Faster scrum half passing

These rugby coaching tips focus on improving the player's foot positions to improve the speed and accuracy of the clearance pass.

Where to place the feet

The rear foot (that is the foot furthest from the intended receiver) should be placed close to the ball prior to passing. This helps transfer the player's weight from the rear to the front foot during the pass.

Two common foot placement errors

Straddling the ball, which provides stability but also prevents weight-transfer. This results in a reliance on upper-body strength, and a shorter pass.
The rear foot being too far away from the ball. That is, the body is not over the
ball. This results in "overreaching", and falling over and forward after the pass due to the unstable distribution of weight during the passing movement.

Foot alignment

During the pass, a line drawn between the feet should be in line with the target. A common error is to place the lead or front foot too far ahead of the target, resulting in the pass being raised and sometimes placed behind the receiver. This is due to the front knee blocking the route of the ball, requiring the scrum half to lift and sweep the ball over and across the lead knee.