Become Lightning Fast: The Key Physical Qualities for Rugby 7s Speed
Rugby sevens has become synonymous with speed. Matches are often decided by explosive bursts, quick evasions, and impressive breakaway runs. It goes without saying: every rugby 7s athlete should prioritize speed in their training.
Fortunately, speed-focused training has gained popularity. Coaches and athletes now widely understand that speed deserves as much attention—if not more—as strength and fitness. Unfortunately, the downside to this growing interest is the emergence of self-proclaimed "speed gurus," who tend to overcomplicate speed training, often to sell a program or make themselves seem smarter (though to be fair, most speed specialists don't fit this mold—the loudest voices aren't always the wisest).
Here's the truth for rugby 7s athletes: speed is a tool, not the end goal itself. Your ultimate objective is being a dominant force on the pitch. Spending hours obsessing over minute technical details or chasing marginal gains—like shaving 0.001 seconds off your sprint—is valuable for track athletes or NFL combine hopefuls, but not for rugby players. Yes, you need to get faster—maybe even more than other athletes—but your approach should stay practical, effective, and specific to the demands of rugby 7s.
In this article, we'll clarify exactly what physical qualities rugby 7s athletes need to develop for two key components of speed: acceleration and max velocity. You'll learn what actually matters, how to train it effectively, and how to avoid getting lost in the noise.
Understanding Acceleration:
Acceleration is simply the act of quickly increasing your speed. It can happen from a standstill, during any submaximal running, or after a change of direction. Every time you explode forward on the pitch—like flying off the defensive line, bursting through a gap, or accelerating after sidestepping a defender—you're relying on your ability to accelerate rapidly.
The key to successful acceleration is creating momentum as fast as possible. To do this effectively, you need to apply a large amount of force into the ground, propelling your body forward.
Key Physical Characteristic #1: Strength
Strength is critical for accelerating faster. Put simply:
More strength → more force into the ground → faster forward movement.
This is why the old myth “lifting makes you slow” couldn’t be more incorrect. Strength training, especially in your legs and hips, actually provides the horsepower needed for explosive accelerations on the rugby pitch. The stronger you become, the more force you can generate when it counts most—accelerating past opponents.
Key Physical Characteristic #2: Horizontal Force Application
Being strong is crucial, but strength alone won’t make you fast unless you apply it correctly. Consider this: if strength were all you needed, you'd see powerlifters dominating the rugby pitch with blistering speed—but you don't.
To accelerate effectively, you need to direct force horizontally—meaning, you need to push yourself forward, not just upward. While discussions around posture, force vectors, and horizontal strength exercises are valuable in the scientific community, they can be unnecessarily complex for rugby athletes who must balance strength, fitness, speed, and world-class rugby skills.
Keep it simple:
Lean forward slightly, drive your feet back, and push the ground behind you, not directly beneath you.
Two highly practical ways to train this ability are hill sprints and sled-resisted sprints. Both methods naturally force you into positions that emphasize pushing horizontally. Hill sprints require you to drive forward to overcome the incline, and sled work demands forward-directed force to move the added resistance.
Focusing on these methods regularly will help you better transfer your strength into powerful, effective acceleration on the pitch.
Understanding Maximum Velocity:
If acceleration is about increasing our speed, maximum velocity is the fastest possible speed we reach. This is when you see a player truly open up their stride and dominate in open space—leading to breakaway tries or thrilling chase-down tackles.
When training for max velocity, rugby athletes have two main objectives:
Increase your top speed
Maintain that top speed longer
Take Usain Bolt, for example. His success wasn't just about hitting an incredible top speed—it was his ability to maintain a higher speed for longer than his competitors.
Fortunately, the physical qualities we'll discuss next will help you achieve both goals: boosting your absolute top speed and staying fast longer, making you a more dangerous athlete on the pitch. (Note* this is separate than the concept of speed endurance that will have to be discussed in another post).
Key Physical Characteristic #1: Elasticity
Imagine dropping two basketballs onto the ground—one fully pumped up, the other slightly deflated. Which ball will bounce higher and farther? Obviously, the fully inflated one.
The same concept applies to your lower legs when sprinting at top speed. Your feet, ankles, and calves act like springs. The stiffer and stronger these springs are, the more elastic energy you'll store and return with each step.
Simply put:
More elasticity → Better bounce off the ground → Faster, more efficient sprinting
How to Train Elasticity Practically:
Repeated hurdle jumps: These require your lower limbs to repeatedly produce elastic energy to clear hurdles, naturally developing "springiness."
Calf strengthening (both bent-leg and straight-leg variations): Strengthens your "springs," making them more robust and capable of elastic action.
Remember, you want elasticity—like an inflated basketball—not rigidity like a brick. Elasticity means stiffness with just enough give to effectively bounce.
Key Physical Characteristic #2: Quick Ground Contacts
During acceleration, we push into the ground longer to build momentum. But once at max velocity, the longer your foot stays on the ground, the more it slows you down.
The key to sustaining top speed is making your ground contacts short and fast. The quicker you can hit the ground and bounce back off, the less you'll slow down with each stride.
Simply put:
Quick ground contacts → less braking → longer-lasting top speed.
How to Train Quick Ground Contacts:
Pogos & Single-leg hops: Focus on minimal ground contact time rather than maximum jump height.
Drop catches and oscillatory lifts in the gym: Teach your muscles to contract and relax quickly under load, enhancing rapid force application.
Prioritizing these exercises regularly ensures you spend less time on the ground, enabling you to sustain maximum velocity for longer during those game changing sprints.
The #1 Physical Quality for Rugby 7s Speed: Coordination
All of these physical characteristics—strength, horizontal force, elasticity, and quick ground contacts—can significantly boost your speed on the rugby pitch. But without one key element, these qualities won’t matter much: coordination.
When sprinting at high speeds, your body must coordinate rapid limb movements, forceful strides, and precise timing. Without good coordination, you won't fully harness your strength or elasticity, and your speed training won't transfer effectively onto the pitch.
We could discuss countless drills designed to perfect sprint mechanics, but let's keep it simple. The easiest, most effective way to improve your sprint coordination for rugby 7s is, quite simply:
Sprint regularly.
Unless you're recovering from an injury (in which case, it’s time to head over to the SC Academy application page!), regular sprinting should always be present in your training program. Sprinting itself naturally builds the physical qualities you need and simultaneously enhances the coordination required to sprint fast, effectively, and safely.
Final Note:
Speed training—and training in general—can seem daunting with so much conflicting information available. If you want to feel confident your training will deliver real results, without confusion or unnecessary complexity, check out the SC Academy page and apply to work directly with me.
