EXPERT SESSIONS AND ADVICE FROM QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED GRASSROOTS RUGBY COACHES
We’ve all felt like this before. You leave tackling out of a session for just one week and it’s as if players have never done it before. Here are four simple ways to get them back on track.
Tackling, like passing, is a core skill that should be worked on at every training session. It doesn’t need to be 100% full contact either. Footwork, contact skills positioning and technique can all be worked on using touch or scrag games.
Most missed, or poor, tackles are because the tackler’s feet are too far away from the ball carrier to make an effective shoulder tackle. When you are playing conditioned games of touch always insist on a two-handed touch on the waist. This shows you that the defender has got his feet into a position where he would have been able to make the tackle.
Play 5v3 in a 25m x 10m box. Defenders get a point for every two-handed touch on the ball carrier’s waist (see picture 1). When touched, the ball carrier must go to ground and present the ball – this allows the defenders to get onside and realigned (see picture 2).
Games of scrag are an excellent extension from touch games and allow players to develop tackle technique without making full tackles. In scrag, tacklers stop the ball carrier by holding him rather than making a full tackle.
As referee you call when the tackle is made which gives you control over the games. Any game can be played as scrag and it is excellent for developing footwork, positioning and technique.
Every player I have coached loves full contact walking rugby. Use full rugby laws. The only difference is that players can only walk. This allows them to work on their tackle technique in a low pressure, slow motion situation.
This 1v1 game can be played as touch, scrag or full contact and develops all the skills needed to make effective tackles. A ball carrier and a tackler face each other in an 8m x 4m channel. Midway across the channel is a line of different coloured cones at 2m intervals. You call “GO” and a colour and the
ball carrier runs round the outside of that cone and attempts to beat the tackler.
The tackler has to mirror the ball carrier’s movements and make the tackle as close to the line of cones as he can (see picture 3).
Our problem is that one of our players, who is not small (quite tall and lean), despite training okay with tackling, during a game just doesn’t commit to a tackle. He will be running along in a good position and never move into the tackle. MORE
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Getting close to the ball carrier is a key technique to be able to make an effective tackle. But chasing games don’t help build up the game skills replicated in the game. Try out these four ideas instead. MORE
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Because ball carriers make every effort to avoid being tackled, a defender might find themselves struggling to tackle them…to begin with. It’s how you finish that matters, according to Les Kiss, head coach at London Irish. Dan Cottrell explains… A lot of tackle coaching can be static. The key points are head position, shoulder contact,... MORE
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For the first few years of contact rugby, you will be introducing or re-introducing tackling. Your approach is a key part of maintaining your players’ learning momentum and desire to become better tacklers. Here’s a graduated approach. MORE
in Rugby drills, Tackling
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. MORE
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Get your players used to making side-on or front-on tackles with this high-octane exercise. The tempo will keep the players moving quickly into position and making choices on which tackle to employ. MORE
