I’ve been talking tackling to plenty of coaches in the last few weeks. That’s not unusual. Therefore, I wanted to share with you one of my favourite tackling “drills”: High pressure tackling reactions. I say drill because it’s a 1 v 1 exercise.
However, though it has a drill element, it also has the defender making decisions on which type of tackle to use.
In the end, most of the tackles will be a mix of front-on and side-on. The principles of a good tackle remain the same for both types of tackle:
Get close.
Head tight into the side of the ball carrier.
Shoulder contact and grip hard.
The legs active through the tackle to unbalance the ball carrier.
Finish the tackle and recover.
This exercise gives the tackler little time to think about anything but getting close to the ball carrier. They turn and react, while the ball carrier is naturally aiming to avoid the tackler.
When I run this exercise, I aim to praise a tackler who gets most of the “tackle” right, even if they don’t eventually bring down the ball carrier. In this case, it’s getting close enough to make contact with the shoulder.
It should be a rapid-fire exercise, with lots of tackles made and players must be on their toes to be in position for the next go.
Use quick feedback on what went well in each tackle, challenging a player to make small improvements each time. Don’t stop the exercise too often. It’s better when the players are tired because it’s more game-like.
In Hard and Fast with the Miss Pass, we set up a “miss pass” training session. The miss pass is a long pass which skips one player, with the missed player drawing a defender in the process. MORE
A hard and fast flat miss pass can cut out defenders before they have a chance to change their running angles. It can lead to clean breaks as your attackers exploit the gaps.
By scanning the line and hitting the ball at an angle towards a space, the ball carrier is going to be almost impossible to stop. MORE
Training games, like touch rugby or contact games, tend to be competitive.
They should have:
Context: the players should know, either before or after the game, the reason you are playing. Fun/enjoyment are a given. However, what are the potential rugby outcomes?
Points: the players will want to know what the score is, and what the points system is.
Now, let's spice this up MORE
Already leaked more tries than you expected this season. Here's some cures to shore up your defensive line, which concentrate on technique, skills and organisation. Remind your players of what they do well and then help them to address their weaknesses. MORE
If you are coaching adult rugby, then you are probably already beginning to put in some elements of contact into your preparation programme for next season. If you are coaching youth rugby, then you need to carefully consider the regulations about contact rugby. For example, in England for under 11s and below, you won't even start "contact" of any sort until the actual season starts. MORE
Use our two simple tactics to pull defences one way and then kick the other to surprise them and give your chasers a good chance of gathering the kick unopposed. MORE