A skill is a correctly selected technique performed under pressure. There are a number of skills in rugby that don’t need players to be ‘skilful’, they just need players to perform them quickly. One of those is ball placement.
Good ball placement gives the attacking team a greater chance of retaining the ball in the contact area and therefore continuing the attack.
Use Attacking ball placement, a session from our EasiCoach curriculum, to help younger players understand how to get into the correct positions for ball placement.
More experienced players can use a style of ball placement called Turtle and Snap. Mark Mapletoft, assistant coach at Harlequins, sets out how to coach this technique and then put it into a warm-up exercise.
For a full session, try out the Practice Plan called Ball placement, which demonstrates the need to use a variety of styles of placement, depending on the type of contact a player takes.
Finally, you can use Eamonn Hogan’s Jack-knife drill to practise ball placement in a game-like context.
Here are my top tips for ball placement:
Fight to the ground after the tackle, making it harder to steal the ball.
Make a movement on the ground, like a roll or twist, before placing the ball.
Place the ball back with two hands, to keep control of the ball.
One sign of a well coached team is the quality of the ball placement after the tackle. These vital moments can give you the best chance for recovery and continuity. Your players need to use a variety of styles of placement, depending on the type of contact they take.
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By Eamonn Hogan, experienced rugby coach working with representative teams in the UK and the US Overview This exercise will allow players to begin the process of game-related practice with ball placement. Set-up Put players in pairs by a marked line on the field or a line of cones. One player with a ball lies... MORE
Use this activity to develop evasive movement before contact. The players start with a jump before accelerating, changing angles and then accelerating away again. Ideal as a warm up exercise. MORE
New skills Full tackle (completing the tackle) 1 v 1 ruck 2 v 1 and 2 v 2 mauls (RFU rules) Tackle jackle (stealing the ball from the tackled players before a ruck is formed) Body position into contact to avoid a maul Scrum profiles Core skills from U9s rugby Ball placement Short passing Passing... MORE
Phil Davies explains how you can train forwards to set up from rucks to attack using a simple triangle shape. He outlines the key running lines from players "coming around the corner", or coming back from the touchline. MORE
Develop your players’ ability to get into the best positions to support the ball carrier. They have to react to the speed of the ball carrier and his likely pass, so good communication is imperative. MORE
Like other disciplines, rugby has a jargon of its own.
Unless the meanings are explained they can be meaning-less.
That's why I've explained them in plain, simple English and with large, clear illustrations in my manual Rugby Tactics Made Simple.
But not only that, you'll learn how to coach the tactics with my tips. If you’re new to coaching or prefer a more simple style this is a great, straightforward introduction to rugby tactics.
"It highlights the key fundamentals of all aspects of play & gives coaches a good understanding of terminology and techniques at the highest level"- Richard Whiffin, assistant coach at London IrishMORE
Anxious about coaching rugby to children? Maybe you're already coaching, but sometimes struggling to get your points across at training?
Perhaps you sometimes simply run out of preparation time? Possibly you're feeling your sessions are getting dull?
Do you want a few new skills to boost your player's skills now? Or to help your players develop the techniques for seasons ahead? Maybe even the core skills for their whole rugby playing career?
Here's the answer... MORE
