Rugby Training Equipment
Like any other sport, those who wish to play well during the game need to make sure they get their practice time in! Training equipment designed to aid rugby performance in invaluable, and there’s a wide range to choose from, honed to perfect different skills.
Training Nets
Training nets, such as the Crazy Catch range, are designed for slip catch and reaction training.
Typically, one side will have small holes for smaller balls, with larger holes on the other for larger balls such as rugby balls and footballs.
Agility Training
Agility training kit such as poles, cones and hurdles are essential.
- Poles and cones can be used together to create speed agility hurdles, or separately for marking boundaries and to develop lateral manoeuvring.
- Cones tend to come in a range of bright colours to make them easy to spot and to aid any team training.
- Agility hurdles and floor “ladders” encourage players to watch their footwork and help to take training sessions to the next level!
Training Balls
Training balls come in a range of styles, but the basic aim is to improve reflexes and reactions for players. Some come with attached cords that allow you to practice quick hitting.
One such example is the Precision Training reaction ball; it is unevenly shaped and bounces unpredictably, which is ideal for hand-eye coordination.
Tackle Training Equipment
Tackle training equipment such as wedges, body wedges and tackle shields do what they say – improve player tackling skills, both to tackle and being tackled. These are available in lite or heavier options, depending on the age and size of the player in question.
Kicking Tees
Kicking tees are available from a range of brands and in a wide range of styles, but the basic design encourages clean kicking with minimal impact and optimum precision. Some are adjustable for controlled positioning.
Other kit
Other kit like a good stopwatch, water bottles or even a large towel all have their place in a training kit bag! You wouldn’t want to be without any of them, especially on a hot day!
Ideally a training bag should contain all types of training equipment to cover all sessions, but if you don’t want to tote the lot around every time, then it’s best to decide on the type of training you’ll be doing and select the right kit accordingly.
If you’re buying new training equipment, then again, decide on the areas you need to work on most.
- If it’s agility, then hurdles, pones, cones and markers will be what you need to look at.
- Tackle training equipment is great if you think your tackling skills are weak or want to improve how you react to a tackle.
- Those who need to work on hand-eye coordination should look at training balls and training nets.
It’s really important to properly maintain all training equipment, as it will quickly degrade if left in unfavourable conditions or not cleaned sufficiently.
One key rule of thumb is, where possible, to not leave gear outside once training has finished. Whilst larger items such as training nets may be harder to store, smaller items such as balls, cones, bibs and kicking tees should be taken up and cleaned thoroughly before being stored in a dry, cool place. Anything coloured, such as plastic cones, should not be kept in direct light as this can bleach them of colour.
The main thing to consider when you are looking to buy new training equipment is the need you have for it – if you already have a training ball, do you really need another, unless another type gives a different type of training quality.
Price will be the next point – different brands will have different price points, so you’ll need to decide whether brand or price mean more. It maybe you have a preferred brand and will pay more if that’s what you need to do to buy their range of equipment; likewise, your preferred brand may be cheaper than other brands on the market anyway.
Storage is a point to consider – if you buy a large item like a training net, can you store it properly, without leaving it exposed to the element? Do you need a new training kit bag to go alongside your new equipment? How will you store it all when it’s not in use?
Lastly, you need to think about the training requirements you have – if you think you’re already good in one area but weak in another, then focus on the area you need to improve on before buying kit for an area you are strong in.