Welcome UQ Junior Bullsharks Coaches
Below are some worthwhile detailed practical coaching tips for a each age group.
Coaches lead by example. Kids participate each week to gradually progress their skills and fitness.
For younger age groups, occasionally splitting participants into smaller groups can improve focus and the ability for coaches to instruct, i.e. twenty U6 children could be split in two groups… even if they perform the same activity!
Our club is very lucky and quite unique in that we have the active support of our senior club UQ Rugby. Each week our parent coaches are supported by a team of experienced and qualified coaches provided by the UQRFC Coaching Academy. We are very proud of this fact and it is not something many other junior clubs can offer.
All UQ Junior Bullsharks Coaches are required to have appropriate accreditation. Contact the committee to find out when and where courses are available.
Summary Age Group Information
Under 6 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
- FUN – Games Based
- Fundamental skills of Running, Jumping, Catching, Passing,Evasion & Tag
|
- Running with a ball in two hands
- Running Forward towards the tryline
- Understanding to place the ball over the try line
- Evasion & Swerving
- Catching the ball (stationary)
- Passing the ball (stationary & moving)
- Jumping for the ball
- Two handed tag – targeting hips
- Game development
|
- Understanding the principles of the game
- Go Forward, Support
- Introduction of the laws
- Fun games developing spacial awareness & team work
|
Click here to download the U6 Core Competency
Under 7 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
- FUN – Games Based
- Fundamental skills of Running, Jumping, Catching, Passing,
- Evasion & Tag
|
- Running Forward towards the tryline
- Evasion & Swerving
- Catching the ball (stationary & moving)
- Passing the ball (stationary & moving)
- Jumping for the ball
- Two handed tag – targeting hips
- Spacial awareness – maintain width in attack
- Spacial awareness – creating a defensive line
- Game development
|
- Understanding the principles of the game
- Go Forward, Support
- Introduction of the laws
- Fun games developing spacial awareness & team work
|
Click here to download the U7 Core Competency
Under 8 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
- FUN – drills & games
- Fundamental skills of Running, Catching, Passing, Track/Tackle, basic understanding of contact elements
|
- Evasion & Swerving
- Change direction
- Catch & Pass
- Left & Right
- Understanding of tracking to tackle
- Basic tackle progression
- Basic breakdown understanding
- Scrum & Lineout elements
- Spacial awareness – maintain width in attack
- Spacial awareness – creating a defensive line
- Game development
|
- Understanding the principles of the game
- Go Forward, Support
- Introduction of the laws
- Fun games developing spacial awareness & team work
|
Click here to download the U8 Core Competency
Under 9 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
- FUN – drills & games
- Fundamental skills of Running, Catching, Passing, Track/Tackle, Basic understanding of contact elements
|
- Catch & Pass
- Left & Right
- Tracking to tackle
- Tackle progression
- Basic breakdown understanding
- Scrum & Lineout elements
- Individual skills – throw, kick
- Attack – basic understanding depth, support
- Defensive line – basic understanding – spacings & linespeed
- Game development
|
- Understanding the principles of the game
- Go Forward, Support
- Understanding of the laws
- Fun games developing spacial awareness & team work
|
Click here to download the U9 Core Competency
Under 10 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
- Learning to Train the basic technical skills under pressure.
- Skill, drill, game awareness and development.
- Go Forward, Support
|
- Catch Pass
- Left & Right (L& R)
- Tracking to Tackle progression
- Shoulder contact
- Attack Breakdown Technique
- Attack – basic understanding depth, support
- Defensive line – basic understanding – spacings & linespeed
|
- Scrum Body Shape
- Lineout
- overhead catch
- throw
- Kicking
|
Click here to download the U10 Core Competency
Under 11 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
- Learning to Train the basic technical skills under pressure.
