Fitness & Conditioning
Fitter teams win more games - it's as simple as that. Few rugby clubs will have a fitness trainer or a well-equipped gym. But there is a lot you can do to improve your players' fitness programmes, so they can get rugby fit, stay rugby fit, avoid injury and recover more quickly.
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5 Ways to Maximise Player Pace
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It is said that a good "big un" will always beat a good "small un". The same is true of a good fast "un".
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Pep Up Your Training Runs
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Hill running is a great way to add some variety to routine running fitness workouts.
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Dynamic Stretching Routines
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You don't need to be a physio expert to introduce these stretches into your team's warm up routines.
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9 Ways to Train with Tyres
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A fun alternative to the usual drill equipment, to boost core skills and fitness.
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Two Fitness Training Truths
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Here are two truths worth remembering when trying to maintain fitness or recover from injury.
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Improvised Training
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Sessions to pull out of the coaching toolkit when your plans have gone awry.
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Get Your Defence Up Quicker from a Standing Start
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Give your team a defensive boost with the techniques used by sprinters.
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Overspeed Training
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Assisted running techniques to get your players faster.
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The Match Warm Up
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Getting the last moments right before the game.
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Mid Season Fitness
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It's hard enough getting players to train mid season, let alone make them sweat. Better Rugby Coaching looks at raising your team's fitness profile by matching your training to what actually happens on the pitch.
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Resistance Running – Cheaper – More Fun
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5 ways of increasing speed strength in a short space of time (and cheaply).
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Is Your Team Getting Enough Fuel?
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What we eat and drink provides the fuel for us to train, play and recover. We as coaches are in a position to influence our players to become healthier.
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Making Footwork Fun
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Say "no, to core chores" and "yes, to fun fundamentals"!
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Building a Fitness Programme
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It is never too late to start planning...
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What Rugby Netball Teaches Your Players
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I used to teach netball! I reckon it's better than basketball as a means of teaching spatial awareness, footwork and go forward.
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Pre-Match Warm-Ups
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Your pre-match routine should be about both mental and physical preparation.
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Charley Horse Recovery
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How to speed up recovery from a dead leg.
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The One Session Workout
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Ken MacEwen shows you how to build your team's fitness and improve your players' skills at the same time.
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Periodization Uncovered
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What it is and how it can work for your team.
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Concentrate on the Five
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The core areas of the game that even the top players practise every week.
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Hold Your Breath – Here Comes Kabaddi
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An exciting all action invasion game, that can easily be applied to rugby.
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Upper Body Work Out
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Plyometric exercises for the arms and shoulders.
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Touch Rugby to Make Your Players Shine
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Simple games with big skills and fitness gains.
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A Heads Up About Headgear
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It is generally accepted that headgear will prevent surface wounds. It is far less clear whether they will protect against concussion.
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Game Specific Fitness - Upper Body Work Out
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Strength exercises for the arms and shoulders.
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Good Hydrations
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We are aware that we need to take on more fluids during exercise, but it is not necessarily recognised in what form and how much.
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Faster Rugby Without Ladders
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Though fast feet ladders are becoming more common at training, using them can lead to problems.
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Needed - More Strength and More Conditioning
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Look down any top professional sides' coaching roster and you will soon find the "strength and conditioning" coach. What is all the fuss about and what can you do for your players?
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Any Time, Any Place, Anywhere – The Martini Gym
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Practical ways to creating your own work out apparatus.
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Quicker "Charley Horse" Recovery
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Better ways to recover from a dead leg.
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Warming Up to Improve Performance
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Exercise the body and mind before training and the match.
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Prepare for Speed
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Two warm up sessions to help your players cover the ground faster during the match.
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3 Tips for Better Match Day Tackling
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How to get new players tackling and experienced players tackling better.
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How to Build Fitness Conditioning into All Your Sessions
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Improving skills and fitness at the same time.
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Rugby Volleyball Warm-Up
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A great skills and conditioning game.
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Encouraging Young Players to Be Confident in Contact
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It is vital we get younger players confident to take and make contact.
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Rugby Fitness - Make it Personal
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Simple methods to creating "made-to-measure" fitness programmes for your players.
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The Honey Trap
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Five games to improve your players evasion and footwork skills.
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Dynamic, Specific Warm-Ups to Boost Your Players
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Ways to give your players a better start to training, whilst practising their core skills.
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Shadow Battle
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A great way to add a competitive element to an agility skills warm-up.
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Christmas Cheer
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A calorie busting skills session I particularly like to use to refocus my players after the Christmas break.
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No Mistake Touch Rugby
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A no tackle game requiring constant movement.
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Fitness Planning
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Three key tips to helping players get fitter.
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5 Things You Need to Tell Your Players About Fitness
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Dispellng some fitness and conditioning myths.
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Periodization Training Plan
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An example training plan for the first four mesocycles of the season.
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Drop to Jump Higher
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Getting more height from your lineout jumper is crucial to winning more ball.
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Don't Waste Your Time with Press Ups
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Press ups are an excellent exercise for developing upper body strength in the arms, chest and shoulders as well as building core strength.
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Why Forward Play Doesn't Have to be a Pain in the Neck
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By Dr Sally Lark, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Health, Sport and Science at the University of Glamorgan.
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Getting Back in the Game After the Tackle
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A player on the ground can't play rugby. So how do you go about getting up and back into the game?