Filed under: Dan Cottrell, Rugby Coaching, Rugby Fitness, Rugby Skills, Rugby Training, top tips | Tags: Better Rugby Coaching, fitness, pre season fitness, rugby running, rugby speed
August 3
Running
Players spend most of their time on their feet in rugby, but not the entire time running.
Here are eight running tips for your players in pre season:
1. Use pre season for perfecting running styles, as used by sprinters or long distance runners. Briefly, everything should be going forward: head, arms, hands, knees, feet.
2. Train for sprinting when the players are fresh.
3. Train for rugby running when the players are fatigued. Rugby running: short bursts, changing directions, going from contact to contact, sidestepping and swerving.
4. Train slipstreaming: a ball carrier who is weaving followed by a support player.
5. Train under pressure: running winners and losers.
6. Run in positional groups.
7. Overspeed: run downhill at speed to check for good form.
8. Hold and release: improve leg drive by getting one player to hold another player by the shorts for five metres before letting go.
