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Rugby BallBasic information
about the rugby ball and how to control
it when you kick
well.
What
the ball
looks
likeIt's oval!
That
means it bounces
strangely. It's unpredictable. Or is it? Get
to know the ball.
The
best way is to have your
own. Get a decent
quality ball - it should last longer, be more ejoyable to
play with and be more like the ones in rugby games.
Rugby
balls have official dimensions
- minimum
and maximum size
(both round the centre and longways)
- minimum and
maximum weight
- minimum
and maximum air pressure
(at the start of a rugby game)
Smaller 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. Then you'll have
enough experience
to be able to tell if a ball
is at the right pressure
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 worthNo, not what you paid for it! The
ball is valuable
in rugby games. To win
you've got to score
points, to score points you must have the ball.
Once
you get possession,
treasure it! Improve your ability to keep
possession by simply handling the ball more often.
- 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 not entirely!
Some rugby players
seem to be able to make
it do what they want. They weren't born like that!
They
found out or
were shown - then
they practiced. They
might not have called it practice - they may just have "played about" a lot.
Play
about with the ball - find
out what it does in different situations.
Kick it in different ways. Find
out how to make it roll - 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... ...done with 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.
Many
players throw the ball in the air when they kick. When you kick,
always work hard to place
the ball onto your foot. The smaller the distance
it has to travel from your hand to your foot, the more likely you will kick well.
So, again find
the simple
basics,
gain experience
with fun repetition,
then put it all together!
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from
Rugby Ball to Basic Rugby Rules
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Evtechs Sports Training
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