Rugby: warmup games

Make sure that you have your warm-up area marked out before your players arrive, it's important that you get them working right away. You can decide to play this game in smaller grids, or a larger playing area with the entire team. If using small grids, they can be 10 meters x 10 meters - and mark out as many as you need depending on the size of your team. If playing in a large area with the entire team, have two players working as taggers. The rest will be attackers - running around the playing area trying to avoid the taggers/defenders. If playing in a smaller area, have 2 defenders/taggers and 6 attackers. Give the taggers/defenders a ball each. Keep your law briefing, brief! It's important to get the players working as soon as possible. Tell the players that the two players with the balls will be chasing and looking to tag the rest of the players. If you get tagged, you join the taggers team. Play the game until all players are tagged. The last two players tagged, become the first two taggers for the next game. The ball cannot be thrown.

Keep your playing briefing, brief and tell the players the following laws. Both teams are in attack and both teams are in defence, at the same time! It is up to you how many players you allocate to your attack and how many you allocate to your defence. If you are touched while carrying the ball (decide if the touch is one handed or two handed), you and your entire team must return to your red zone before being able to restart your attack. While your team is returning to your own zone - you cannot defend the neutral zone and any touches in there will not count. If your team makes a mistake e.g. a dropped ball or forward pass. Your entire team must return to your own red zone, not defending the neutral zone as you retreat. The winning team is the team that invades the oppositions space and scores a try, just outside the grid, first. There is no offside in defence. There is no kicking.

2 Catchers.Everyone else Runners. This is a warm up game that is used to raise the heart rates of the children. Using half the pitch, nominate 2 catchers, the aim of the game is to touch as many as the runners before they reach the otherside of the pitch.If a runner get touched or tagged, thye join the catchers. Last man standing. Encourgae the kids to undertsand the concept of touch or tags.

Be brief when telling the players the laws of this game, it's important to get them moving quickly. This is not a contact game. Break your players into two teams, giving each team their own colour of bibs if necessary. One team goes to attack, and one to defense. Nominate a Scrum Half for each team. There is no kicking in this game. Normal laws of rugby apply e.g. a forward pass will result in the ball being turned over to the opposition. If an attacking player is touched: they must go to ground, present the ball, two of their teammates ruck over (staying over the ball), and the Scrum Half moves the ball for the next phase of attack. When you start playing this game make sure that the defense is employing your defensive pattern around the ruck. As the game develops consider telling the defenders that they must have one or more players at the back of the ruck, if they are not fast enough to do this - push them back 10 meters. Have attacking players do what they normally would at the ruck. Depending on your goals decide on the number of touches you wish to allow e.g. unlimited is not a bad option as mistakes will be made! Don't hesitate to shape the game to focus on your session goals, and let us and other coaches know what worked for you!

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.

With each new instruction to players you'll be having a race, lets see which group is the fastest - no cheating! Don't spend too much time talking, get the players into their groups quickly and tell them to do the following: Pass the ball between your legs to the person behind you - keep going until the ball reaches the end of the line. Same thing as above, but this time when the ball reaches the end of the line, the player at the end runs the ball back and the ball starts the same journey again. This is repeating until the every player has run from the back to the front of the line. Same idea but this time under legs then next person passes over head, next under legs (under/over/under etc.) Same idea but twist hips to pass to person behind first to the left then to the right - back person runs to front. As above but just over the head. Progress this with your own ideas e.g. pass to the person behind you with one hand etc. This warm-up should be full of fun.

Be brief when telling the players the laws of this game, it's important to get them moving quickly. This is not a contact game, but there will be some light contact. Break your players into two teams, giving each team their own colour of bibs if necessary. One team goes to attack, and one to defence. Nominate a Scrum Half for each team, it will be their job to move the ball from the back of the maul and out to an attacking line. There is no kicking in this game. Normal laws of rugby apply e.g. a forward pass will result in the ball being turned over to the opposition. If an attacking player is touched: they must stop and turn, a maul is then built based on how you have trained your players to Maul. Only four players should be in the maul - but every player should be able to maul - including the backs! When you start playing this game make sure that the defence is employing your defensive pattern around the maul. They will commit 4 players, but will not do anything more than provide light resistance. Once formed the maul can take four steps before moving the ball. If there is a delay in creating the maul, or the quality of the maul is poor - the ball can be turned over. Depending on your goals decide on the number of touches you wish to allow e.g. unlimited is not a bad option as mistakes will be made! If a team has been in possession for a long time, don't forget to turn the ball over to give the opposition a run. Don't hesitate to shape the game to focus on your session goals, and let us and other coaches know what worked for you.

2 teams.BallThis game you can pass and run with the ball in any direction. The coach will pick a direction for the team to play, the other team will try stop them from scoring. When the attacker gets touched its a turn over.Progressions; Add kicking.Attacking team have to make a certain amount of passes before scoring.

