7's is regarded as one of the most physically demanding and taxing field sports.  The athletes must be able to sprint, run, jog, walk, backpedal, shuffle, jump, change direction, wrestle and tackle.  The combination of these movements will tax both the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems to their fullest potential.  The games are comprised of two 7 minute halves (1 minute half time) or 10 minutes for finals (2 minute half times).  The athletes must be prepared to play multiple games over a short period of time (usually tournaments last from 1 to 3 days).   Unlike 15's, 7's will both require the athletes to sprint for much longer distances in a larger space with little or no rest between bursts and to use the open space available by running either laterally or backward at times.    

                The first 3 steps in terms of rugby can be thought of in many different ways.  The engagement of a scrum or ruck, the second a tackle is engaged (either the ball carrier or tackler), separating oneself from a defender in any direction, on restarts etc.   Although all of these movements are a little different, the same motor pattern is sent to the brain telling the body to change its elevation and generate as much force out of the torso and hips through the ground as possible. 

                At Level 10 Fitness Inc, we put an immense amount of time and effort working on the athlete's ability to "start".  The dictionary defines a start as "take the first step or steps in carrying out an action".  In terms of rugby performance, I would define it as the athlete's ability to generate force from their torso and hips out the ground explosively over their first three steps.  A rugby athlete must be able to start explosively off one leg and off both, from a static position and on the run and in multiple directions.  We cannot specify which one will be utilized most or least, but we can specify and coach the same motor pattern that occurs in all different styles discussed below.   The following is the general sequence we would recommend when beginning this style of training.

Coaching Points:

• Before beginning any sprinting work, ensure the athletes have completed a full warm up.  They must be sweating and mentally prepared to give a full effort.  Refer to http://level10fitness.com/index.php/news/35/15/Rugby-Warm-Ups for some warm up guides.

• All starts require the athlete to burst out as quickly as possible with the goal of reducing the transition time from their start position below into a sprint.
• The athlete should be cued to generate as much force out the ground as possible. We use the cue of pushing the earth away from you as fast as possible.
• The goal of the first step is to extend the hips explosively and to drive the other leg up as powerfully as possible and utilize your arm drive. Use every ounce of energy you have!
• When the start occurs with both feet in contact with the ground, ensure the athlete is pushing off with both legs.
• Use short distances to ensure maximum effort is being put forth (3-10meters). In terms of 7's, we may increase the distances and add a change of direction(s) at some point. Realistically, most all out sprints will occur within shorter distances (approximately 10m) as a pass, kick or tackle will occur. With 7's being so unpredictable, the athletes should also be prepared to sprint upward of 30-40 meters at full pace. ***Keep in mind, the longer the distances that athlete sprints, the longer the stride length and the greater the risk of injury.
• Be creative to ensure the athlete is not always pushing off in the same direction. Try facing forward, backward, on an angle or side to the finish line.
• Make it competitive. Have one partner on the line and one a few steps back. The partner in back attempts to catch the one in front. You may also add a ball and a small grid where the first athlete must attempt to get the ball before their partner and return to the start position with the ball while the other partner defends.
• Use audible cues. Pick a live number and tell it to the athletes that they should start as soon as they hear the live number in a sequence. Example: Live number is 5, the coach gives a sequence of 6,7,8,3,4,5,6,7. This forces the athlete to react and adds to the competitive nature of the movement.
• On the coaches "go", the athlete should pop up (not vertically) and out as fast as possible while maintain a low driving position (approximately a 60 degree angle). Encourage the athlete's to alternate and be conscious of which leg(s) they are bringing forward first.
• For single leg, kneeling starts or rolling starts, the athlete should be instructed to have their arms in a ready position to help propel the back leg through explosively (whichever leg is off the ground or back, the arm should be as well).
• Have the athlete take in a deep breath and hold it to build up intra-abdominal pressure. This helps combat the athlete from breaking at the waist. They should be instructed to let their air out over the first several steps.

 

START VARIATIONS:

Ground Starts (face any direction):

• Have the athlete start on their stomachs with their hands just outside their shoulders or chest (as if to do a push up).  You may also start them in a fully extended position as well.

Kneeling Starts (face any direction):

• Have the athlete start with one knee on the line and the other leg at just under 90 degrees at the knee so that their foot is flat on the ground with weight on the ball of the foot.
• The athlete should be instructed to generate as much force through the ground with the leg that is up while limiting the push off with the back leg.  Once the athlete has begun to drive out, they must drive the back leg up explosively.

Single Leg Starts (face forward or sideways)

• Have the athlete stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee and torso.  The other knee should be up and ready to strike.  Explode off the work leg (as if doing a single leg broad jump) and strike explosively with the other leg.
• The athlete may roll onto the ball of their foot to help ensure a good forward lean.

Rolling Starts (face forward only)

• The athlete should start in a hip width position with a slight stagger (one toe at the instep to heel of the lead foot).  Both knees should be bent with the bum back in a loaded position (should look like they are about to broad jump)
• Both legs should have the weight distributed on the ball of the foot with the front foot being flat and the back heel being raised slightly.
• Roll forward while maintaining the loaded position.  When the athlete feels as if they would fall on their face, they should be instructed to push off both legs as explosively as possible and burst out low and hard.  Many athletes tend to push off the front leg only.  It is important to cue an equal push off.

As mentioned above, all of these movements should be used when the athlete is completely warmed up.  We would recommend you try these at the end of your warm ups and include them into your training sessions.  We are not training track athletes; it takes thousands of repetitions for some to understand the importance of giving a maximum effort, so be patient!  Too many coaches try to re-invent running form by mimicking track stars and although we can learn from them, running one sprint and then resting for an hour or more is not specific to our sport. 

Try mixing it up!  If you use a ground or kneeling start one day, try a single leg or rolling the next.  Keep the repetitions under 10-15 total in a given session to ensure a maximum effort is being put forth.  Give the athletes plenty of rest as well, generally a light jog back from the start and: 20-:30 seconds will suffice (I would suggest a work to rest ratio of about 1:10 or 1:15 depending on the distance).   It is also important to include starts where the athlete is in motion.  Jog laterally or straight ahead to a cone then burst out for a set distance.  This can encourage the correct motor patterns and some more game specific speed.

You can view a few examples of the above starts at:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nj9lHKvKn4

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at joe@level10fitness.com

 

Yours in Strength,

Joe McCullum