 |
|
Rugby BallKnow the rugby ball
dimensions and why pressure is important. Know all about
and use the unusual shape and bounce to your advantage.

All about the ballIt's oval!
That
means it bounces
strangely. It's
unpredictable.
Or is it?
Get
to know the ball.
The
best way is to own a ball. Get
a decent
quality ball. It should last longer,
be more
enjoyable to
play with and be more like the ones in
rugby games.
Rugby
balls have official dimensions
- length 280
- 300 mm
- circumference, long way round
740 - 770 mm
- circumference, short way
round 580 - 620 mm
- weight 410 - 460 gms
- the
air pressure in the ball at the start of the game must be
0.67 - 0.70 kg/sq
cm or 9.5 - 10.0 lbs/sq inch
Smaller rugby balls may
be used by young players.
If
you can, experiment
with the
amount of air
in it
when you are able to measure
the pressure in the ball. I have a neat little
ball pressure gauge with a needle attached
that helps me do this (see picture above).
Then you'll have
enough experience
to be able to tell if a ball
is at the right pressure
even when you can't measure it.
You'll be the expert!
Here's why it's useful to know
- too soft - hard to
catch, too bouncy
- too soft - hard to
kick, foot sinks into
the ball, can't kick as far
- too hard - hard to
catch, can damage fingers
- too hard - hard to
kick, like kicking a
brick, poor rebound from foot
What
the ball's worthIt's not important what you paid for it! The
ball is valuable
in rugby games. You must use the ball to score points and you must score points to win.
Once
you get possession, make sure you treasure possession! Improve your ability to keep
possession. The more you handle the ball the more you will find you are confident. You will find out more at rugby handling.
- carry
it around at home
- outside, throw it from hand
to hand...practice a normal
pass
- throw it in the air and catch it - ready for
catching
the high ball
- throw
in the air with one hand,
catch with the other
- hold
the ball
and do stretching and bending exercises
- run with it
- run
with it and move it from
one arm to the other
- run with it, throw it up in front
and run on to catch it (you
would not normally throw forwards but this gives some experience
catching the ball while running).
How
the rugby ball bouncesYes, it's a bit unpredicatable, but you will improve your ball skills when you avoid being annoyed and have fun with the ball.
You can be like rugby players who are able to control the ball, make the ball do what they want. They weren't born like that!
They find out or are shown, then
they practice. They
might not call it practice so don't you call it practice. They may just say they "play about" a lot to see what it does in different situations.
Kick it in different ways. Find
out how to make it roll. Learn how to do the rolling
grubber kick so it can be easily
grounded. It needs to roll evenly
on the ground, maybe try
rolling it by hand at first.
Find
out how to make it "pop
up" to be grabbed
by a running player. It needs to be rolling end over end
on the long side. Do it when you learn the bouncing
grubber kick.
Work out how you position the rugby ball on your
foot to get results
you want. You'll learn a lot when you experiment. For
tips on how to place the ball...look at rugby kicking.
Avoid throwing the ball in the air when you kick. Work hard to place
the ball onto your foot. Place the ball accurately and you will kick accurately and kick the ball well.
So, search for knowledge of the rugby ball and use fun repetition to build experience so you can be confident you will put it all together on the field!
Return
from
Rugby Ball to Basic Rugby Rules
 |
Home
| Disclaimer
| Privacy
Policy
| Contact
Us
| Feedback
| Terms
|

Copyright
© 2007-2009
Evtechs Sports Training
Sydney, Australia

|
|