Understand the whole of defence when you practise

Defensive line speed exercises can end up with lots of speed but poor end results. Let’s break that down into what we are trying to achieve.

1. We want to put pressure on the opposition attack.

2. We want to tackle them well behind the gain line.

3. We want to stop the opposition from executing their plays effectively.

These are not discrete outcomes. They are interwoven and, if they are all done accurately, we might force turnovers.

The interwoven nature means that we should not forget one element in pursuit of another. So, when a coach is asking for line speed, the players must know why and how it fits into their whole defensive approach.

It’s like just practising tackling, but not organisation. The team might be great at putting attackers on the ground, but aren’t in the right alignments enough times to stem the tide of good passing and support play.

Luckily in training, we can isolate parts of the defence process in a way we can’t with a movement skill. 

Therefore, we can:

1. Set out the best position to start from in defence.

2. Develop the appropriate angle and speed to go forward when the attack starts.

3. Further develop the right connections with team-mates to ensure there are no gaps between defenders (though there may be gaps to the side or behind).

4. Help the players discover the best type of tackle to use, based on the relative speed, size and angles of the opposition players.

5. Decide on the best reaction post-tackle.

When you are running the training session and focusing on the tackle, the players need to understand where they are on this continuum, so they can connect it all together.

That’s why, when we say we are working on defensive speed, the players should be aware of the position they are starting from, their connectivity and the type of tackle they might be using. You must mix up both sides of this process, while still concentrating on creating the best speed.

Use the session on page 4 to develop this piece of the jigsaw.

Pads work players

We are under increasing pressure as coaches to reduce contact in training, so using ruck pads to replicate attackers does make some sense. You are practising everything up to the completion of the tackle. To be the most effective, this requires the pad holder to give the tackler the right target. That means the pad should be held tightly into the body, so the tackle can’t be a glancing blow.

A tight pad to the body also allows the tackler to make at least at attempt to wrap their arms around the whole player. Don’t encourage lifting of the legs. Just look for arms going beyond the target, so they at least have a chance of grabbing the pad and player.