scrum half passing

Question
Have you got any good passing drills for scrum halves? I have had a weak left side for ages and now made it better than the right. But now my right passing has gone to pot and I wonder how my left is better. Should the action almost be like a discuss throw and that the ball leaves the fingers late so you got good torque on the ball? Are the weighted rugby balls effective at improving your pass from the floor?  

Answer
Mr Smith,

I apologize for taking so long in answering this.  I am currently attending an intense management course with very little free time.

Thank you for the question, I learned a lot doing the research for this.

Scrumhalf training for quick and accurate passes

Basic concepts:
-focus on staying low (crouch) while waiting for the ball
-continue to stay low when you pass.
-head should be in the direction of the pass
-drop the left knee to rotate the torso
-use a sweeping pendulum motion to pick up the ball

-Most scrumhalf passes are with the left (usually weaker) hand.

-The scrumhalf will generally pick up the ball, cock it back and either pass or take a step in the direction of the pass to increase distance and/or speed and pass

Drills:
-stand slightly bent over forward bending at the knees
-hold the ball about midway between the knees and ankles
-swing the ball left and right like a pendulum a few times.
-then as you start the swing to the right, drop your left knee sharply towards the ground so that your hips rotate to the right
-now place the ball on the ground,
-pick it up just inside your left foot with your right foot immediately in position
-pass it to a teammate to the right side using the described technique. .
-continue practicing the this technique until the pass is quickly and fluidly made
-For longer passes you may have to take a step or dive, but continue to work on the quick, fluid, and accurate pass.

Quick scrum half passing:
-This drill will require three others to support the scrumhalf:  a player to feed the scrumhalf, a support player to receive the ball and a time keeper with a stopwatch.  The drill will need four or five balls.
-Initially start with the ball on the ground where the scrum half is comfortable with it
-support player will initially face the scrumhalf staying stationary
-the feeder player provides the ball to scrumhalf as soon as the previous one has been passed.
-On 揼o? the scrum half passes as quickly as possible to the stationary support player measuring the time to pass all the balls with the stopwatch
-the focus of the drill is speed, not accuracy

Scrum half ball handling:
-Two support players are needed
-ball is presented to the scrumhalf
-scrumhalf moves quickly to secure the ball just inside the left foot with the right foot immediately in position
-pass in the same movement to second support player without taking a step or pulling back.
-the scrumhalf should concentrate on keeping the eyes on the ball until it is secured and then look where to pass the ball

Scrumhalf pass with accuracy:
-place the ball on a line with a support partner whose hands are out at the mid torso level directly above the line
-pass the ten times and determine how times the support player caught the ball without having his hands.   At the same time have the support player closely observe the scrumhalf's body movements to provide a critique of the movement

Controlled pass:
-put a ball next to the goal post with only enough space to your hand behind the ball.
-pass the ball to a support player on the try line by merely rotating the torso and swinging the arms

Pick up from unsecured ball:
-teammate roll the ball several times to the scrumhalf, some gently/some erratically/some bouncing
-scrumhalf react explosively to the ball, ensuring to place the left foot beside the left side of the ball and the right positioned to make the pass (generally in-line with the direction of the pass)
-make the pass to support player quickly and accurately
-as skill develops add harassing opposition

The spin pass:
-For the spin pass to the right, move the fingers of your left hand up and your right thumb down over the ball as you pass.
-it is easier to learn and practice the spin pass using only one hand and flinging the ball
-hold the ball with the tip up and spin the hand around, letting the ball essentially roll off the hand.
-most spin passes are used for accurate passes at distance
.
The dive pass:
-pick up the ball inside the left foot and dive hard over the right foot at once.
-it is a single fluid pick up and pass the ball movement
-momentarily delay the movement of your arms and hands.
-with the increased horizontal speed, the pass will tend to too low, so consciously aim a higher than normal.
-the dive should be in the direction of the pass.
-most dive passes are used when the any variation of the standing pass can not be accurately used

Aids:

Tennis ball:
-Passing tennis balls from the floor replicates the foot and hand position for a normal scrum half pass.
-Use a target and aim the ball at about the height of a player's midriff.
-The pass needs to be flat over a longer distance, meaning the ball will have to be swept away.
-Mix passing the tennis ball with a rugby ball to develop timing and accuracy

Weighted balls:
-Weighted balls can be used to the develop strength for the scrumhalf pass
-crouch into the passing position
-lift the ball up to each shoulder in turn, around 20 reps per shoulder (1 set)
-have a minute rest and repeat twice: 3 sets with a 1 minute rest in between each set.
-the choices include a weighted training rugby ball, medicine ball, plastic two liter bottle filled with sand

I hope this helps, and again I apologize for taking so long.

Thank you,

Deane Shephard
Stuttgart RFC