Free drill library · Rugby

At-home rugby drills for 14 year olds and older

This is a free sample week of at-home rugby training for 14 year olds and older: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 15 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of rugby for 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Kicking at home 13 minutes

  1. Chip and Chase · 4 min
    Short and soft, then chase.
  2. Place Kick Routine · 5 min
    Same routine, every time.
  3. Kick Chase as a Line · 4 min
    Chase as one line.

Session 2

Speed & Agility at home 13 minutes

  1. Repeat Sprint Efforts · 4 min
    Hard effort, full walk back.
  2. Stop and Cut · 5 min
    Sink, plant, push off.
  3. Uphill Accelerations · 4 min
    Drive the knees, push the ground.

Session 3

Tackling: Assisted Hamstring Lowers 15 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Assisted Hamstring Lowers · 5 min
    Slow and straight. Safety: Only with a coach or trained adult watching. Light load only, never a maximal lift. Stop the set when form slips.
  3. Reading a Drifting Defense · 5 min
    Watch their feet, find the gap. Safety: Tag only: touch with two hands or pull a tag belt. No grabbing, pushing or tackling.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 rugby plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Chip and Chase

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Chip the ball over a cone defender and regather it on the run.

  1. Put a cone 5 yards ahead as the defender.
  2. Jog in and chip the ball just over the cone.
  3. Sprint past and catch it before it bounces twice.
  4. Do 10 chips, walking back between each.

Coach's cue: Short and soft, then chase.

Bring: rugby ball, cones

Safety: Warm up first and run on flat, non-slip ground. Stop if a muscle feels tight.

Place Kick Routine

Ages 14 and up · 15 min

Build the same calm routine for every kick at goal.

  1. Set the ball on a tee and pick a target behind the posts.
  2. Step back and to the side the same way every time.
  3. Breathe, look at the target, then the ball, and kick.
  4. Take 12 kicks from three angles and count the ones over.

Coach's cue: Same routine, every time.

Bring: rugby ball, kicking tee, goal posts

Safety: Warm up your legs first and make sure nobody is in front of you when you kick.

Kick Chase as a Line

Ages 14 and up · 15 min

Kick long and chase together as a flat line so the catcher has no space.

  1. One player kicks long; three chasers start level with the kicker.
  2. Chase as a straight line, keeping level with each other.
  3. The catcher tries to run back; chasers pull a tag.
  4. Do 8 rounds and swap roles.

Coach's cue: Chase as one line.

Bring: rugby ball, cones, tag belts, partners

Safety: Tag only: touch with two hands or pull a tag belt. No grabbing, pushing or tackling.

Repeat Sprint Efforts

Ages 14 and up · 15 min

Sprint short, recover, and do it again, like the stop-start rhythm of a game.

  1. Mark 20 yards with cones.
  2. Sprint 20 yards, then walk back.
  3. Start the next one after 30 seconds.
  4. Do 2 sets of 5 with 3 minutes of easy walking between sets.

Coach's cue: Hard effort, full walk back.

Bring: cones, timer

Safety: Warm up first and run on flat, non-slip ground. Stop if a muscle feels tight.

Stop and Cut

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Slow down under control and cut sharply in a new direction.

  1. Run hard toward a cone 10 yards away.
  2. Brake with short steps and sink your hips at the cone.
  3. Cut 45 degrees and accelerate 5 yards.
  4. Do 6 cuts each way.

Coach's cue: Sink, plant, push off.

Bring: cones

Safety: Warm up first and run on flat, non-slip ground. Stop if a muscle feels tight.

Uphill Accelerations

Ages 14 and up · 15 min

Short runs up a gentle slope to build a strong push from your legs.

  1. Find a gentle grassy slope.
  2. Run hard up it for 10 yards, driving your knees and arms.
  3. Walk back down slowly.
  4. Do 6 runs with a full walk back between.

Coach's cue: Drive the knees, push the ground.

Bring: gentle hill or slope

Safety: Warm up first and run on flat, non-slip ground. Stop if a muscle feels tight.

Assisted Hamstring Lowers

Ages 13 and up · 8 min

Kneel with a partner holding your ankles and lower forward slowly. One of the best moves to protect the backs of the legs.

  1. Kneel on a mat; a partner holds your ankles firmly.
  2. Keep a straight line from knees to head.
  3. Lower forward as slowly as you can, catching yourself with your hands.
  4. Push back up with your hands; do 2 sets of 4.

Coach's cue: Slow and straight.

Bring: partner, mat

Safety: Only with a coach or trained adult watching. Light load only, never a maximal lift. Stop the set when form slips.

Reading a Drifting Defense

Ages 14 and up · 15 min

Spot a gap on the inside when defenders slide across the field.

  1. Three attackers face two tag defenders in a 20-yard wide area.
  2. The defenders drift across to the outside.
  3. The carrier looks for the space inside the drifting defender and cuts back.
  4. Play 12 rounds and talk about what you saw.

Coach's cue: Watch their feet, find the gap.

Bring: tag belts, cones, rugby ball, 3 partners

Safety: Tag only: touch with two hands or pull a tag belt. No grabbing, pushing or tackling.

Safety for ages 14 and up

  • Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: rugby

  • Mouthguard for every contact drill; boots that fit.
  • Soft headgear if you choose it (it does not prevent concussion).
  • Tackling only with a coach, a partner of similar size and age, at walking pace first.
  • Tackle at the waist or below, head to the side. No lifting, throwing or swing tackles.
  • After a concussion, children wait at least 21 days and have a doctor's OK before return to play (World Rugby).
  • Scrums and lineout lifting are for the club, never home drills.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 30 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Rugby: governing bodies, safety and development (10)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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