Scan when you can

How to coach it

Individual rules

Give specific players rules so that their team-mates and the opposition have to scan in order to work out which player has a rule and where on the field they are.

The rules could be:

• Player X can ignore the first touch-tackle
• If Player X makes a tackle, it triggers an instant turnover
• Player X can’t pass
• Player X can’t tackle

Depending on how that goes, you could make it easier or harder by adapting the rules and who is aware of what information.

To make it easier, you could:

• Tell everyone which rules apply and to whom
• Identifying the a rule-restricted player with a specific-coloured bib or a headband

Alternatively, you could make it a little harder by:

• Telling the rule-restricted player’s own team about the rule, so the opposition needs to work it out
• Telling the opposition, so the rule-restricted player’s team need to work it out
• Making the rules a secret by not telling anyone. Referee the rule so the players have to work it out as the game plays
• Telling the player who has the rule but everyone else needs to work it out
• Telling everyone except the rule-restricted player, so that player has to work it out

Touch rugby rules

You can use touch rugby and build in rules that encourage more scanning, like drop-out touch – where one player drops back to their try line upon each tackle.

You can use these rules to decide which player drops back each time.

• The coach chooses who drops back
• Each team has a bibbed player that they can pass around. Whoever has the bib when the tackle is made drops back. This encourages the teams to scan - the defending team will try to reduce the impact of the drop out when they choose who drops back, while the attacking team will try to identify who is going to drop out and target that space
• The players choose who drops back
• Number the players - number 1 drops back on the first tackle, number 2 on the second and so on.

If players find these too hard...

Scanning can be introduced to younger or less able players by incorporating it into your sessions as ’scaffolding’ (which you implement, then gradually remove).

Breakdown countdown/freeze

After each tackle, freeze the ball for three seconds. This gives all players time to scan and move.

Players will experience the benefits of scanning. You can then gradually reduce the time of the freeze as your players begin to do it themselves.

This is a good example of the scaffolding process, where aids are gradually removed.

Replay (see illustrations below)

This is a general coaching method but it works very well for scanning.

If the players don’t spot an overload or space to attack, let the phase play out and then ’rewind’ the players back to where they were at the previous breakdown. 

Allow them to scan and move before the ball is played. This will gradually encourage the players to do this independently as they will experience the benefits of the scan and you are linking this to when they should scan by rewinding them.

Games that encourage scanning

’Spaces’

Encourages scanning by:

• Changing the dimensions of the pitch which can create space on the wings or behind the defence. if players spread out to cover the wings they will leave larger spaces between each of them in the defensive line

See full game here

’Colours’

Encourages scanning by:

• Changing the direction of attack - players have to realign quickly due to the change in direction
• Changing the ball that is being used - players need to scan to keep an eye out for where you place the balls so when you call the colour they already know where to go

See full game here