Handling drill
Ball Familiarisation Series
Build the basic feel for the ball that underpins every other handling skill.
- Time
- 8 minutes
- Players
- 1 to 30 players
- Intensity
- Low
- Equipment
- Ball
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
One ball, standing on open grass. No space needed.
How to run it
- Work through four movements for 30 seconds each: the ball around your waist in both directions, then passing it under your right leg then your left, then a continuous figure-of-eight between your legs, then jogging slowly while moving it around your body.
- Keep your fingers spread on each side of the ball and your eyes up rather than watching your hands.
- Do 2-3 full rounds.
- The more often you handle the ball the more competent you become, and this is the cheapest skill work in rugby - it needs nothing but a ball and five minutes.
Coaching cues
- Fingers spread on each side of the ball
- Eyes up, not down at your hands
- Fingertips, not palms
Common mistakes
- Looking down at the ball the whole time
- Palming the ball instead of controlling it with your fingertips
Session plans that use this drill
Related drills
- Quick Hands and One-Handed CatchDevelop single-hand control and reaction, which is what makes an offload possible.
- Roll and RetrieveMaster picking the ball off the ground cleanly at pace, alone.
- Straddle Lift and Place ChannelLink a clean ground pickup to a long, deliberate ball placement.
- Unbalanced Pass RepsLearn to deliver an accurate pass from a poor body position, which is what games actually demand.
- Wall Pass ReboundBuild passing accuracy and reaction catching completely alone, off any flat wall.
- Solo Halfback Wall PassGroove the scrum-half clearing pass off the ground in one sweep, with no partner needed.