What does PocketAthlete actually do?

You check in each morning with your sleep, soreness and fatigue. It scores your readiness, adjusts that day's session, and builds four-week training blocks around your sport, your position and the equipment you have.

Is it only for footballers?

No. It covers football, rugby, basketball, running, weightlifting and general gym training, with position-specific work for the team sports.

No. Tell it what you have and it programs around it. Many of the technical drills need nothing but a ball and a wall.

Can it work around an injury?

It works around soreness you log and avoids body parts you tell it to leave alone. It is general training information, not medical advice — see a physiotherapist for a diagnosis.

How should a hooker train?

Powerful, durable and fit for 80 minutes of collisions. Physically, prioritise collision strength, power, power endurance. Technically, work on tackling, breakdown work, handling.

What drills should a hooker do?

Tackle technique on the bag, Ruck arrival & clear-out, Lineout throwing accuracy, Scrum body position. 1 of these need nobody but you.

Rugby · Position guide

How a hooker should train

Powerful, durable and fit for 80 minutes of collisions.

The short answer

A hooker should build collision strength and power, and practise tackling and breakdown work. The drills that matter most are tackle technique on the bag, ruck arrival & clear-out, lineout throwing accuracy. 1 of them need nobody but you.

⚡ Prioritise physically

• Collision strength
• Power
• Power endurance

🎯 Sharpen technically

• Tackling
• Breakdown work
• Handling

Key exercises

Barbell back squat

The foundational lower-body strength lift — carries over to every sport.

Power clean

Trains rate of force development — raw explosive power.

Tackle technique

Safe, dominant tackling technique — the core rugby skill.

Hill sprints

Low-impact way to build sprint power and drive mechanics.

Technical drills for a hooker

1 of these need nobody but you.

Tackle technique on the bag

TacklingNeeds a partner

Setup: A tackle bag or shield and a partner to hold it.

1. Approach in a low, balanced stance — chest over toes.
2. Cheek to cheek: head to the side, never across the front.
3. Wrap both arms, drive with the legs, finish on top.

Volume: 5 × 8 each shoulder

Coaching point: Eyes open, head behind. Every safe tackle starts with head position.

Make it harder: Add a moving bag carrier, then a light live carry.

Ruck arrival & clear-out

ContactNeeds a partner

Setup: A ball on the ground, a shield holder over it.

1. Approach low, take the last step short and wide.
2. Hit through the sternum with a leg drive, not a shoulder barge.
3. Stay on your feet past the ball.

Volume: 6 × 6 arrivals

Coaching point: Lowest man wins. If you're standing tall you're a passenger.

Make it harder: Add a second defender so you have to pick which threat to clear.

Lineout throwing accuracy

LineoutOn your own

Setup: A target at jumping height — a post marking or a partner.

1. Same stance and grip every throw; consistency beats power.
2. Throw flat and fast to the target, following through at it.
3. Call the number before each throw so you're practising under a decision.

Volume: 5 × 12 throws to varied targets

Coaching point: Feet and hips set the line. If your throw drifts, look at your feet before your hands.

Make it harder: Throw after a sprint, so you're doing it with a raised heart rate.

Scrum body position

ContactNeeds a partner

Setup: A scrum machine or a strong partner with a shield.

1. Set with a flat back, hips below shoulders, shins vertical.
2. Bind tight, then drive on the call through the heels.
3. Hold the shape for 5 seconds — the position is the skill.

Volume: 6 × 5-second drives

Coaching point: Spine in line, chin off the chest. A bent back in a scrum is how necks get hurt.

Make it harder: Add a delayed call so you have to hold the set position longer.

Get a program built around you

PocketAthlete builds your program from your sport, your position and how recovered you actually are that morning — then adapts it as you log sessions.

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