Set Piece Skills drill
Wall Throw Grip and Release
Build the lineout throw at every realistic distance against a wall target, alone.
- Time
- 25 minutes
- Players
- 1 to 3 players
- Intensity
- Low
- Equipment
- Ball
- Space
- 5-15m from a wall
- Positions
- Hookers
Setup
A brick wall with a chalk or tape target at roughly 3-3.5m high, which is a jumper's hands at full extension. Throw from 5m, 7m, 10m, 12m and 15m.
How to run it
- Set the seam at two, four, six and eight o'clock.
- As a right-hander, put your right hand towards the back of the ball with your fingers over the top of the seam and your thumb relaxed, and your left hand slightly forward with relaxed fingers and the thumb under the ball.
- Stand with feet square, hips and chest up, chin off your chest, knees relaxed and weight on the balls of your feet, set up half a step behind the line.
- Snap your elbows and roll your hands out so they finish together pointing at the target, then step forward after the throw.
- The power comes from your core, not your arms.
Coaching cues
- Snap the elbows, roll the hands out
- Hands finish together, pointing at the target
- Chin off the chest, chest up
Common mistakes
- Pulling the chin to the chest, which drops the throw short
- An arms-only throw with a static core, which loses all length beyond 12m
Related drills
- 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.
- 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.