In the process of playing rugby, there are many exercises necessary to increase the strength and skills of the players. In which the exercise of rugby drills is indispensable. Use these fitness and skill-based exercises to boost your speed, agility, passing skills and reaction time on the pitch. Let’s learn about these exercises in today’s article.
4 Best Rugby Drills for Players
Warm-Up
To perform the exercises below, we first need to warm up thoroughly to warm up the body. This warm-up consists of 5 exercises, each lasting about 2 minutes.
- Knee-high: about 25-30 steps
- Heel crunch: Run forward while kicking your heels back and up towards your stomach for 25-30 steps.
- Ankle flip: Start with the ball on your feet then kick both feet forward and land with the ball on your feet. This move also takes about 25-30 steps.
- Walk: step one foot forward, bend your opposite leg, and lower until your back knee almost touches the ground, making sure your front knee is behind your front foot. Repeat with the opposite leg.
- Open/Close the Gate: take three quick steps forward and bring one foot up and out to the side, swinging it around before putting it down. Repeat on the other side, alternating between pins

Drill 1: Coaching rugby skills
This first exercise has a duration of about 20 minutes, 1 minute for each exercise, done for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds before changing exercises. Repeat 4 times. The exercise aims to improve your cardiovascular fitness as well as your ball skills and reaction time when performed at high intensity to reproduce a game-like situation.
- Left pass: stand with your opponent a few meters away to your left. Throw the ball over your body to your partner before they throw it back to you. 40 seconds of repetition is followed by a 20-second break.
- Pass the ball to the right: Continue as before, but this time, squat to your right. 40 seconds of repetition is followed by a 20-second break.
- Overhead pass: Stand facing your partner a few meters away from you. Throw a ball overhead to your partner, before your partner throws it back at you. Repeat for 40 seconds, then take a 20-second break.
- Side Shuttle with Pass: Starting between the two cones (approximately 3-4m apart), the side shuttle runs out towards the cone, receiving and delivering the ball as quickly as possible to your partner, before the side This returns to the opposite cone. Receive and release the ball again and repeat for 40 seconds then rest for 20 seconds.
- Forward shuttles with up-down: Place three cones in a triangle shape (about 3-4m apart). Starting at the top of the triangle, with your feet sprinting towards a cone, do a burpee jump and then run back to the starting cone. Repeat on the opposite side, alternating between cones for 40 seconds then rest for 20 seconds.
Drill 2: Sprint training
This circuit aims to improve your cardiovascular health, as well as your speed and agility, through a variety of sprints and moves that replicate the variation in speed and footwork needed. The training pack will last 20 minutes with 1 minute each exercise, perform for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds, repeat 4 times.
- 20m sprint: Sprint as hard as you can for 20m, turn around and sprint back. After 40 seconds of repetition, pause for 20 seconds.
- 20m mixed sprint: Place three cones (7m, 12m and 20m apart) in a straight line. Sprint as hard as you can to the first cone, decelerate to the next, and accelerate all the way to the last. Turn around and go the other way to repeat. 20 seconds of rest after each 40 seconds of repetitions.
- T-shaped running: Line up the cones in a T-shape: three pieces along the top (5-10m apart) and three in the middle (5-10m apart). Start at the bottom of the T, sprint to the top, then step to the left end of the cone then step to the other end, then step to the middle, then run back to start. 40 seconds of repetition is followed by a 20-second break.
- Run zig-zag: Place the cones in a zig-zag pattern, spaced about 5m per 15m apart. Starting at one end, sprint to each cone in a zig-zag path, before returning to the starting point. After 40 seconds of repetition, pause for 20 seconds.

Drill 3: Pace combined with passing skill
The third rugby drills exercise simulates the varying tempo of a rugby match in an effort to increase your fitness. Additionally, it will improve your decision-making and passing abilities. Start off by covering one-third of the EMOM course. Maintaining proper form and posture is your main priority. Take a ball and a partner after six innings, and run parallel to each other the entire field while passing down the line and returning. Repeat in the opposite direction after turning around. EMOM should continue for 14–24 minutes.

Drill 4: Rugby tempo down/up intervals
This last exercise is aimed at improving your fitness, speed, agility, and footwork skills. Start on half way, do a burpee jump and run against the 10m line. Do burpees and sprint as hard as you can to the furthest 10m. Do a burpee and run backwards halfway. Repeat, do for 40 seconds and rest for 80 seconds. This is the last exercise in our series of 4 rugby drills.
Conclusion
To sum up, Today’s article has introduced to you the 4 most popular rugby drills exercises for you. Hopefully these instructions are easy to understand and easy for you to follow. These exercises will help you train your muscles as well as the necessary skills to help you on the court. Wishing you a pleasant training experience.
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