Engage defence and pass

BETTER BASICS

A ball carrier who is facing up the pitch engages defences. It also allows them to be able to pass left or right. They should be keeping their hips and shoulders up the pitch, even when they pass. 

They should also keep their hands high throughout the pass. If they drop their hands at the start of the pass, it’s likely to go up. When receiving the pass, it’s better to meet the ball, so if they need to take and give a pass quickly, they can.

training the basics

1. Round the corner

I start with three players running from the side of a ruck pad, and then straightening up to come forward. 

It starts without a ball, focusing on the players getting their outside foot forward as they turn up the pitch. It is particularly important the inside player gets it right.

Though the ball isn’t in play, players should ensure their hands are up, with inside hand towards a potential pass, and the outside hand in front of the body to act as a target.

After running through this a couple of times, we can add in a ball, and then defenders. 

Initially, defenders focus on pressurising the first two players. After that, they can move with the pass, encouraging the attackers to fix and/or dummy the defender.

2. Pass over the pads

To help players keep their hands high in the pass, I will get them to pass over an upturned ruck pad. The players will be kneeling, so the pad is around about the belly button.

Look at both the action and finish, with the hands like shooting a rifle, aiming at the target.

I find that’s it better to tell them to keep the ball high, rather than focus on the exact body movements. We might come back to those later, when the players are close to replicating the action well.

If I start by saying something like “Concentrate on a high elbow”, players overthink it, and the passing doesn’t progress.