Assess players' fitness in just 12 minutes

This 12 minute run is an easily administered practical test that's great to test
your players' fitness at the the start, middle, and end of the season to provide a
good guideline of aerobic fitness and the success or otherwise of a conditioning
programme that you may be running.

To perform the test, your players simply run as far as they can for 12 minutes!

For most coaches, it is probably the best aerobic test since it is easily
administered and requires no equipment other than a venue and a stopwatch.

The ideal venue is a standard 400m running track, but with a little ingenuity it
could also be the local horse/ dog/car racing track, or simply a grassed area like
the local park, school playground, or your own rugby fields. If you do this test
anywhere other than on a measured track you might measure the distance in
your car - if you're using the road - or you might have access to a bicycle with an
odometer to measure the distance between points in the park, or you can simply
calculate the distance on google maps.

What's important is that after you've completed the 12 minutes you are able to
figure out quite accurately just how far your players have run.

Get your players to warm up with ten minutes of gentle running and be sure that
they move around while they cool down and stretch afterwards.

It's important that they pace themselves so that they can finish the test - if they
run too hard at the start, then they will run slower towards the end of the test.
Likewise if they start too easily, they're going to be fresh at the end. Tell them to
try to maintain a constant pace throughout, and record their lap times so that
together, you can plan how to improve.

The chart below gives an indication of where your players are compared to the
normal sedentary population in the 18-28 age group. The numbers are the
miles/km run and as rugby players, they should be near the top of the table by
this point in the season, regardless of the position played.

Distance covered in 12 minutes...

So, how do your players measure up?

Room for improvement? Follow my special post-Christmas ready-made

plan, Build a Fitter, Faster Team in Just 4 Weeks, to get your players back
into shape in no time! Click here to get it absolutely FREE with a trial to Rugby
Coach Weekly.

Room for improvement in your team's fitness?

Following the Christmas break, it's a challenge to get your team ready to win
games again.

Fitness is key when it really counts, and if you get your players up to scratch
now, it'll pay dividends in the upcoming months. Follow my special post-
Christmas 4 week plan - Build a Fitter, Faster Team - and accelerate into the
business-end of the season.

My four-week plan to get all the individuals in your team 100% ready for the
new season is based around fitness, ball skills and being mentally prepared for
the rest of the season.

Get this special post-Christmas break fitness plan, all you have to do is click
hereto take out a 97p trial to Rugby Coach Weekly.

How to coach a low tackle

Get your players used to making low tackles and getting the ball carrier to
ground quickly.
1. Put an attacker on the ground on his front with a tackler, also on the ground,
3m away, facing him. Put the ball in front of the attacker.

2. The tackler calls the attacker which shoulder to run to. The attacker gets up,
gathers the ball and takes one step to the side at half pace.

3. The tackler gets to his feet and drives his shoulder into the thighs of the
attacker just above the knee and grips tightly.

4. The tackler must finish with a tight grip with his head in hard on the attacker's
legs (you, or another observer, check for this).
5. Players then swap roles and repeat. You can develop the activity by increasing
the pace of the ball carrier, but don't let him step inside.

P.S. This activity is from EasiCoach Rugby Skills Activities U9 & U10. If you're
looking to train young players and improve basic skills, then I really recommend
you check out EasiCoach Rugby Skills Activities:

EasiCoach Rugby Skills EasiCoach Rugby EasiCoach Rugby Skills

Activities U7 Mini-Tag & Skills Activities U9 & Activities U11-U12 &
U8 Mini-Tag U10 U13-U16
Zigzag and swing drills
for speed

Quickly and easily progress your players' speed and agility with these two simple
drills.

1. Zigzag sprint

What you'll need...

6 markers

Instructions

Place 6 markers 3-5m apart, zigzag pattern

Run forward through the zigzag pattern

Accelerate toward each marker

 At the marker decelerate, lower centre of gravity

Step off the outside foot, turn toward next marker

Accelerate, continue sequence

Repeat 5 times

Rest 90 seconds between repetitions

2. Seated arm swing

Instructions

Sit upright on the ground, legs extended

Arms bent at 90 degrees, swing in alternate fashion

Backward swing, elbow just below shoulder height

Forward swing bring hands to chest level

Elbows remain close to sides, hands do not cross midline of body

Swing arms in running like action, body should bounce up and down

Complete 5 sets of 20 repetitions

Rest 60 seconds between sets

P.S. Get 42 other drills like this in Speed and Agility Drills for Rugby here.

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Phil Larder's Iron Curtain Phil Larder's Knock
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Prep your players for the next piece of action

The game of rugby is a constant flow of
activity. Make sure your players don't just
stop once they've made one contribution,
but continue to recycle themselves for the
next piece of action. This activity helps
build that awareness.

What you tell your players the session

is about...

1. Working together in small groups

(pods).

2. Improving your ability to recyle the

ball quickly, starting with a ruck
situation.

What you tell your players to do...

1. Receive the pass and go forward as a

small group of four.

2. Target a defender or gap and drive

into it.

3. Go to ground or place the ball on the

ground with the supporters driving
defenders out of the way.

4. Clear the ball away to the next group

and repeat.

5. Always pass the ball the same way -

left to right, or right to left.

What to call out...

"Make an early decision where to go

and commit to it"

"Get into a low body position and

keep your legs pumping"

"Place the ball back so it's clear of

the defence"

What to look for...

Ball carriers that take contact and immediately go to ground. There are
dangers of being turned over or giving penalties away if they go to ground
too quickly. The ball carrier should use more leg drive after making
contact.
 Players poor at clearing away defenders. Ensure the support players drive
tight to the ball carrier.

What to think about...

What height of drive is most effective when clearing the defence away? Are the
players targeting weak opponents and gaps or just hitting defenders? How does
adding an extra pass affect the practice? Is the players timing of their run onto
the pass affected by how successful the previous ruck is?

This session is from Dan Cottrell's Ultimate Rugby Coaching Sessions:

Dominating Rucks and Beyond. You can get more ready-made coaching
sessions like this here.

Rugby quotes

"The excitement of playing the best team in Europe in a hostile

environment is why you play the game. Do I believe we can win? Of
course I do. I can't wait to see them play."

Mike Ford, Bath head coach, ahead of the game against European Champions
Cup holders Toulon.