits the last tackle bag, goes to ground and presents the ball.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>The next support player clears away the bag to secure the ball.This drill works on a number of skills (running onto the ball, hand off, footwork and hitting gaps, communication and support, clearing out a ruck) in continuity which means its more game realistic and trains players to not only perform the individual skills, but also to be thinking about how the skills link together and what their next job is.

General

Sausage Wrestle and Jackal Ruc...

Groups of 3 Sausage Ball1 player lines up opposite a standing sausage, wrestles it to the floor, landing chest ontop of the bag. A 2nd play holding a ball puts the ball down on the right side of the sausage as if it was an attacker placing it. The first play wrestling the sausage, bouncers up and competes for the ball (remeber to release) The 3rd player once the ball has been placed tries to clear the player competing for the ball.

General

Quick Ball From Slow Ball Cont...

BagsBalls 2 attackers line up opposite 2 defenders with bosh bags. The coach delivers a ball into the attackers. The ball carrier aims to run an overs line - Outsid ehsoulder of first defdner, and attack the second defender.The second attacker looks to leach on/latch on to the ball carrier pushing them through the contact area. Looking for a quick exstra few yards.

General

Hit & Defend Sevens - Rugby Dr...

Tell your players the following..... The defence will first turn and hit the pads. When the attack hears the hit - they can attack. The defenders must turn and defend. When the attack is complete, the attackers become the players on the pads, the players on the pads become the defence, and the defenders will be the new attack. The attack should try to score a try at the other end of the grid.

General

Mid-Space attack Decision maki...

There are 4 cones in a rectangle , 2 red and 2 blue. The 2 defenders stand within the square, and on the coach's call, they must go and touch the called colour cone.As the coach calls it the attackers can go.The ball starts with the attacker in the middle.His aim is to attack the space in between the two players, and execute the first opportunity that presents itself. either one of the players will move in on him, therefore opening up space for the support runner on that side, or both will commit to him, or none in which case he is through!

General

2 vs 1 Gauntlet Decision makin...

Set up two 1m wide gates of cones (green and red) either side of a feeder, with a line of attackers opposite (5m away). Have a number of defenders (3) lined up behind the feeder.The first player passes the ball to the feeder then moves forward and receives a short return pass from the feeder. On receiving the return pass he uses footwork to go through one of the gates with a support player going through the other gate.Once through the gate the ball carrier puts in a fend on the first defender and passes the ball to his support player.They go on to attack the two other defenders and try execute 2 vs 1 scenarios to get to the end of the drill

General

Develop Running Lines Off 9 Ma...

This drill coaches players the lines they should run when receiving the ball in order to maximise the chance of them breaking the gain line.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>Use a tackle bag to simulate where the ruck and offside line would be.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>The players line up as if they were going to come &quot;around the corner&quot; to receive the ball.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>Players should run an L shaped running line to get across the first defender and then footwork to get through the second defender.Progression (0.49) - Add an extra pass to the drill<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>For the first receiver the drill is exactly the same in terms of the running line.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>Then there is a second player on his outside shoulder who uses the same running line to beat the second defender.<li dir=&quot;ltr&quot;>The first receiver has a choice (1.19) - whether to go through the gain line and pass or pass before he gets to the gainline.What is the gain line?The gain line is an imaginary line in rugby parallel to the halfway line that is the back foot of the breakdown or the defences offsideline.

General

2 v 1 into 3 v 2 Decision maki...

Drill to improve short space and wide space overlap play.Set up a grid 15m wide, split into a 5m channel and a 10m channel, and 10m long (see diagram).4 attackers (red) line up along one side, A1 and A2 within the 5m channel opposite D1(blue). A3 and A4 line up in the 10m channel opposite D2 and D3.A1 and A2 run a 2v1 against D1 in the 5m channel. When A2 receives the ball they run out of the 5m channel into the 10m channel and into a 3v2 situation linking with A3 and A4 attacking D2 and D3.D2 and D3 can't move until A2 enters the 10m channel, and to start with can only move laterally along the try line.DISCUSSION:If players are struggling to execute the 3 v 2 situation, widen the 10m channel to 15m and once they have success at this width bring the channel back to 10m wide.PROGRESSION:D2 and D3 can move off the line to put pressure on the attack once A2 enters the 10m channel.

General

Rugby: Ruck Clearing Exercises...

Progressive exercises to improve clearing out at the ruckLay a tackle tube on the floor with another tube on top, angled into the air, with a ball on the floor in front of the first tubeCLEAR: The player starts lying flat on the ground in a press up position, before angling their run and tackling the top tubeROLL: Same set up, but the tube is tiled the opposite direction. The player runs round and wraps their arms round the tube before rolling away to the right with the momentum of their run.

General

Ball & Player Sevens - Rugby D...

Tell the players the following..... This is all about tackling at chest height. The facing player will advance, they will be the tackler. The bag carrier should advance as well. The tackler makes a chest height hit on the bag, taking the bag with them. The next defender on the other side does the same, taking the bag with them. When each player completes their role, they should join the opposite line, ready to go again.

General

Hit and Spin Ball presentation...

