
A scrum machine, or scrummaging machine, is a padded, weighty device against which a pack of
rugby forwards can practice
scrummaging and rucking. The purpose of the scrum machine is to provide teams with a safe tool with which to improve the strength and skills of their players.
The ideal engagement of a pack into a scrum is a simultaneous movement in the hit, shunt and drive. It is the instantaneous force exerted that makes the difference, not the sum of all the forces over time. Even small packs that coordinate in this fashion and hit 'on the beat' can control their scrums consistently.
A similar piece of equipment called a
blocking sled is used by
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
players.
Scrum machine types
The most common types are either the sled or the roller. However, there are others, often for specific purposes or needs:
* Roller machine
* Indoor
* Junior, for training children
* One-man, against which forwards, rather than a pack, can practice their scrum skills
* Portable, often abled to be folded down, and with a container on the back which can be filled with sand or water to bolster weight
* Trailer, which can be attached and detached from a vehicle
* Skid mounted (Kiwi sled), timber or galvanised steel skids on the base with push back pads
See also
*
Rugby union equipment
References
External links
The Hurricanes' forwards hit the scrum machine
{{Rugby union equipment
Rugby league equipment
Rugby union equipment
Exercise equipment