Set Piece Skills drill
Lineout Distance Rotation
Hold throwing accuracy constant as the distance changes, front to back.
- Time
- 25 minutes
- Players
- 4 to 10 players
- Intensity
- Medium
- Equipment
- Ball, cones
- Space
- 20m x 15m
- Positions
- Hookers, locks, back row, halfbacks
Setup
A 20m x 15m area with twelve cones and four balls, with jumper stations at 7m, 9m and 11m from the mark.
How to run it
- Rotate through the three distances throwing four balls at each, for three full rotations.
- The key discipline is that you change only the power, never the technique - the commonest fault is a hooker changing their whole action for the longer throw.
- The jumper moves into space as the ball is released, takes off from two feet and drives up from a low start.
- Nobody may jump, be lifted or be supported before the ball has left your hands, so anyone drifting early is giving away a penalty.
- Progress by adding live team calls, then by having the jumper vary their delivery to the halfback.
Coaching cues
- Change the power, never the technique
- Jumper moves as the ball is released, not before
- Two-foot take-off, drive up from low
Common mistakes
- The hooker changing their whole action for a longer throw instead of just adding power
- Jumpers drifting before the ball leaves the hands, which is a penalty
Related drills
- Twenty Quality Throws Under FatigueThrow accurately when you are blowing, which is when lineouts are actually lost.
- Three-Man Lift UnitBuild a safe, stable lineout lift as a unit of three.
- Lineout Pod MovementDisguise where the ball is going by making every pod look live.
- Solo Scrum Body PositionBuild the individual scrum body position safely, with nobody opposite you.
- Brake Foot RehearsalGroove the hooker's brake foot sequence for the scrum engagement.
- Front Row Binding UnitBuild a connected front row that carries its own weight, with no opposition at all.