Weak shoulders? Close those gaps
This session looks at the ball carrier attacking the weak shoulder but is more about defenders avoiding this problem. A weak shoulder is where the defender is attacked on the side he is not set up to tackle on so normally the attacker can step inside. The two activities will help players gain better balance before making a tackle.
This session looks at the ball carrier attacking the weak shoulder but is more about defenders avoiding this problem. A weak shoulder is where the defender is attacked on the side he is not set up to tackle on so normally the attacker can step inside. The two activities will help players gain better balance before making a tackle.
Warm up time: 5
Session time: 6-9
Development time: 6-9
Game time: 15-20
Warm down time: 7
What to think about
Tracking is a key tackle skill where the defender moves in close to the ball carrier before making the tackle. He needs to stay upright as long as he can. He should also stay “inside” the attacker with his shoulders facing up the pitch if possible. He should not commit to the tackle until the ball carrier comes into his tackle zone, that is one step from the tackler.
set-up
- Plot a line to cut down the ball carrier.
- Stay inside the ball carrier and upright before committing to the tackle.
- Drive your head past the ball carrier with arms wrapping him up as the shoulder makes impact with the side of the ball carrier.
What you get your players to do
Set up a feeder, attacker and defender as in picture 2. The feeder passes the ball to the attacker who aims to score either over the 2 point line or the 1 point line. The defender has to make sure he does not give up his “inside” and still make a tackle on the “outside”. He may have to give up some ground to stop the outside attack.
Make sure the players swap sides so they work on both shoulders. Use touch tackling, where the defender has to get two hands on to the ball carrier.
Turning the hips and shoulders to cover the outside break exposes the weak shoulder and allows the defender to be stepped.
Development
Use full-on tackling.
Change the widths of the boxes.
Match up fast v slow, big v small to see what solutions they come up with.
A defender, starting on one edge of a line has to protect that line and then if the attacker decides to go on the outside, cut him down before he makes the next line.
Game situation
Put four attackers and two defenders in the box, with a feeder at one side (see picture 3). Once the feeder passes the ball, the attack has to score at the far end. They can only run forward, but can pass left or right.
Allow no rucks or offloads. After a score or an infringement, start the same group but from the other side. Swap roles after an attempt from each side.
Two defenders try to stop four attackers from scoring. The attackers must be running forwards at all times.
What to call out
- “Do not ‘plant’ too early, keep on your toes as long as possible”
- “Close down the space between you and the attacker, but on your terms”