Down and up
A tackle warm-up for U9 and up, with where the cones go, how it runs and what to say when it is not working.
Free to read with no account. It works at a pitch with no signal too.
- Age grades
- U9, U10, U11, U12
- Time
- 6 minutes
- Players
- 6 or more
- Space
- 10 x 10 m
- Kit
- 4 cones, 1 ball
- Pitch
- Wants a forgiving surface
- Indoors
- Fits a small space
Setting it up
A loose group inside a small square. Grass only, never a hard surface.
How it runs
Jog on the spot. On down they go to ground on their side with the chin tucked, then roll once. On up they get back to their feet facing you. Eight to ten of those. Then do it holding a ball and place it back towards you every time they go down. Getting up off the floor quickly is half of rugby and almost nobody practises it.
What to watch for
- Land on your side. Never flat on your front or your back
- Chin tucked to your chest the whole way down
- Get up facing the way you were going, not the way you fell
Make it easier
- Start from kneeling rather than standing
Make it harder
- A partner gives a light shove on the shoulder before the call
What it looks like when it is going wrong
What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.
- Landing flat on the front or straight onto the back
- On your side. Show me which side before you go
- The head thrown back on the way down
- Chin on your chest. Tuck it in
Safety. Ground contact only. Nobody touches anybody. Walk the pitch for stones and dog mess first. Stop if the ground is frozen.
The RFU's Headcase is where to go for what to do after a bang on the head. It is theirs rather than ours.
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The grades that can do it
What U9 rugby allows is the rule this sits under. Regulation 15 is reissued every summer, so the RFU's own rules of play are the ones to read for this season rather than a copy on somebody else's website. Ours included. Read against the RFU's 2026/27 appendices in August 2026.