Land on two feet and go!

This session builds up a simple skill: Landing on two feet and stepping away from contact is a pre-sidestep motion It is a good technique for all players. When moving at speed and with a potential tackler in pursuit, they can jump, land and step, either to beat the defender or offload.

Warm up time: 5-7
Session time: 7-10
Development time: 10-15
Game time: 10-15
Warm down time: 5-7

What to think about

Ideally the player should have two hands on the ball when he lands. However, he might find it easier to jump and land with one hand on the ball. Start by encouraging two-handed landings because this gives the players flexibility to pass. In reality, the best players can do either. Since the player needs to step both ways, he should land with his feet just outside his shoulder line. The key is to land with a slight knee bend and not sink too far before driving off.

set-up

1. Jump and land on two feet, with hips and shoulders square.
2. Drive to one side and accelerate away.

What you get your players to do

For each group of four players, set up a ruck pads and tackle tube obstacle course (see picture 1). Give each group a ball and place two players at each end of the course. Carrying the ball, the first player jumps over the pad obstacle, landing on two feet, before jumpstepping to one side of the tube. He runs to the end and passes the ball to the next player. Make sure all players jump-step to both the left and right of the middle obstacle.