How can i sprint faster in rugby?

Question

Hi, I play in the backs in rugby and am fairly good at breaking the oppositions line, however I am 6ft 2 and weigh 13 stone. I am not a natural runner but would like to be able to run faster with the ball. Any suggestions would be great?

Also are there any exercises I can do to improve my speed?

Thanks

Answer 1

try and picture this in your head for motivation -

on the touch line in front of you, theres some bloke trying to kiss your girlfriend while she fends him off, frantically calling your name to rescue her.

ill bet this will make you run faster.

Answer 2

defense and attack speed.explosive and gathering momentum,. FOR DEFENSEShuttles are good for defense.putting cones 10-15mtrs apart sprinting in between them back and forth cone to coneATTACK..have 6-8  cones 30- 40mtre apart so you sprint then jog,sprint and jog from start to the end then back , so you get into a jog into a sprint like attacking at pace gathering momentum.sprinting full on the last 40-50mtres

i hope i explained it right,thats what i did by myself on the off season,if this doesnt suit you talk to a track coach .goodluck!GO ALLBLACKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

lean your body slightly forward, in a way that if you werent running, you would fall.

when you have to step on a foot, make sure its beside the middle point of your body, so it doesnt provide any recoil when you ground it.

Finally, touch the ground only with your frontal feet area ( i dont know how its called in english, but you get me).

Answer 4

work on your hamstrings.

practice running running on angles, its not often you get to run straight on the field.

Answer 5

Keep practising running you will eventually get faster.Good Luck

Answer 6

There are two parts to sprinting faster - accelerating and the actual long sprint. Accelerating is more useful because good acceleration is what allows you to break through the opposition line when you spot a gap, as opposed to just bulldozing the opposition. Sprinting is important if you want to keep your lead after breaking the line and actually get all the way to the opposition's tryline without getting tackled.

To improve acceleration, I can recommend two things - try tying a car/truck tyre around your waist, and do 30m sprints. The Russian Army used this technique in their Army training, and many rugby teams do it as well to strengthen thighs and upper legs. Secondly - and this may sound strange - play squash. Squash, as well as being good for fitness, actually teaches you good acceleration techinques by making you do short 5m sprints continuously (and it's more fun than shuttle runs). It also strengthens your calves. The best way to improve you acceleration in squash is to learn to take big steps, as opposed to lots of little steps very quickly.

To improve top-end speed, follow the previous poster's advice. Use athletic sprint techniques - take longer strides, land only on the ball of your foot (eg, the padded area underneath your toes, in front of the arch) because it is more elastic and provides more "bounce". Doug Howlett of New Zealand does this very well, as does Bryan Habana of South Africa. Remember to also use your arms to increase your forward momentum, like 100m sprinters (but also remember to hold onto the ball :)) Also, remember to breathe - many people tend to hold their breath when sprinting all-out, this will make you lose speed quickly! Take deep breaths every 3-4 steps.

If you drill hard, strengthen your legs, improve your acceleration and sprinting technique, you will see your speed increasing gradually.