Passing warm up gameTwo teamsNo moving with the ball (similar to netball)Aim is to complete 10 passesIf a team completes 10 passes, the other team does 10 push ups.

2 Catchers.Everyone else Runners. This is a warm up game that is used to raise the heart rates of the children. Using half the pitch, nominate 2 catchers, the aim of the game is to touch as many as the runners before they reach the otherside of the pitch.If a runner get touched or tagged, thye join the catchers. Last man standing. Encourgae the kids to undertsand the concept of touch or tags.

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.

Split your players into two teams, giving one group of players a set of coloured bibs to set them apart, and quickly tell your players the following laws: Keep the law briefing, brief! Normal laws of rugby apply - in the case of a knock on etc. the ball will be turned over to the opposition. When the ball carrier is touched, they must go to ground. The defender steps back and does not compete for the ball. The defender that made the touch - cannot make the next touch! The ball carrier on the groud must pop the ball to a supporting player, the pop pass should be quick - any delay can result in a turn over. Judge the speed at which the player has went to ground, how quickly the support has gotten there and how quickly the pass was made. Depending on the age and skill level of your player - make a decision on weather you allow the attack to continue or if the ball is lost and turned over. The player receiving the pop has two options - they can take the pop at speed driving past the defender who made the original touch (remember they cannot make a second touch right away). Or - they can stop and pass the ball away from contact. If the supporting player stops to take the pop - the defence must allow that support player to make a pass away from the point of contact. The support player cannot run on. The ball cannot be kicked.

Groups of 6+ Balls Bibs Cones One player with a ball must run around trying to touch the other players without a ball.If tagged the player must stand like a scarecrow still. The other players must try and rescue him by running under his arms or going through his legs. The tagger wins if all other players are stuck.

Seated on floor, feet touching, knees bent, join hands and pull one another forwards and backwards to loosen up lower back. Same position hands joined, rotate upper body from left to right in an upright seated position to stretch lower back and warm up obliques. Standing, facing one another each both players place 1 hand on the other players' shoulder, swinging legs in a pendulum motion to stretch the hamstrings (<em>see video below</em>). Same position but now swing leg diagonally across to stretch groin and glutes (<em>see video below</em>). Both players do 10 push ups taking at least 5 seconds to complete 1 push up, to warm up and stretch chest and back. Swing the arms in a circular motion to loosen up shoulders and warm up the arms. Pick up one another in a tackling technique and take 2 steps with player on your shoulder, then put down softly and slowly. Make sure to pick up with both legs and shoulders (same leg same shoulder) One player leans forward, the other places his hand on his shoulders, and resists while the player leaning works his way forward using leg power. Back to back, one player resists with the legs and the other pushes, resist 60% so that the player can keep moving forward. 1 vs 1 scrummaging with a max effort of about 50%

This is a fun warm up game for the whole team to be involved inPlayers are separated into two teams, one team wearing bibsEvery player is holding a rugby ball, which they keep to themselvesThere is one 'live' ball that is used for the game.This is a possession game, where each team tries to keep the ball for as long as possible, passing and catching one-handed (because their other hand is holding a ball already)Once a team reaches 10 passes in a row, possession switches over. A small forfeit such as press ups could be introduced for conceding 10 consecutive passes.

2 Catchers.Everyone else Runners. This is a warm up game that is used to raise the heart rates of the children. Using half the pitch, nominate 2 catchers, the aim of the game is to touch as many as the runners before they reach the otherside of the pitch.If a runner get touched or tagged, thye join the catchers. Last man standing. Encourgae the kids to undertsand the concept of touch or tags.

Break your players down into groups of 3. In each area there should be 1 player with a tackle shield, 1 player with a tackle bag, and one with nothing. Tell players to do the following..... One player stands five meters from the start of the channel holding up a tackle bag. One player stands at the opposite end of the channel with a tackle shield. One player will be running and making contact at any given time. The Player with nothing in hand runs to the player with the pad and drives them across the grid. On reaching the end they swap roles and the other player runs across the grid to the tackle bag, hits hard, and makes a tackle at the end of the grid. Following the tackle the players swap roles the new player runs across to the player with the pad and the exercise continues.

From the start position, run out to the centre set of cones. Quickly move sideways to the left set of cones and then move quickly sideways to the right set of cones. Return sideways to the center set of cones and then run quickly backwards to the start position.

2 Teams.Half Pitch.Touch Game with conditions; Attacker once touched must go down, bounce back up and drive into defender, then perform a long place. While all defenders retreat 3m and hit the floor and bounce back up again before continuing play.

Groups of 3 BallOne Player lies in a Long placement on the floor. Another player (Jackaler) comes over the top of the player, to compete for ball. Another player pushes, pulls and tries to make the player off balance.