Kicking, Chasing and Catching

Whether from a kick off, or with a chip, grubber or penalty kick, a good kicker is vital to many rugby teams. And since a kick is only as good as the chase, you also need to make sure your other players understand their roles in your tactical kicking plan.

Drills and tips to boost kicking skills - Grant Fox, Michael Lynagh and Jonny Wilkinson - great kickers who were vital to their country scooping World Cup victory. So what can we learn from them, to help us kick winning goals?

How to create pressure from your kick offs - It's not enough to simply kick long or short from kick offs. The following tips and tactics look at how players can create pressure from their kick offs.

Drill tips for catching passes - Even the best international players drop the ball, so it is useful to remind players about the key principles for core catching skills. And we are not just talking about a normal catch and hold.

Tips for a chip and chase kick - Make kicking a first phase attacking option.

Rugby drills with tennis balls - Tennis balls make a welcome alternative from the usual rugby ball drills and also teach good technique.

Tips to improve your kicking game - The kicking game is too often left to chance and the whim of the fly half. Here are some tips and tactics to broaden your options.

Rugby coaching tips for kicking into the wind - Windy days can make kicking a lottery, but the following tips can help you use the wind to your advantage, even if it is against you.

Rugby tactics for kicking with a cross wind - Kicking under pressure with a cross wind is a common situation for rugby players. Here are some good tips to maximise your kicking skills in these conditions.

Coaching tips to help when kicking for pressure - We challenge teams to think beyond the adage of "don't let the ball bounce" and change their attacking tactics.

Returning kicks - An aspect of the game that does not always get the same emphasis as tactical kicking and chasing.

More coaching tips for the inside centre role - Following on from our guide to The inside centre's role, this article looks at more skills and tips for your number 12.

Simple rugby tactics for returning kick offs - Receiving the kick off is both an opportunity and a threat. A poor kick off reception can mean a lost psychological advantage. A solid take can give your team a lift. These three tactics are designed to give you options for what happens next.

Rugby tactics for kick off reception - The following rugby coaching tips look at the basic tactics and skills to improve the kick off reception.

Rugby coaching tips for training in the rain - Use the following rugby coaching tips to make the most of your training session when it's raining.

3 Proven Kicking Tactics to Win More Games - Inexperience and youth are not the only reasons why teams kick badly.

A Better Way to Catch the High Ball - You won't always have the ball, so you may find the following a simple but useful tool to help your players improve their catching, particularly when defending against the high ball.

Restart Strategies to Reclaim the Ball - Even a simple kick off strategy can enhance your team's prospects of winning the ball back.

Kicking from Your 22 Under the ELVs - When the whistle blows in your next match you'd better be prepared.

Turn Your Kicking Game into Tactical Gold - Here's my "ready reckoner" guide to the kicking tactics to earn your players the "order of the boot".

Covering the Kick Off Pressure Triangle - A guide to the tactics you can use when receiving the kick off.

Kick and Keep Possession - Kicking the ball away and having it too!

Developing the Grubber Kick into an Attacking Weapon - A grubber kick can be used to break down a strong defence - one that's well organised and moves forward quickly. It is also effective when you're faced with a superior number of defenders.

Halfback Passing Races - A great Ford Academy training tip. Please search the site for more clips of coaching drills in action.

Speed up catching skills - Improve your players' all-round catching skills, reactions, balance and hand-eye coordination with these training drills.

Chip kick technique - This exercise looks at the chip kick, which is usually the preserve of the 10, 12 and 13.

Rugby drill to boost scanning skills - Quickly improve your players’ peripheral vision and scanning skills with this rugby training drill. It aims to help the player see what’s happening all around while receiving and giving a pass.

Rugby drill to work on catching a high ball - Most players in the team will have to catch a high ball at some stage, whether from a kick and chase, kick off or drop out restart. If they are not involved in the direct catch, they alternatively may have to support the catcher.

So, although it's primarily aimed at the back three, this rugby drill has benefits for all players.

Rugby drill for open play kicking - This rugby drill session is designed to develop your players' open field kicking. The drills focus first on technique, then progress with a training game to challenge the players' skills under pressure.

Drills and tips to introduce rugby kicking skills - It's worth coaching kicking skills as early as possible, even if your young players are not allowed to kick during games yet. By the time kicking is introduced into the game, the youngsters will have a well-developed set of core skills and a basic tactical understanding of when to kick. Use the following rugby coaching tips and drills to help.

Rugby drills to develop your players' kicking game - Use these rugby coaching tips and drills to work on your team's kicking game strategy - you can build one in thirty minutes with the following rugby coaching session.

Rugby coaching tips for kicking on hard ground -
Make hard ground work to your advantage with these three rugby coaching kicking secrets.

Rugby drill for kick and chase moves - Use these rugby coaching tips and drill to get defenders on the back foot with some well-executed kick and chase moves.

Coach a rugby goalkick routine - For consistent results from goal kicking you need to kick the ball the same way every time. Players should develop routines they feel comfortable with and a key rugby coaching tip is to sing a song, hum or whistle just before the kick. This might sound mad but it modulates breathing and helps players relax before they take the kick.

Catching skills rugby drill - Use the following rugby coaching session to improve your players skills and ability to catch under pressure.

Rugby coaching tips for kicking skills -
With few exceptions, there's no point kicking simply to give possession away. If you are going to kick, be it a long punt or chip and chase, you have to execute the skill well.
Your players must understand kicking tactics and their roles within the game plan. The chances are they also need to improve on their kicking skills and technique.

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