If you want to improve team cohesion or you’re coaching a new group of players, a focus on key skills makes sense. It can help you to assess the competencies of players new to you and remind your team of the fundamentals they need to keep improving.
Passing
This is the number one key skill in the game, and every player should be able to deliver a range of passes and select the right one in any given situation.
Focus on training your players to deliver pop passes, spin passes and orthodox and clearing passes, and put them under pressure in training so they have to come up with the smart pass in any given situation.
Running
Every player needs good movement on the pitch, so spend some time during your training sessions focusing on changing pace and direction, acceleration and moving sideways and backwards.
Multi-directional running can be easily incorporated into your warm-up routines, and you can focus on working with your players on running in a balanced way so they’re not off-kilter in contact situations.
Tackling
Efficient tackling wins games, so you need to drill your players so they can execute a variety of tackles in one-to-one situations. Try using rugby training drill videos from a supplier like https://www.sportplan.net/drills/Rugby/ to highlight the skills involved in an efficient tackle – then work on the same tackling drills in your practice sessions.
Your aim is to expose players to making different types of tackles in different situations so every player is comfortable with tackling if they have to.
Support Play
Every player on the pitch should know exactly what he needs to do when the ball is in play. Each player should be able to come from deep into a position to run into a pass while effectively communicating with the ball carrier. Speed, communication and positioning are key skills to work on.
Decision-Making
Some players have a natural talent for decision-making, but it is a skill you can learn through practice. What’s really important is that your players are able to make the right decision when under pressure, so drill them using rugby training drill videos before putting those skills into real-life situations.
It’s a complex skill, but a team that can master quick decision-making is ahead of the opposition.
