Skipping drills and skills

Skipping is a highly versatile basic rugby drill which can benefit rugby players in a variety of ways. It can be used to develop coordination skills, flexibility, agility, speed and both vertical and horizontal power.

Skipping drill tips

Stay on the balls of the feet.
Take off from one foot and land on the same foot.
Then repeat with the other foot.
The leg not in contact with the ground is pulled up towards the chest.
The arms are used to drive up and forwards. The elbows should be locked at 90 degrees.

Skipping drill variations

Basic warm-up skip: Start gently (feet just off the ground) allowing players to get the rhythm, then increase intensity by getting the players to lift their knees higher.

Sprinter’s skip: Very fast skip keeping the feet close to the ground. Really hit the ground hard on each contact.

Skip for height: Very dynamic skip where players have to get as much height as possible on each skip.

Skip for length: Very dynamic skip where players have to get as much distance as possible on each step.

Backwards skip: Players gently skip backwards bringing their knees up to about waist height.

Lateral skip: Players start side on and skip sideways pushing off with their back foot each time. This develops the lateral power used for side stepping.

Players need to spend time learning how to skip properly. Once they have got the hang of it they will never forget how to do it.

skipping footwork