Rugby coaching tips for jumping
Use the following rugby coaching tips to improve the vertical distance your players can achieve with their jumps.
Use both feet
Because the jump in the lineout or for the high ball is vertical, both feet should be used to initiate the leap. To coach the value of this, make players hop on one leg first to see how high they can get. Then ask them to use two legs. A target on a post or wall helps measure their progress.
Keep straight legs in the air
Straight legs on the ascent help balance. The player should bend the legs on the descent to cushion the landing.
Supporters or not, there are a number of benefits of having straighter legs once the feet have left the ground. With supporters, straight legs are important to grab onto. They also prevent inadvertent kicks as the player struggles for height.
So rugby drills should ensure that any jump should aim to get the legs straight, with a good measure of the height achieved being the distance from the ground to the feet.
A rugby coaching tip from a lock: players should jump like a ballet dancer, keeping toes pointed to keep the legs straight.
Jump with the ball
A jumper for the ball should practise with the ball in both hands. Bent elbows, hands moving up and above the head should increase the control of the jump and replicate the correct position to receive the ball.
Jumping higher in the lineout
Being supported or lifted in the lineout is a bonus that modern senior players have at their disposal. Depending on the country you are in, lifting starts from around 15 years old.
In any event, it is not always the height players achieve that matters, but the speed with which they get there. This means players meeting the ball at the top of their jump and before the opposition has a chance to react.
Key rugby coaching tip
Locks are usually the main jumpers at the lineout. They should be looking to improve their jumping ability all the time.
Specific fitness for jumping
The hips are primarily responsible for the success of a vertical jump. What "Olympic lift" jumps do is teach players to use their hips explosively.
A good experiment to show the benefits of an Olympic lift is to make players perform two types of jump. The first is to sit and hold for four seconds before jumping. The second is to sit as quickly as possible, then rise as quickly as possible. It should be that the higher jump comes from the second type.
Since Olympic lifts are performed with both feet on the ground, they strongly replicate a rugby situation for a powerful jump.
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