Every professional rugby player anticipates the game, that’s what makes them stand out from the rest, well that and being able to perform basic skills under pressure.

Have you ever seen a great older player play against younger guys and wonder how he keeps up?

He is usually slower, knees wrapped in strapping, But he keeps up with the play.

He is good at executing the basic skills even know he lacks the speed.

The only way his keeping up with these guys is anticipation

He can anticipate things before they unfold, when he makes a decision it is done with precision.

This is also called game awareness or footy smart.

Look at Billy slater from Melbourne storm or Ben smith of the all blacks, they know where the ball is going to go, they anticipate the play which usually results in tries scored.

Wayne Gretzky the famous hockey player said

“A good hockey play plays where the puck is, A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be”

Ask yourself if you notice that sometimes you miss the play, do you miss the tackle because your one second to slow? or do you miss that gap because you paused for a second?

Another way is to look at footage of your game, can you make decisions earlier?

is their times where your can be more proactive then just reacting to the play.

The thing with anticipation is that if you do not have the basic skills or understanding of the game its pretty hard for you to anticipate plays, understanding of the game and plays takes years but that’s what it takes to become the best in your field.

How do we do it at the Rugby Pro Academy?

We break it down and discuss and analyze these points

1) You have to know what’s coming at you and what’s the options

2) Knowing what can happen or can happen later on if you make the choices you choose

3) Being aware of different triggers that can give away a play or sequence

4) Knowing your strengths and weakness

5) Knowing what you prefer to do

6) Knowing what the opposition usually/or prefer to do

As you can see there is a lot to think about but a lot of the time you know these but just have not broken them down like I have, or maybe these points can point you in the right direction for you to improve your anticipation skills.

have a try at training, being able to read players before they execute the play.

Maybe its reading the kick, or shutting down a play coming at you, just be aware about if you are making decisions early or late.

This is such a big part of the game and if you can get yourself in the best possible position before the play starts, you are well on your way to becoming pro.

keep training hard guys.

Luke Rooney