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Slow down
It seems counter-intuitive, but decelerating before rugby contact is essential. How often have you seen a would-be tackler stepped past simply because he is moving up too fast?
There are two reasons why it is important for a rugby player to slow down before contact:
Shorten the stride
As he slows down, the player will shorten his stride and bring his feet underneath him for balance. This position prepares him for the next phase of the action.
You can make your players think about taking more steps in the last few metres before the contact. If they bend at the hips as well, the stride naturally shortens.
Accelerate
With a short stride and a balanced body, the player is in a perfect position to accelerate into the contact situation. He lines up the target with his shoulder and then rapidly increases his stride speed to give maximum force into contact.
He must keep his head up and his back straight so the power from his legs is efficiently transferred to his shoulder.
Keep driving
Once he has made contact, the player needs to keep his legs driving through the contact. Using short fast steps, the aim now is to drive the target back.
This article is from www.greenstarmedia.net/&sKey=">Rugby Coach Weekly.
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