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Height is right
Tackling from the side helps players gain confidence when it comes to developing front-on tackling. However, they have to make contact at the right height to make it worthwhile.
WHY USE IT
This activity focuses on making shoulder contact at the correct height.
SET UP
A 10m square, one ball per pair, nine red cones, one blue cone, one green cone.
how to do it
- Play 1v1. Both players start at the middle red cone, facing their own coned gates. To one side is a blue cone, the other a green cone. On your call of “GO” the players run to their gate.
- As they begin their return to the middle, you call a colour cone for the ball carrier to attack and the defender aims to tackle them side-on and low here.
- Once both players have made a number of correct side-on tackles, bring the middle cone into play. When you call “RED”, the ball carrier goes straight, forcing the defender into a front-on tackle.
TECHNIQUE
- Sight the target area early.
- Close down the space quickly.
- Tackler aims to get their feet close to the attacker and make shoulder contact mid-thigh.
- After contact, tackler continues to drive their legs and wraps their arms around the attacker’s legs (“ring of steel”) until ball carrier is brought to ground.
- On your shout of “Go” the attacker and defender run back to their coned gates
Related Files
- The defender then aims to make a side-on tackle before the ball carrier gets to the cone
- Call out a coloured cone for the ball carrier to run to
- Develop by having the defender make a front-on tackle by calling out the colour of the middle cone
- Change attacker and defender at regular intervals
Dan Cottrell
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