Rugby drills for 14 year olds
What a 14 year old can practice at home: drills the app opens at this age, what changes in rugby this year, how long and how often, what to have at home, and a free week to start.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
SSTracker keeps rugby to touch and tag until 14: passing, catching, footwork and evasion. Tackling and rucking wait for 14 and a coach.
At 14
The age at a glance
- This year
- Tackling and ruck drills open at 14 in SSTracker: only with a coach, a partner of similar size and age, at walking pace first, tackling at the waist or below. Never at home.
- Drills this year
- Advanced drills start this year, and so do the drills SSTracker holds back until 14, such as box jumps and any drill with contact.
- Contact
- Tackling and ruck drills open at 14 in SSTracker: only with a coach, a partner of similar size and age, at walking pace first, tackling at the waist or below. Never at home.
- After a knock
- After a concussion, children wait at least 21 days and have a doctor's OK before they play again (World Rugby).
- At 14
- Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 14 hours for a 14 year old, with two rest days a week.
- At home
- SSTracker keeps one home session for a 14 year old within 60 minutes and plans at most 5 home days a week, with rest days between.
30 drills
Drills for 14 year olds
Every drill here is one the app opens for 14 year olds, at the level for the age. Each page has the steps, a diagram where the setup can be drawn, three ways to make it a game and a practice log to print.
Breakdown
Catch & Pass
Evasion
Kicking
Safe Tackling
What you need at home
What you need at home at 14
48 of the 75 rugby drills for 14 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: cones (30 of the 48 drills), rugby ball (26), mat or soft ground (3), tag belts (3), mat or grass (2), agility ladder or chalk lines (1), gentle hill or slope (1), goal posts (1). 2 drills need nothing but space. 13 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.
- Animal Movement RelayAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Ball Drop and BalanceAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Build-Up RunsAges 11 and up · 10 min
- Curved RunsAges 11 and up · 10 min
- Down and Up GameAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Falling StartsAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Hop and Step FootworkAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Ladder Quick FeetAges 7 and up · 8 min
New at 14
Drills that open at 14
These drills join the list at 14: the app opens them from this age, by its level and age rules. They were not on the page for 13 year olds.
- Ball Placement PracticeAges 14 and up · 8 min
- Bear Crawl Shapes GameAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Breakdown DecisionsAges 14 and up · 15 min
- Change of Pace BreakAges 14 and up · 12 min
- Chip and ChaseAges 14 and up · 12 min
- Controlled Partner TackleAges 14 and up · 15 min
- Driving Over the BallAges 14 and up · 12 min
- Find the Hip TagAges 14 and up · 8 min
A week to start with
A free week of rugby at home
- 1Tackle shape at home, no contact20 min
- 2Breakdown at home20 min
- 3Kicking at home20 min
Questions parents ask
Rugby for 14 year olds: questions and answers
What rugby drills can a 14 year old do at home?
48 of the 75 rugby drills for 14 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: cones (30 of the 48 drills), rugby ball (26), mat or soft ground (3), tag belts (3), mat or grass (2), agility ladder or chalk lines (1), gentle hill or slope (1), goal posts (1). 2 drills need nothing but space. 13 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.
How long should a 14 year old practice rugby?
Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 14 hours for a 14 year old, with two rest days a week. SSTracker keeps one home session for a 14 year old within 60 minutes and plans at most 5 home days a week, with rest days between.
Is rugby for 14 year olds tag or tackle?
Tackling and ruck drills open at 14 in SSTracker: only with a coach, a partner of similar size and age, at walking pace first, tackling at the waist or below. Never at home.
What changes in rugby at 14?
Tackling and ruck drills open at 14 in SSTracker: only with a coach, a partner of similar size and age, at walking pace first, tackling at the waist or below. Never at home. Advanced drills start this year, and so do the drills SSTracker holds back until 14, such as box jumps and any drill with contact.
Free for families and teams
Save this plan to your child or team, free
Sign up and the free rugby week for 14 year olds opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits for the age, with progress your child sees against their own start. Coaches can send the same drills to the whole team as homework.
14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free
Does your child's coach know about this?
An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.