Aerobic Base drill
Pitch Fartlek
Build an aerobic base with varied-pace running that needs no equipment and no measuring at all.
- Time
- 40 minutes
- Players
- 1 to 30 players
- Intensity
- Medium
- Equipment
- None
- Space
- Full pitch
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
The full pitch, using the markings themselves as your pace triggers. Nothing else required.
How to run it
- Warm up with 10 minutes of easy running.
- Then use the lines to change pace: run hard from the try line to the 22m, float from the 22m to halfway, jog from halfway to the far 22m, then run hard to the far try line, and keep cycling.
- Fast segments should be 3 to 4 minutes of moderate-to-hard running with 1 to 2 minutes easy between them, and you never stop moving - the easy parts are jogging, not standing.
- Finish with 10 minutes easy.
- Tie every pace change to a line rather than to how you feel, or you will drift easy without noticing.
Coaching cues
- Never stop moving - recovery is a jog
- Change pace on a line, not on a feeling
- Moderate-to-hard, not maximal
Common mistakes
- Drifting easy because nothing is measured, which is the classic solo fartlek failure
- Making every fast segment a sprint, which turns aerobic work into a repeat sprint session
Related drills
- Bronco TestTest rugby-specific fitness with the shuttle test widely used in rugby.
- MAS Time TrialMeasure your Maximal Aerobic Speed, the number every other conditioning session in this library is built from.
- Maximal Aerobic GridHold time at or above your maximal aerobic speed, which is the single biggest driver of aerobic power.
- Eurofit 15:15 IntervalsBuild aerobic power with short, fast repeats that feel manageable and accumulate brutally.
- Tabata ShuttlePush aerobic power with a dense 2:1 work-to-rest format once you can handle the gentler MAS methods.
- Extensive Tempo RunsBuild work capacity and aid recovery between hard days without adding meaningful fatigue.