Two players with shields stand facing the runners on opposite sides of a grid. On the command, the players run into the shield and spins to their right before joining the back of the group on the left hand side. The practice keeps repeating. On GO, each ball carrier drives into the contact pad and spins out, past the defender before passing the ball to the next player in the other group.

General

Attacking Skills version 2 Sev...

Tell your players the following...... Players will attack in teams of 3, each attacking unit will have their own ball. At the pads, the ball carrier must hit and roll or hit and spin or sidestep. They will then face 3 v 2 situations following each pad. Their objective is to get to the other side, without making a mistake, and score a try! The following group of 3 can go when they feel there is a reasonable gap between the attacking units. Don't forget to change your players about.

General

Find The Gap Grubber Kicking -...

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 scorePROGRESSION:Start from the other sidePerform the kick with the players weaker foot1 can kick to 2 or 32 can kick to 3 or back to 1Any player can perform the grubber kick - coach passes the ball into the drill to select which player performs the kick.

General

Ruck Zone Contact Skills - Rug...

Bags Min 12+ BallThere is a working group of 4 in the middle of 8 differnt bag holders working in 2's. The group of 4 must pick and drive into a difffernt group of bags each rep. The group of 4 work on there contact skills of leg drive and staying on feet, then clear out work. Work for 1 min then swap.

General

Attacking Lines: Unders and Ov...

Attackers react to the defensive line in a 3 v 2 situationIf defence is compressed - overs - an outside line should be exploited. Can use two or three attackers to attack into the wide spaceIf defence is wide - unders - a tight inside line should be hit by the middle player into the gap between two defenders.

General

Rugby: Continuous Ruck Support...

Groups of 4 and two groups of defenders with contact pads. 1 ball per group. The ball carrier drives into the contact pads and presents ball backwards. Player 2 binds on, face to face and secures ball, player 3 binds on the other side to form a front row. All attackers bind together and drive defenders back 2-3 metres. Player 4 takes ball out at back and runs back around cone with players 1-3 in support. Repeat going back the other way until all attackers have practised each role.

General

The Team Run Sevens - Rugby Dr...

Use half or a full pitch for this exercise. A full team of 7 will run unopposed. Players should use this as a rehearsal of everything that might happen in the game, and therefore should execute all of the following..... Line-outs, and what happen after them. Scrums, and what happens next. All moves. The full attacking patterns. Any kicking strategies, including restarts. When you feel the players are ready, bring in opposition with pads, and then without in full contact.

General

Attacking Kick On The Move Kic...

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 confidenceStart with a chip kick and progress to grubber or vice versa.

General

7v7 Touch Sevens - Rugby Drill...

Tell your players the following... We are playing 7's, normal rules apply - except this is touch. Upon getting touched a player must off-load the ball right away to a supporting attack player. They must stop running. If they do not off-load right away - the ball is turned over to the defence. If they keep running the ball is turned over. Touch is one handed. There are unlimited touches, but in the even of the law being broken e.g. a knock on - the ball will be turned over. The game is to be played at pace. We will have 4 quarters of 4 minutes for this game. Bring you players together for no more than a minute at the end of each quarter to highlight what is going well, what could be better and to agree targets for the next quarter. Ask players, don't just tell.

General

Box Back Sevens - Rugby Drills...

Tell your players the following..... Pass the ball around, clockwise. After each circuit of the ball, take one half step back and complete another circuit. Keep stepping back until players start to reach their limits in terms of passing distance. Start to work your way back in towards the box. Change the direction of the ball when you get to the box, and do the same working back out again.

General

The Berlin Wall Warm Up - Rugb...

Tell the players that when you touch the shoulder of a player, they: have to go into the center of the circle, pick up the ball, and try to break out with the ball. The circle must close the gap left by the player that has went into the circle, and bind tight to try and stop the player from leaving. <em>IMPORTANT:</em> The players in the circle must stay bound and cannot use their arms or knees to stop the player trying to exit. The player trying to exit cannot attack the smallest player, nor can they attack sensitive areas of other player's bodies. There must be a sense of fun. The ball carrier should attack the space between the players that are bound on, that space will be very small indeed. The coach walks around the circle taps a player on the shoulder, and lets the fun begin. If the player gets out - well done them. If not, let them rejoin the circle and the select another player. Don't spend too long on this - but the players should enjoy it.

General

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hit the gap ANSWERS
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positional skill - how can i improve a props defence / decision making off the side of a ruck / maul?

david clark Coach, South Africa

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Tips on breaking through a defence line?

Hi my name is Mac and i am a 8 man and i struggle to push through a defensive line when i have the ball due to how my coaches make us practice so i wanted to know tips on how to push/break through a defensive line when i have the ball.

Mac Coach, United States of America

Advice on playing flyhalf | Sp...

Tomorrow i am going for rugby trials and i wanna play flyhalf. What do i have to do to get the position

sima Coach, South Africa

Tips on breaking through a def...

Hi my name is Mac and i am a 8 man and i struggle to push through a defensive line when i have the ball due to how my coaches make us practice so i wanted to know tips on how to push/break through a defensive line when i have the ball.

Mac Coach, United States of America

rugby tackling under 9s fear |...

tackling under 9s fear

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u8s running sideways not forwa...

What drills would anybody reccomend to encourage forward running in an u8s side,whilst keeping it fun?Some players tend to crab along the pitch.

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