Rugby coaching drill to develop accuracy in throwing

This rugby drill will help your players improve their accuracy when throwing. If you watch a hooker throw the ball in under no pressure, he's likely to hit his target every time. But put him in front of 70,000 people, with the "help" and "advice" of the opposition ringing in his ears, there's much less chance he will achieve the same accuracy. His heart rate will be through the roof and everything will be tightening up. Lower his heart rate by helping him achieve a repeatable, efficient throwing action.

Start the rugby drill by marking the maximum jump height of your jumper on an upright post. Next, place three cones at distances of 5m, 10m and 15m along the try line. From each position, the thrower takes 10 throws, each time attempting to hit the mark on the post.

The sequence can start on the short 5m cone, building up to the 15m mark. As an alternative, you can call out which cone the player needs to move to so they work on their set up prior to throwing.

What to call out

"Check your set up. Are you square?"
"Follow through and finish high. Make a "window" with your hands."

Development

Try combining this activity with running or upper body exercises to replicate the demands of the game.

Put a player in front of the posts holding up a ruck pad so the thrower has to go over the bag, to practise the "lob" throw.

Top tip

It's good practice to agree on a number of throws with the player before starting, and to set a success target for throws at each cone and for throws overall. Suggested targets to set are: