Set Piece Skills drill
Front Row Binding Unit
Build a connected front row that carries its own weight, with no opposition at all.
- Time
- 15 minutes
- Players
- 3 to 6 players
- Intensity
- Medium
- Equipment
- None
- Space
- 10m
- Positions
- Props, hookers
Setup
Flat grass with three players - hooker in the middle, props either side. No opposition and no machine. A qualified coach should watch this.
How to run it
- The props wrap their inside arm around the hooker's shorts or shirt with a strong tight grip, and the hooker binds with both arms, over or under the props.
- Hold the position, then walk 5m forward and back as a single connected unit, 6 reps.
- Three heads and three sets of shoulders must stay on one plane throughout.
- There is no opposition in this drill and that is deliberate: any engagement with opposition force must never happen unsupervised, without a qualified coach, or with untrained front rowers.
- Roughly half of all scrum injuries happen during engagement.
Coaching cues
- Three heads, three sets of shoulders, one plane
- Bind tight to the shorts or shirt, not loosely
- No opposition - this is a connection drill only
Common mistakes
- The hooker hanging off the props rather than carrying their own weight
- Letting it drift into a live engagement, which must never happen without a qualified coach
Related drills
- Partner Throw to TargetGive a hooker a live receiving target at real lineout heights and distances.
- Post ThrowBuild lineout throwing accuracy against a fixed target you cannot argue with.
- Wall Throw Grip and ReleaseBuild the lineout throw at every realistic distance against a wall target, alone.
- Core-Driven Throw PrimerTeach yourself that lineout throwing length comes from the trunk, not the arms.
- Lineout Distance RotationHold throwing accuracy constant as the distance changes, front to back.
- Twenty Quality Throws Under FatigueThrow accurately when you are blowing, which is when lineouts are actually lost.