Touch Football is a variant of Rugby League, where the tackle is replaced by a touch. The limited contact speeds up the roll ball and makes Touch Football a much faster game.

As a result, speed & agility is a primary focus for any Touch Football program. Touch Football specific speed comprises reaction time, acceleration, agility and balance. Our speed training sessions focus on all 4 elements separately.

Strength & conditioning training for Touch Football has historically been performed very poorly (non specific). Our programs develop general strength that will assist support the conditioning and speed components of the sport. The program progresses to more specific rotational strength gains for game specific actions (the roll ball) as well as power development to increase speed and agility. The programs also incorporate a variety of stability exercises focused on injury prevention, also known as prehab.

Each training day includes a combination of field and gym based training sessions.

Below is a list of the physical qualities developed in our Touch Football training programs designed and used by the National coaches and teams of Australia:

– Speed & Agility Training – Strength & Conditioning

Touch Football Speed & Agility Training

Speed can mean different things to different sports. Touch football field speed comprises reaction time, acceleration agility and balance. Reactions, agility and balance are targeted separately, so speed sessions will focus on the capacity to accelerate.

Both first step quickness and correct set-up posture influence acceleration. First step quickness is the ability to move the body in the desired direction as quickly as possible. One of the most important aspects is teaching the player to set up with the correct posture and drive with a low fast first step in the intended direction.

During this training block we will be incorporating game specific movements into your touch football speed and agility training. Key tactical patterns have been provided by the coaches. This will allow training to be undertaken using more game specific patterns which are important from a tactical point of view. These touch football speed and agility sessions are aimed are developing your top end speed, and acceleration. For this reason, efforts completed as part of these sessions need to be completed at maximal intensity. If fatigue causes a reduced effort output, then this will lead to a lower degree of physical adaptations in the required areas. For this reason it is important that you come into these sessions feeling quite fresh and ready to perform. This is also the reason why long recovery periods are used between each effort. Long recoveries allow for a maximal effort intensity, and at this stage, that is what is required in order to achieve appropriate adaptations. If adequate speed and accelerations is not developed early within the training period, it is difficult to maximise performance during the season/competition, as competition specific work focuses on repeat effort performance, and not top end capabilities.

Touch Football Strength & Conditioning

Touch Football strength & conditioning training has historically been performed very poorly (non specific). The strength sessions have been developed specifically for the explosiveness of touch football and the reliance on well developed core strength components. The block will focus early on general strength development to assist with better adaptation to the conditioning and agility components required for the sport. The program will progress to more specific strength gains required for developing rotational strength and strength in game specific actions as well as power development to increase speed and agility. And finally a power phase incorporating a variety of stability exercises focused on injury prevention, also known as prehab.