4 Ways to Train for Wheelchair Rugby

1. Build Stamina Before Wheelchair Rugby Games

The core skill needed during a spirited game of wheelchair rugby is stamina. There is non-stop action occurring during the 32-minute games, with limited interruptions in each quarter. You can start building endurance for wheelchair rugby tournaments with 8-minute periods of non-stop exercise. This training method helps you build the amount of energy needed to compete at a high level.
Your team can build collective stamina by competing for fastest sprint times during practice. These sprints need to adhere to the rules of the game, with each player bouncing the ball every 10 seconds to avoid violations. You can add some difficulty to these sprints by throwing volleyballs and adding obstacles as the season progresses.

2. Strengthen Your Upper Body During Rugby Practice

Wheelchair rugby players need to train their upper bodies to deal with traps as well as tough one-on-one coverage. You should substitute a medicine ball for the regulation volleyball during passing drills to improve pass speed. The medicine-ball drill should be supplemented with free-weight workouts and stretching prior to games. These training drills increase endurance while creating sharp passes during late-season games.

3. Work on Defensive Stance in Wheelchair Rugby

An often-overlooked aspect of wheelchair rugby is playing effective defense. Your desire to cross the goal line with the ball needs to be tempered with defensive responsibilities. It is possible that your attempt to steal the ball will lead to a quick break by your opponents for an easy score. There are several ways to defend your end of the court while keeping an eye out for offensive opportunities.
You should practice a team trap in your offensive zone to cause a back-court violation. This trap is aided by a zone defense where three players are stationed in the opponent's back court to cut down on passing lanes. The best way to train for the trap is by asking two teammates to pass back and forth to test out the rotation needed in the back court to force bad passes.
It is important to practice one-on-one defense to develop a full skill set for wheelchair rugby. Your team should run shadowing drills where one player wheels up court with the other player shadowing every movement until the end line. These drills should simulate the wide spacing needed to follow rules for stacking players on the end line to ensure that every player develops court awareness.

4. Practice Special Teams in Wheelchair Rugby

There are plenty of occasions where teams will lose a player due to a penalty for misconduct or unsportsmanlike behavior. Your team should spend a portion of each practice short-handed to develop formations that make up for the lost player. A good way to deal with short-handed situations is to give up the back court in favor of defending the goal line.
You should also train your teammates to take advantage of short-handed opponents in competitive rugby games. One player can set up in the space where the ejected player would have been stationed to create a pivot point for the entire offense. Your passing skills will improve during one-man advantages because you will look for extra passes to create breakaways to the goal line. Your coach should keep a list of substitutions and special team plays to account for these unusual situations.