Power has become one of the overriding attributes a rugby player must possess, especially in this new modern professional era.

Power is important in a number of different ways and is closely linked to strength.  But you can be strong, without being powerful!

Rugby needs elements of different power, for example:

1. The power to jump for a lineout.
2. The power needed to explosively move an opposition player out of the way at a breakdown.

Now obviously the power need to move the player out of the way is very different to the power needed to jump.

When you jump you are just working against your own bodyweight where as in the breakdown situation you are having to move a considerably greater weight as the object you are moving is outside of your own centre of gravity i.e. an external load is far harder to move than an internal load (your body).

But both are needed and different types of training will facilitate greater gains in each aspect.

The specificity of power is not just as simple as in the last two examples.  For instance you also need power to:

• Scrummage
• Accelerate
• Support at the lineout
• Tackle
• Drive through a tackle
• Side step

Each of these different rugby elements will need different muscles to act in different ways and generate differing levels of power.

Power therefore can be classified into 4 major resistance categories, each having a different affect on the power continuum.  They are:

1. Light
2. Medium
3. Heavy
4. Overload or over speed

Examples of Light Power Training:

• Plyometrics

• Acceleration / Rebound Drills

• Medicine Balls

Advantages of light training:

Increases speed specific skills such as jumping, accelerating, side stepping.

Examples of Medium Power Training:

• Sleds / Tyre Dragging

• Medicine Balls

• Olympic Lifts Light to Medium Loads

• Kettlebells

• Sledge Hammers

Advantages of medium training:

Increases the ability to lift lineout jumper, accelerate, side stepping, break a light tackle

Examples of Heavy Power Training:

• High Load Olympic Lifts

• Medium Loaded Traditional Exercises  - Squat Jumps, Bench Press Throws

• Heavy loaded traditional exercises – moved with intent

Advantages of heavy power training:

Increases the ability to dominate your opposition in all aspects of physical contact, such as, dominating in the scrummage, driving an attacker back in a tackle, driving the opposition tackler back as they try to stop you, to name just a few instances.

Examples of Overload / Over Speed Training:

• Bungee Cords

• Rip away parachutes

• Depth Jumping

• Eccentric training

Advantages of Overload / Over Speed Training:

Allows you to get faster and more powerful in every aspect of the benefits from light, medium and heavy training.