You May Subscribe To This Site

Rugby Ball

Basic information about the rugby ball and how to control it when you kick well.

What the ball looks like

It'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.
Rugby ball

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

just right - easy catching and passing and control
just right - easy kicking, rebounds well from foot

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 worth

No, 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 bounces

Yes, 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!

Return from Rugby Ball to Basic Rugby Rules

Evtechs Sports Training
Sydney, Australia