Well it is probably the most important area of the Rugby Pitch that is for sure! Everything starts around the ruck, floor work and marker work followed by ruck plays and dummy half passing. If your hooker gets this pass wrong then inverably you turn the ball over and end up defending another set.

The following drills give you a lot of variation on passing off the floor to targets at different distances.

Another Drill

This drill practices the same techniques as above but adds pace into the equation and forces the player to look up and see where they are passing and weight accordingly.

 For this drill you need 3 players, a tackle sheild and 10 balls

Instructions

I have stood on the touchlines up and down the country watching games that I have been involved in and others that I have just gone along to watch and every game has one common factor, the touchline full of spectators screaming and shouting at both the players and the referee. Some of the comments that I have heard and reactions that I have seen have bordered on child abuse, not physical but mental which is regarded by some in the clinical profession as the worst form.

Swearing at the referee, abusing the coach or screaming at their own child it isn’t nice to watch and at times I have had to step in and inform the individual of how little their comments are helping the child to progress and develop. The majority of parents who drag themselves to training and games 3 or 4 times a week through the winter months do it because they are proud of what their child is doing and have a healthy interest in watching their child grow and develop.

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Kids having fun playing Rugby League

When I started coaching I was 25 and started with a team at under 10s, everything that I did was about winning the game the following week. If that meant changing positions to put my biggest lad against the oppositions smallest then I would or if we could just barge through them up the middle then that became the game plan but the outlook was very short term, sure at under 10s and 11s we where winning games but does that really matter?

All those years ago I would have argued with anyone until I was blue in the face that winning mattered to both the kids and the parents and no one could have swayed me otherwise however over the last 5 years that outlook and those views have spun 360 degrees and as I prepare to take on my next team at under 10s I really couldn’t care if they don’t win another game for the next 3 years, let me try and explain why.

The stability of the Core or Trunk is the foundation for explosive movement and control so Agility, Balance and Co-Ordination. Benefits of developing ‘core stability’ In Rugby League terms, you become more stable in contact, better able to withstand tackles, and solid in your ability to receive and offload the ball. By training specifically for core stability, you gain a number of benefits.

Like you, I had absolutely no Idea what muscles make up the ‘Core’ but after a little re-search I have found out what they are, where they are and exactly what they do. The reason why people have paid so little attention to it is that there’s nothing flashy or glamorous about it. Although it involves the abs, core strength is not about having a visible six-pack or a flat stomach. And while the core muscles, as stabilizers, can help determine how far you can throw a ball, their development is often secondary to the other, more obvious (and more visible) muscles in your limbs. The only people who have had the right idea about core strength all this time are dancers and Yoga practitioners. They’ve developed their core as part of their training, and it shows – professional dancers and Yogis generally stay fit well into old age. They stand straighter and have more energy at a time when many of their peers can just hobble along.

This drill uses many parts of the game of Rugby League and allows you to concentrate on different core skills depending on what you want to teach your team. A ‘See Saw’ drill is one that basically goes across to one side and then turns around and goes straight back to the other side a little like a see saw, you will understand better when you watch the videos. This is quite an advanced drill and probably not one you should be using much under 12 or 13 years old as the kids will struggle to understand it.

I have called this drill the Play the Ball see saw as that is the core component that I last used it to teach however there are many other core skills that it also works at the same time for instance ‘Timing the Run’, ‘Grip and Carry’, ‘Bump’, ‘Passing’ and Communication.

This is a neat drill that keeps everyone constantly working and see’s the players learning how to go into contact in a way that allows them to spin off the defender, keeping the ball carrying arm away and then works on the ability to offload to a man following up in support.

This drill requires Marker Cones, 2 Tackle Shields and a ball.

This defensive drill works on a number of  the core defensive skills as well as getting your defenders working together as  part of a defensive unit. This drill will also work on player fitness when done  continually for a set number of minutes.

This defensive drill works on a number of the core defensive skills as well as getting your defenders working together as part of a defensive unit. This drill will also work on player fitness when done continually for a set number of minutes.

This is a basic Rugby League handling drill which allows the coach to look at things like passing, catching, communication, running and passing in front of the man.

The tight 6 ruck defence is one way of structuring your team to defend around the ruck. It relies on communication and speed from the 2 defenders either side of the ruck. This defensive system is described in the ‘Laying the Foundations’ E book available for download from the site. Click Ebooks on the menu for more information.