Drill library
Rugby drills
Blueprint Rugby's drill library has 153 free rugby drills in 17 categories, from passing and tackling to the breakdown, set piece, speed and conditioning. Every drill lists the time, players, intensity and equipment, with setup, step-by-step instructions, coaching cues and common mistakes.
- Drills
- 153
- Categories
- 17
- Price
- Free
Drills by category
Ball skills
- PassingFrom the first two-handed pass to the spin pass, miss pass, switch and halfback service.
- CatchingSoft hands, reaction catches and catching when tired, alone or in small groups.
- HandlingBall feel, one-handed control, clean pick-ups off the ground and passing off balance.
- KickingPunts, box kicks, grubbers, chips, drop kicks, goal kicking and the 50:22.
- Aerial SkillsCatching the high ball safely, contesting in the air, kick chase and restart receipts.
Contact and the breakdown
Set piece and decisions
Speed and agility
- FootworkThe side step, the goose step and beating a defender one on one in tight space.
- AgilityBraking, turning, cutting and reacting to a real player, over short distances.
- AccelerationBody lean, start positions and the first steps of a sprint, including off the ground.
- Max VelocitySprint mechanics drills, flying sprints and running relaxed at top speed.
Good places to start
A few of the drills our rugby session plans are built from.
- Ball Familiarisation SeriesBuild the basic feel for the ball that underpins every other handling skill.
- Pass ProgressionBuild a smooth, rhythmic two-handed pass from static through to running pace.
- Support and PassDraw a defender and time the pass, in the smallest possible live decision drill.
- Falling and Ball PresentationLearn to hit the ground safely and present the ball long, entirely alone.
- A-MarchGroove the knee drive, foot strike and tall posture used at top speed.
- Moving Pair PassFix the weak-side pass by forcing you to give and take the ball on both sides while moving.
- Opposed Two v OneMake the two-on-one decision in a confined grid where the defender can genuinely win.
- Tackle Preparation Shadow LadderGroove the footwork and loaded body position you arrive in before every tackle, with no contact at all.
- Kneeling Tackle ProgressionLearn front-on and side-on tackle technique in the lowest-risk position there is.
How to use these drills
Each drill page starts with the facts you need to pick it: how long it takes, how many players it suits, the intensity, the equipment and the space. Then it gives you the setup, the steps in order, what to coach and the mistakes to look for.
Most drills start simple and get harder as you add speed, defenders or fatigue. A session that works usually runs a warm-up, one or two skill drills, an opposed drill and a game, and finishes on time.
For tackling, contact and set piece drills, follow your union's age-grade rules and build up in stages: walking pace before full speed, and technique before live contact.
Looking for gym work? The rugby gym exercise library has strength, power and injury-resilience exercises for players, each with sets and reps by goal.