How To Improve Your Acceleration and Sprint Speed

Skimming your opposite number for a line break is a fantastic feeling. Just knowing that you have the pace to make the difference in a game is a powerful tool and asset that can make the difference between winning and losing.

Even if you’re born and blessed with raw speed, there is always room to improve to ensure that you make the most of this natural talent. If you aren’t so blessed in this area, there are some really good tips and drills to make you that extra yard quicker on the rugby pitch.

So next time you’re practicing, get your rugby clothing on and try these 4 top rugby acceleration drills:

Rugby has always had a strong strength training culture (no pun intended!). Since the turn of professionalism in 1995, rugby has made huge advances in strength & conditioning. And I’m proud to say that in many respects rugby is leading the way in the s&c field.

Yet, there are still some common misconceptions when it comes to strength training for rugby. Below are 5 of the most common misconceptions I see when it comes to rugby strength training.

You can also view our comprehensive rugby training guide here.

And before we get into the content why not take your training up a notch with our new rugby shorts, rugby t-shirts, rugby joggers and rugby hoodies!

Rugby has rapidly evolved over the last 20 years. It doesn’t take much to notice the massive difference in the game today. Players are on average 2 stone heavier and 3 inches taller. The defense is far more structured. Tackles are harder. Penalties are kicked from the teams own half. Injuries are up by an incredible rate. It seems like a different game to the game in the video below – arguably one of the best rugby tries ever. You’ll never see such a try being scored today. Many argue it’s due to more structure to the game, better defenses which means less mistakes and room to play. Has the evolution of rugby improved or impeded the sport?

Check out this awesome infographic below on the change in Rugby over the last 20 years. Simply incredible.

There is no doubt over the last 20 years that rugby players in every position have packed on more lean muscle, became faster and hit harder. The average player size is up by nearly 2 stone since the early 90s which is an incredible stat. This is down to a few key factors which are nutrition and training. In this article, we are going to cover the training principles of the top rugby players.

Leg day doesn’t come around often for most but if you’re into your leg training you will understand the importance of leg day gear. Training legs usually consists of heavy squats, lunges, leg press and some other big lifts. These lifts put a lot of strain on your lower back, knees and the entire lower body. It’s important to understand the technique behind the squat before even looking at buying leg day essentials but this guide assumes you are past that point. Here’s a list of the things you need for leg day, I guarantee it will make leg day more enjoyable and will improve your lifts dramatically over a few weeks.

Weight Lifting Shoes

Weight lifting shoes help, A LOT. The concept behind them is to elevate the heel so that you can reach depth far easier than if you were wearing flat shoes. The shoes are also very sturdy and usually quite heavy. This not only makes you feel comfortable but it literally clamps your feet to the floor, this comes in useful when you’re really struggling on that final rep, the shoes help keep balance. Nike Romaleos 2 are recommended even though they are a bit pricey. Using just weight lifting shoes can add 10kg to your squat immediately.