- Skill, drill, game awareness and development
- Go Forward, Support
|
- Catch Pass
- Left & Right (L& R)
- Tracking to Tackle progression
- Shoulder contact
- Attack Breakdown Technique
- Attack – basic understanding depth, support
- Defensive line – basic understanding – spacings & linespeed
- Ball Carry – leg drive
|
- Scrum Body Shape
- Lineout
- overhead catch
- throw
- Kicking
|
Click here to download the U11 Core Competency
Under 12 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
Physical Development |
- Learning/Training to train – Basics of Rugby with basic decision making
- Intro to tactical development
- Go Forward, Support, Continuity, Pressure
|
- Catch Pass
- Left & Right (L&R)
- Basic Decision making activities
- Tackle progression (shoulder contact + Leg Drive)
- Attack Breakdown
- Defensive Breakdown understanding
- Ball Carry – Leg Drive
|
- Lineout Technical
- Jump, Throw
- Scrum Technical
- Bodyshape, Binding
- Overhead catch
- Kicking
|
- Core Strength Development
|
Click here to download the U12 Core Competency
Under 13 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
Physical Development |
- Training to train – Basics of Rugby with decision making
- Intro to tactical development
- Go Forward, Support, Continuity, Pressure
|
- Catch Pass
- Left & Right (L&R)
- Basic Decision making activities
- Evasion, Footwork, Speed, Change direction
- Tackle progression (shoulder contact + Leg Drive)
- Intro to 2nd Man into tackle
- Attack & Defence Breakdown
- Ball Carry – Footwork & Leg Drive
|
- Lineout
- Jump, Lift, Throw
- Scrum Technical
- Bodyshape, Binding
- Overhead catch
- Kicking
- Goal Kicking, GP kicking
- Clearing Pass
|
- Basic body weight activities ie. pushups, free squat, situps
- Core Strength Development
|
Click here to download the U13 Core Competency
Under 14 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
Physical Development |
- Training to train – Basics of Rugby with decision making
- Intro to tactical development
- Go Forward, Support, Continuity, Pressure
|
- Catch Pass
- Left & Right (L&R)
- Tackle progression (shoulder contact) Left & Right
- Front, side, behind
- Intro 2nd Man
- Attacking Breakdown technical development
- Ball Carry – Footwork & Leg Drive
|
- Lineout Technical
- Jump, Lift, Throw
- Scrum Technical
- Bodyshape, Binding
- Overhead catch
- Kicking
|
- Functional body weight activities
- Core Strength Development
|
Click here to download the U14 Core Competency
Under 15 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
Physical Development |
- Core Skills performed with a low degree of pressure
- Increased Tactical nous
|
- Catch Pass
- Left & Right (L&R)
- Basic Decision making activities
- Tackle – progression
- Front, side, behind
- Intro 2nd Man
- Attack Breakdown
- Effectiveness
- Ball Carry – Footwork & Leg Drive
|
- Lineout Technical
- Jump, Lift, Throw
- Scrum Technical
- Bodyshape, Binding, 3 v 3
- Overhead catch
- Kicking
|
- Functional body weight activities
- Core Strength Development
|
Click here to download the U15 Core Competency
Under 16 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
Physical Development |
- Technical and tactical understanding of game
|
- Catch Pass
- Left & Right (L&R)
- Decision making activities
- Tackle – dominance
- 2nd Man Roles
- Attack & Defence Breakdown understanding
- Ball Carry – Footwork & Leg Drive
- Offload ability
|
- Lineout Technical
- Speed, stability, accuracy in Jump Lift Throw
- Scrum Technical
- Bodyshape, Binding, Tactical understanding
- Jackal Turnover
- Overhead catch
- Kicking
|
- Structured Strength Training Programs
- Game Based Conditioning
- Core Strength Development
|
Click here to download the U16 Core Competency
Under 17 Core Competency
General Principles |
Core Skill Development |
Game Awareness |
Physical Development |
- FUN – Games Based
- Fundamental skills of Running, Jumping, Catching, Passing,Evasion & Tag
|
- Running with a ball in two hands
- Running Forward towards the tryline
- Understanding to place the ball over the try line
- Evasion & Swerving
- Catching the ball (stationary)
- Passing the ball (stationary & moving)
- Jumping for the ball
- Two handed tag – targeting hips
- Game development
|
- Understanding the principles of the game
- Go Forward, Support
- Introduction of the laws
- Fun games developing spacial awareness & team work
|
- Structured Strength Training Programs
- Game Based Conditioning
- Core Strength Development
|
Click here to download the U17 Core Competency
Video Resources - TACKLING
Video Resources - BALL HANDLING & ATTACK
Video Resources - RUCK DRILLS