Rugby
4 rugby drills to supercharge your fitness
Jack Nowell is known for his speed and agility around the rugby pitch, not to mention his lightning-quick reactions. Here, he shares four drills for improving fitness, sprinting, passing and reflexes.
In rugby, being the fastest isn’t enough. Defences are tighter, they’re up in your face faster and the space you get on the pitch in professional rugby is smaller than ever, so you need more weapons in your armoury than just pace. You need skills-based fitness, or total fitness, for every game you play.
Now, obviously being quick off the mark helps – which is why these training drills will help improve speed too – but you also need to be able to change direction at high speed, in both defence and attack. Your basic skills such as passing also need be 100 per cent accurate too and, here’s the important bit, you have to execute all of this at any time in the match – even if it's the 79th minute. Rugby is an 80-minute game, and to be a professional rugby player you have to be able to perform at all times to an exceptional standard.
It's not just about being a great rugby player on the day – it's about the training in the lead up. Consistent training to improve your speed, endurance, agility and mental strength, is absolutely key.
The rugby drills below can be combined with a programme of strength training and core rugby skills to give you a head start on your rivals for the season ahead. And don’t save them for pre-season either, keep them in your rugby training plans throughout the year to continually improve speed, strength and explosiveness, while polishing up your passing and rugby skills...
Warm-up:
Intensity and duration: 40-50% HR or 3-4 RPE; 10 minutes (2 minutes on each exercise).
- High knees (25-30 steps)
- Heel flicks (25-30 steps, running forwards while kicking your heels behind you and up towards your bum)
- Ankle flips (25-30 steps, starting on the ball of your foot and kicking both feet in front of you, landing back on the balls of your feet)
- Walking lunges (12 lunges, stepping one leg forward, flexing your opposite leg and descending until your rear knee nearly touches the ground, ensuring your front knee stays behind your front foot. Repeat with the opposite leg)
- Open/close the gate (take three quick steps forward and bring one leg up and out to the side, rotating it around before putting it down. Repeat on the other side, alternating between legs)
Drill 1: Rugby skill circuit training
Workout summary:
Intensity and duration: 50-70% HR or 5-8 REP (hard enough that you can just about maintain conversation); 20 minutes, 1 minute on each exercise, work for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds, before changing exercise. Repeat x 4.
- Left side medicine ball pass
- Right side medicine ball pass
- Overhead medicine ball pass
- Side shuttles with pass/cone touch
- Forward shuttles with up/down
Why do it? This circuit is aimed at improving your cardiovascular fitness, as well as your ball skills and reaction time when performing under high-intensity to replicate a game-like situation.
1. Left side medicine ball pass. Stand with your partner a couple of metres away to your left. Throw the medicine ball across your body to your partner, before they throw it back to you. Repeat for 40 seconds then rest for 20 seconds.
2. Right side medicine ball pass. Stand with your partner a couple of metres away to your right. Throw the medicine ball across your body to your partner, before they throw it back to you. Repeat for 40 seconds then rest for 20 seconds.
3. Overhead medicine ball pass. Stand facing a partner a couple of metres away from you. Throw a medicine ball over your head to your partner, before you partner throws it back to you overhead. Repeat for 40 seconds then rest for 20 seconds.
4. Side shuttles with pass. Starting between two cones (about 3-4m apart), side shuttle run out to a cone, receive and offload the ball as fast as possible to your partner, before side shuttling back to the opposite cone. Receive and offload the ball again and repeat for 40 seconds then rest for 20 seconds.
5. Forward shuttles with up-down. Place three cones in a triangle (about 3-4m apart). Starting at the top of the triangle, with fast feet run out towards one cone, perform a burpee and then run back to the starting cone. Repeat on the opposite side, alternating between cones for 40 seconds then resting for 20 seconds.
Drill 2: Rugby sprint circuit training
Workout summary:
Intensity and duration: 60-70% HR or 6-8 REP; 20 minutes, 1 minute on each exercise, work for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds, before changing exercise. Repeat x 4.
- 20m sprints
- T-run
- Zig-zag
- 20m mixed sprints
- 'Catch me if you can'
Why do it it? This circuit is aimed at improving your cardiovascular fitness, as well as your speed and agility, through a variety of sprinting and movement patterns that replicate the change in pace and footwork needed for a game situation.
1. 20m sprints. Sprint as hard as you can for 20m, turn around and sprint back. Repeat for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds.
2. T-run. Set cones up in a T shape: three along the top (5-10m apart) and three down the middle (5-10m apart). Starting at the bottom of the T, sprint to the top, then sidestep to the left end of cones, then sidestep to the other end of the cones, then sidestep back to the middle, then run backwards to the start. Repeat for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds.
3. Zig-zag. Place cones in a zig-zag formation about 5m apart over 15m. Starting at one end, sprint to each cone in a zig-zag, before working your way back to the start. Repeat for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds.
4. 20m mixed sprints. Set out three cones (at 7m, 12m and 20m apart) in a straight line. Sprint as hard as you can to the first cone, decelerate to the next cone, and accelerate to full speed to the last cone. Turn around and repeat in the opposite direction. Repeat for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds.
5. Catch me if you can. Set up a 10x10m square with two cones in the middle about 0.5m apart. Starting at one corner with a partner, you run diagonally through the middle of the square, zig-zagging through the cones placed in the middle, to the opposite corner. Meanwhile, your partner will run straight to the next corner and then to the opposite corner. Switch running lines and repeat for 40 seconds then rest for 20 seconds.
Drill 3: Rugby tempo work with passing skills
Workout summary:
Intensity and duration: 70% HR (never rising above 85%) or 6-8 REP; every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 20-30 minutes.
- Run EMOM
- Run EMOM while passing the ball up and down the line
Why do it? This drill is aimed at improving your fitness by replicating the changing pace of a rugby game. It will also help with your passing skills and decision making.
Start by running a third of the length of the pitch EMOM. Focus on maintaining good form with an upright posture. After six sets, grab a ball and a partner and run parallel to one another for the entire length of the pitch, passing down the line and back again. Turn around and repeat in the other direction. Continue EMOM for 14-24mins (resting where time permits).
Drill 4: Rugby tempo down/up intervals
Workout summary:
Intensity and duration: 70-80% HR (never above 85%) or 6-8 RPE: 40 seconds work, 80 seconds rest x 5-10.
- Running intervals with burpees
Why do the drill? This drill is aimed at improving your fitness, speed, agility and footwork skills.
How to do the drill: Starting on the halfway line, perform a burpee and run backwards to the 10m line. Perform a burpee and sprint as hard as you can to the furthest 10m line. Perform a burpee and run backwards to the halfway line. Repeat, working for 40 seconds and resting for 80 seconds.
