Rugby is a fast-paced game that requires players to be in peak physical condition. Rugby requires speed, agility, and endurance to compete at the highest level. There are many ways to train these qualities on the field. In this article, we will look at some rugby-specific drills that can improve your speed and agility and some conditioning exercises that will help you get faster off the mark.
Rugby Agility Drills
● Bear Crawls:
This is a great drill for beginners and players of all ages. It helps you build up your lower body strength, agility, and mobility. To do this drill correctly, you need to keep your hands on the ground at all times as you crawl forward or backward in a bear-like position. This means that when doing a forward or backward crawl, your knees should touch first before anything else does! Keep working on this drill until it feels comfortable enough to move on to the next one below:
● Bear Crawl + Shuffle:
Once you've mastered the basic bear crawl technique above (which shouldn't take more than 3 days), add in an additional shuffle step while continuing to maintain contact between each footfall with either dirt/grass, etc... Use this time wisely though because there are only so many hours available per day - don't waste them by slacking off!
Rugby Speed & Agility Drills
Speed and agility drills are a great way for rugby players to improve their speed and agility. The following rugby speed and agility drills can be done at the beginning of your training session or whenever you have an extra few minutes during practice.
● Rugby Speed Ladder Drills: These are basic but effective speed ladder drills that will help develop your acceleration, top-end speed, change of direction ability, and overall footwork.
● Rugby Agility Ladder Drills: These include similar movements as those found in football agility ladders but may also include some unique twists like running backward through the ladder or jumping over hurdles while moving forward (or vice versa).
These rugby speed drills can also improve your acceleration, agility, and overall speed. There are many different types of drills that you can add to your rugby training program, but here are some of the most popular ones.
Acceleration and Shuffle Sprints
Acceleration and shuffle sprints are the best way to improve your speed.
●Acceleration sprints:
- Start with two feet on the ground and accelerate into a full-on run as fast as possible.
- Once you reach top speed, stop running and place both feet on the ground again (there should be no additional leaning forward or backward).
- Repeat this process for 20 yards before gradually decreasing your acceleration until it becomes more of a jog than anything else.
Shuffle sprints are similar but involve more lateral movement: instead of running straight ahead, shuffle sideways across the field while maintaining good posture and form at all times--it's okay if there's some swinging involved! Again, try doing this for 20 yards before gradually decreasing speed until it becomes more like jogging than anything else again; make sure not to let yourself get too tired out by overdoing things early on in each set so that later repetitions feel easier than they would otherwise have been if done correctly from start to finish without any breaks between reps during each set (this is especially important during warm-up sets).
Diamond Relay Race
The Diamond Relay Race is a great drill if you have all your players on the field simultaneously. It helps teach them how to pass and receive in rugby, which will help them be more effective on offense and defense.
Set up two lines of cones about 10 yards apart, with each line representing one side of a diamond shape (i.e., if there are 5 players per team, then set up 5 cones). Have one player from each team stand behind each cone so that they form two parallel lines facing each other across midfield with one person between two cones (see diagram below). The first player in line gets the ball from you or another coach; then he runs forward toward his teammate, who passes him back before running forward toward another teammate, who passes him back again, etcetera, until finally reaching his original starting position, where he passes off last time!
The next player in line then runs forward, and so on, until all players have had a chance to pass the ball back and forth.
Takeaway:
Speed and agility are two of a rugby player's most important physical attributes. Accelerating quickly is critical in the game, as it enables you to catch up with opponents if they have beaten you in a sprint or make ground on them if they are ahead.
Similarly, changing direction quickly is essential as it allows you to evade tackles and make space for yourself on attack or defense.
Being able to sprint long distances is another crucial skill, as rugby requires players who can run hard during 80-minute matches - this means sustaining high speeds over long periods without tiring out too early!
Conclusion
Rugby is a sport that requires speed, agility, and power. You need to be able to move quickly to make the right decisions on the field and react quickly when they happen. The best way to develop these skills is through practice! We have provided 5 different rugby speed & agility drills that will help improve your game.
