Rugby | Contact Skills

Move 90 degrees round covering the ball and holding with one hand. Outreach to present the ball with both hands. Stay on your front at all times. 

Setup: Set up with 4 players with pads, and four players facing them about five metres away. There should be enough space between the players to ensure that they and the players making the hit are safe. The rest of the players fall in behind the leading 4 players who will be making the first hit. Each group of four will go together. The players holding the pads should do so with one hand on each strap, not with one arm through both straps as this exposes them to a lower arm fracture on a big hit. Have more than one group if necessary, as you don't want to have players waiting for more than 20-30 seconds between hits. Start slowly to get the technique right, and build from there. Tell the hitting players to raise their elbows 90 degrees or more. They will notice that their shoulders get bigger. Demo this with another coach if necessary.

Setup: Set up with 4 players with pads, and four players facing them about five metres away. There should be enough space between the players to ensure that they and the players making the hit are safe. The rest of the players fall in behind the leading 4 players who will be making the first hit. Each group of four will go together. The players holding the pads should do so with one hand on each strap, not with one arm through both straps as this exposes them to a lower arm fracture on a big hit. Have more than one group if necessary, as you don't want to have players waiting for more than 20-30 seconds between hits. Start slowly to get the technique right, and build from there. Tell the hitting players to put their hands behind their backs and make a hit on the pad using their shoulder. Remind them to keep their head up and to place their head to the side of the pads. Demo this with another coach if necessary.

The aim of the drill is to develop a strong profile, protecting the ball

5 stage progression session.  Bibs. Balls  Cones.  1. Warm up - Wrestle  One player with the ball trys to fight their hips away from the other play who fights to to keep his/her hips infront of the other player.  2. 50% Side --> Front Tackle Players start on oppsoite side of grid. Ball Carrier runs across while the defender makes a tall tackle, whist trying to get his hips in a front on position. Low to High hit, aiming for under the elbows or ball.  3. 2nd Defender introduced.  Double team tackle. Inside player hits low to high under elbow, keeping hips square. The second player aims for the ball and fights to keeps attacker off the ground.  4. Rugby Netball in 7m x7m grid .  Attacking team tries to complete 8 passes while the defending team tries to complete a choke tackle on one of the attacking players. Turn over once a choke tackle has been successfully executed.  5. Contact Game  Half pitch contact game, with defending team aiming to complete a choke tackle. Turn over when one is made. 

Aim to develop good tackle habits through repetitive practice. Using pads allows you to train with intensity whilst lowering the impact on the body. Set up two lines of players 5 metres apart Attackers start on the 5 metre line with a tackle pad and defenders start on the try line A coach or non participating player will stand behind the defending players (tacklers) and indicate the direction the attacking players run by raising their arm. The attacking players (with pads) take 2 steps forward and then step 45 degrees and try to score on the try line. The defending line need to communicate (whatever the teams call for getting off the line), eg READY READY UP (when attack moves – ball is lifted in a match) The defending line come off the line and complete a tackle and reset to go again.

Ball  Tackle Suits  Players around the outside pass the ball around with eachtoher until coach blows his whistle.  Whoever has ball in hand then attacks the defender in the middle.  The two players closest (1,2) become the clear out players with the attacking player with the ball.  The 3rd layer on the outside becomes the Jackler, after the player in the middle has made a low chop tackle. 

Groups of 3+  Bag  Sausage 2 player starts on his chest infront of the sausage, another player lines up opposite. When whistle is blown, the first player makes a chop tackle on the bag and rolls out the way.  The second defender then then spider carwls over the sausage and clears the incoming bag holder. 

-4 bags -2 sausages.  Put players on each bag, sausage and 2 defenders at the end of the grid.  There are 4 working attacking player.  Step 1 - Complete 2 shoulder clears on the opposing tackle bags.  Step 2 - 2 attackers nominate themselves to tackle the sauages.  Step 3 - the 2 support players pick the ball up and try complete the 4v2 (tackling players need to bounce up of feet quickly) 

30 + players - Teams of 10/13 Bibs  Balls  1. Shoulders on - low intensity Shoulders on contact game on half a pitch, contiton is on the tackler. Tackler must perform a down up after shoulder on contact, immediatly after he/she needs to get into a good body postion to compete at the break down.  Attacking team must put 2 people into the breakdown to prevetn threat stealing the ball.  3 teams are working in rotation, to ensure the working team is always active.  2. Same game - increaced intensity (now the defender can steal the ball if can get to it)  Attcking team must show urgency to remove the threat at the break down.  Defending team must adjust and maintain good body postition at the breakdown. 

Players start in a bear crawl position with a cone on their back. They should crawl 5-10 metres forwards and then back whilst keeping the cone stable. Focus on staying low in a strong body position, perfect to warm up for tackling.

Ball carrier goes into contact with the tackle pads. Break through and offload to a supporting player.

Ball carrier goes forward, hitting in on the shield, turning to pop the call to a support player who passes the ball across the grid into the second channel for the first player in the opposite channel to take and advance on the the shield in their channel. They hit in on the shield, turning to pop the ball to a support player who then passes the ball to the next receiver in the first channel. Keep going, but don't forget to change the players on the tackle shields.

Groups of 2 Bags Balls Contact conditioning  1. Body height clear out work In there groups, do contact hits on each shoulder. Stand 2m apart and take turns doing hits against bag 2. Crocodile role One player lies on top of a tackle sausage (long way round), the group of 4 take turns swapping roles of being tackled and tackler. Focus is the crocodile role. 3. Clear out. One player stands over the top of tackle bag competing for the ball. Other player arrives from 2m away to clear out the player, to prevent the threat of stealing the ball. 3. Bounce and compete Players lay either side of the a ball. When whistle goes, both players bounce off the floor, one competes for the ball while the other focuses on clear out or crocodile role. Do 3 sets of 2mins. Repetitive drill.

Set up a 5mx5m grid Work in fours - two attacker and two defender The ball is fed from a player from the 1st defending player who also holds the tackle pad and will simulate the ‘jackal’ threat player in the 2v2 The first attacking player receives the ball and engages the pad holder and passes to the second attacking player The second attacking player engages the second defender (tackler) and bounces out to a weak shoulder The first attacking player (inside clear out) and the 1st defending player (jackler) then try and race to support The inside clear looks to support the attacker and clear out the jackler

Groups of 10+  Tackle bags  Cones step 1 - players perform a down up - chest to the floor.  Step 2 - Players make a double shoulder hitbetween 2 bags opposite. Step 3 - active player moves down the line to hit the next group of 2 bags.   At the end players start again, aim to do 2/3 min sets then swap the bags. 

Player with the ball runs into contact and passes the ball out to the supporting player whom inturn passes it to the other side of the grid for the practice to repeat on the other side.

2 players minimum  Tackle Sausage   -Crocodile roll is one technique to repmove threats from a breakdown. most useful for smaller players to move larger ones.   -Require control, power, accuracy. Identify if croc roll is the right technique to use.  - Target the defenders upperback/lower neck region.  - Initate the clear out by big shoulder contact into that area, set feet wide, then bearhug the defender  - Use momentum and rotate hips downwards, maintain strong grip and roll palyer off the ball.  - Finish movement on top of player and compete for ball. 

Tackler starts on their knees. As the ball carrier gets closer the tackler steps up to give them more power and punches through to give them more power. The tackler drives through and finishes on top.

Some older players giving a technically correct demonstration.