Three helpful drills

Thursday June 24 2004

The wise man explains

Our coaching Guru, the wisest coach in the world, gives three fun drills for coaches.

These are difficult to explain without good diagrams but let me have a go. These are not new drills but you know, I am sure, that there are certain training techniques that remain with you because they work - these three work well for me. Each asterisk is a cone.

Drill 1:

*  6 metres * 6 metres * 6 metres * 6 metres * 6 metres  *

a gap between lines of cones of about 20 metres

*     *      *      *      *      *

The gap between lines varies according to the number of players. I usually use a full backline and a full pack but you can use 4 runners very satisfactorily and perhaps even more effectively. I am going to talk about the backline for convenience. Put your backline at the start of the corridor. The ball is passed down the line as the players run towards the next cone. As the ball reaches the last player, he puts it down on his cone, obviously, on the opposite side from where the backs started the passing. As he puts it down on the cone, the entire backline sprints to the next line demarcated by the cones. On reaching the line, they stop and then in a straight line they retreat running backwards, always keeping the line straight, until the are back on the line where the ball was placed. On reaching the ball, the man who originally placed it there, picks it up and sets the backline running while they pass the ball down the line. No forward passes can be tolerated. On reaching the next line, the ball is put down, all the players sprint to the following line, stop, retreat, running backwards to the line where the ball has been placed, pick it up, pass along the line until they reach the next line, where they once again put the ball down, sprint to the line ahead, retreat etc.

What does this drill teach?

1. Quick and proper alignment, especially if you insist that the receiver of the ball must see the number on the passer's back to be in the right position before being passed the ball.

2. The narrower you corridor the straighter the backs must run- it teaches players to run straight.

3. Quick passing- the ball must reach the end of the line by the time the ball reaches the last player in the line; so, passing technique.

4. Retreating in a line as you do sometimes in defence, especially from a tackle, with the players calling the line for each other.

5. It does not teach you fitness but it gets you fit.

6. Concentration.

It is a short, sharp drill where all are focussed and so they do not realise how hard they are working. It works as well for forwards as for backs.

Drill 2:

Put a line of cones about 6 metres apart down the touchline, 7 or 8 of them.

About 12 metres apart and parallel another line of cones.

At either end of this line of cones leave a 10 metre gap and then put a finishing-line of cones, thus:

 

*           *      *     *     *      *      *     *     *     *

*                                                                                *

*                                                                                *

*10 metres                                            10 metres       *

*                                                                                *

*                                                                                *

*           *      *      *      *     *      *     *      *     * 

I shall talk about a backline again, but it applies to forwards and to as many as you like to put into a line.

The players start on one of the end 10 metre lines.

They pass the ball along the line while running (straight and seeing the number of the passer). After he passes the ball, he runs around directly behind the man he passes to, so that as the ball reaches the last man , you have a single file behind the ball-carrier.

As the ball reaches the end of the line, the last player reaches the first cone and puts down the ball then sprints towards the end cone some 30 or so metres away (not the last 10 metre line), running sideways on reaching it to end on the cone opposite.

As he puts down the ball, the next player picks it up and puts it down on the next cone, and then sprints to the last cone before the 10 metre line; on reaching it he also moves sideways across to the opposite cone, standing inside the man who has already reached that cone.

The player who was behind him, picks up the ball places it on the next cone etc.

So, you have the ball being picked up, put down, picked up, put down, picked up, put down each time by the following player...until you reach the last cone.

Now you have a full line at the other end; the last player passes the ball down that properly aligned line as they run towards the finishing 10 metre line. The man to take the last pass puts the ball down at the one end of the 10 metre finish. The whole line runs backwards, keeping their line parallel to the finishing 10 metre line. On reaching the first cone, the stop momentarily, then in a straight line run once more to the finishing line, where the man at the end picks up the ball and moves it down the line (beyond the finishing line) where the exercise ends on the ball reaching the final man.

This sounds enormously complicated but it is not. Take a pencil and, reading what I have written here, draw a diagram of what I say and then it will make sense to you.

This exercise has all the attributes of the former on and it brings in the putting down and picking up the ball on the run. It also makes you think!

Drill 3:

3 vs 2. Mark out a 10 metre square. On one side of the square facing the middle of it put two lines of players, each line opposite the other about 1 metre apart (two single-files).

The coach passes the ball to the front man of , let us say, the left line. He, and the two behind him, run around the closest corner of the square, the first man putting the ball down on the corner, then runs around  to face the side of the square, the 2nd man follows him and the third follows, too, picking up the ball on his way around. Meanwhile, 2 from the other queue have run around their closest corner to defend their side of the square. The three run against the two trying to take advantage of their extra man to cross the line of the square. The two defend by tackling and shadowing. Simple but terribly useful.

This teaches:

1. Support angles.

2. Running off the ball to give the ball-carrier options.

3. Depth in support.

4. Pinning (or drawing) an opponent before passing.

5. Defence.

As the each group finishes, the man who finishes up with the ball rejoins the attacking queue 9 after giving the ball to the coach while the other two join the defence queue and the drill continues.

If you have not used these before, use them now;  you and the players will enjoy them.