The 'ins' and 'outs' of retaining the ball

why use it

The attacker should be dominating any contact, whether offloading or waiting for support.

Set-up

Two 5m x 2m boxes, with three cones in each to guide the attacker’s foot movements.

HOW TO DO IT

• A defender shuttles between the boxes.
• An attacker loops through both boxes. In the first, they execute an ‘in-to-out’ technique (see top illustration), targeting the tackler’s left shoulder and keeping the ball available for an offload.
• In the bottom illustration, the ‘out-to-in’ technique is used. The ball carrier hits the tackler’s right shoulder, drives down low and awaits support.

TECHNIQUE

In-to-out: In the last few strides, the attacker runs directly at the defender’s left shoulder. In the last stride, they step outside and straighten, aiming to drive past the defender’s left hip, keeping the ball on the outside. This keeps it available for an offload or rip (see inset).

Out-to-in: In the final few strides, the attacker moves away from the defender, then steps back in and drives into their right shoulder. The ball is kept away from the defender as the ball carrier drives forward while he awaits support (see inset).

1. First, the attacker runs ‘in-to-out’ over the cones

2. The attacker steps away from the defender, keeping the ball available for an offload or rip

1. The attacker runs ‘out-to-in’ over the cones
2. The defender runs over into the next box while the attacker runs around the end and into the next box
3. The attacker steps into the defender, keeping the ball away from the opponent. They use their inside arm to go under the defender and drive forward