Quick ball manipulation allows players to keep the ball free in contact. Then, they can offload it to support players, who are confident they can take a pass from the ball carrier. If the ball carrier half breaks a tackle, he is in a position to offload. Support runners need to run the right lines to support this pass. He also needs to fend off with his inside arm to free up the outside arm.
A feeder passes to a receiver who transfers the ball to his outside arm.
He then attacks the ruck pad holder in front of him and steps out between two pads.
He then offloads the ball with a cat-flap pass to his support player.
The support player runs out and then in to be able to take the pass.
Develop by indicating that the support player must hold his run, making the ball carrier go to ground rather than force an offload.
Further develop by using tackle suits or leg tackles with no pads.
Develop your players’ skills around the tackle area so they can retain possession if there’s no chance to offload the ball. It requires accurate execution and you have a chance to observe whether your players can achieve this.
Players react quickly to a tackle to protect the tackled player against the first threat. It focuses on the first support player being the player who last passed the ball. MORE
The battle that takes place after the tackle is one of the most underappreciated areas of the game. The 5 F’s give you some ideas as to what to develop in players to gain an attacking advantage in these scenarios.
In many instances, we see the attacker as a passive participant in the tackle until they get to the ground. However, in a number of games, it’s frequently the actions of the attacker in these scenarios that can make a difference to the result. MORE
Use this simple ball carrying trick to help your players retain more ball in contact. The session works on developing your players’ ability to rip down the ball just before contact whilst, unusually, targeting a defende MORE
I coach boys ages 14-18, they have the skills and ability...but so often they play like scared kittens. How can I build fire and desire in my players? MORE
Develop better handling skills by forcing the players to manipulate the ball with one hand in and around the contact area. This session picks out some one hand contact situations for players to find solutions. MORE
We’ve five key elements to our club coaching philosophy, one of which is “Protect”. This refers to each other and also to protect the ball. Here’s our ball protection policy. MORE