Free drill library · Rugby

At-home rugby drills for 7 to 10 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home rugby training for 7 to 10 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 to 13 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 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Catch & Pass at home 13 minutes

  1. Hands Up Target Catch · 4 min
    Hands up, eyes on the ball.
  2. Walking Side Pass · 5 min
    Swing across, finish pointing.
  3. Raid the Ball Nest · 4 min
    Pass it on, keep it moving.

Session 2

Evasion at home 13 minutes

  1. Side-Step Through Cones · 4 min
    Plant hard, push away.
  2. Tag Belt Escape · 5 min
    Small steps, then go.
  3. Sharks and Fish Tag · 4 min
    Look for the gap, then go.

Session 3

Speed: Rescue Tag 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Rescue Tag · 4 min
    Help a friend, keep moving. Safety: Play on soft, clear ground away from roads and hard edges. Tag gently with a hand on the arm or back.
  3. Low Body Height Holds · 4 min
    Hips low, back flat, eyes up. Safety: No partner and no contact. Stop if your back aches.
  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

Hands Up Target Catch

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Show a target with your hands and catch the ball early, out in front of your chest.

  1. Stand 3 yards from a partner.
  2. Hold both hands up, fingers spread, toward the passer.
  3. Catch the ball with your fingers, not your chest.
  4. Make 20 catches, then step back a yard.

Coach's cue: Hands up, eyes on the ball.

Bring: rugby ball, partner

Walking Side Pass

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn the sideways pass while walking side by side with a partner.

  1. Walk forward next to a partner, 3 yards apart.
  2. Swing the ball across your body from hip to hip.
  3. Point your fingers at your partner when you let go.
  4. Pass 20 times each way.

Coach's cue: Swing across, finish pointing.

Bring: rugby ball, partner

Raid the Ball Nest

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

A team game: move balls from the middle nest to your home by passing, never by running alone with them.

  1. Put 6 balls in a middle circle and give each team a home square.
  2. One player runs to the nest, picks up a ball and must pass it toward home.
  3. Teammates pass it along until it reaches home.
  4. Play 3 rounds of 2 minutes and count your team's balls.

Coach's cue: Pass it on, keep it moving.

Bring: rugby balls, cones, partners

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

Side-Step Through Cones

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn to push off one foot and step sideways past a cone.

  1. Set 5 cones in a zigzag, 3 yards apart.
  2. Carry the ball in two hands and jog to the first cone.
  3. Plant your outside foot and push off to step the other way.
  4. Do 8 runs, stepping off both feet.

Coach's cue: Plant hard, push away.

Bring: cones, rugby ball

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

Tag Belt Escape

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Keep your tags on while you run past a partner in a small square.

  1. Mark a 10-yard square and wear a tag belt.
  2. Your partner stands in the middle and tries to pull a tag.
  3. Use quick steps and changes of direction to get to the far side.
  4. Do 10 runs each.

Coach's cue: Small steps, then go.

Bring: tag belts, cones, partner

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

Sharks and Fish Tag

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Fish run across the pond with a ball while sharks try to pull their tags.

  1. Mark a 15-yard square pond.
  2. Fish carry a ball and run from one side to the other.
  3. Sharks in the middle pull tags; a tagged fish becomes a shark helper.
  4. Play 4 rounds and swap who starts as a shark.

Coach's cue: Look for the gap, then go.

Bring: tag belts, cones, partners

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

Rescue Tag

Ages 5 to 10 · 10 min

A tag game where frozen players are freed by a teammate. Everyone keeps moving and helping.

  1. One or two people are chasers.
  2. When tagged, freeze with arms out.
  3. Anyone free can rescue a frozen player by a high five.
  4. Swap chasers every 2 minutes.

Coach's cue: Help a friend, keep moving.

Bring: open space, 3 or more players

Safety: Play on soft, clear ground away from roads and hard edges. Tag gently with a hand on the arm or back.

Low Body Height Holds

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Hold the low, wide, flat-backed body height used at the breakdown, alone and with no contact.

  1. Feet wide, hips below shoulders, back flat, eyes up.
  2. Hold for 10 seconds.
  3. Take two short steps forward staying low, then hold again.
  4. Do 6 rounds.

Coach's cue: Hips low, back flat, eyes up.

Bring: none

Safety: No partner and no contact. Stop if your back aches.

Safety for ages 7 to 10

  • Plans for this age group use beginner 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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