Turning tackling into defence with games

Whisper safety first

All contact skills must be practised in a safe, controlled environment. The better prepared players are, the lower their risk of injury.

Safety and good technique go hand in hand. By consistently practising correct technique under pressure, players develop strong habits that naturally create a safer playing environment.

However, repeatedly emphasising a technique is ’safe’ can have the opposite effect – making players question whether everything else is dangerous. 

Instead, focus on creating the right environment, progressing skills at the right pace, and reinforcing sound technique. When this is done well, there’s no need to talk about safety – it becomes ingrained in how the game is played.

Overstressing safety can make nervous players even more hesitant, causing them to shy away from contact or fail to brace properly, increasing the risk of injury. Build confidence through preparation, and safety will take care of itself.

Takeaways

• Good technique is safe technique
• Don’t scare the players by talking about safety, just practise safely

Make ’real’ real

In live match situations, there is a huge variety of tackles to be made and missed. You can’t hope to train each one in isolation over the whole season.

The players need the key principles in place, and then to find ways to solve each tackle problem as they arise.

In training games, you can create various possible tackle scenarios. A player may be faced with a different angle or player in each. 

However, you must temper the scenarios so the players are not compromised. For example, “tackling bulldog” – with a group of attackers running across a box, where any defender can tackle any of these players – isn’t productive. It’s also dangerous.

Real games that turn tackling into defence allow the two defenders to tackle one attacker, and reduce the instances of 1v1 tackles. For developing players, you can use an overloaded game, where there are more defenders than attackers – or, to keep the sides even, play ’Two-In’ (see below).

Takeaways

• Games create more scenarios than drills
• Play real games for defence, where there’s only one ball, so only one focus

Grab tackle rugby

England and Wales allow grab tackles as legitimate tackles at U9s. You can use this as part of your defence training in games, whatever the age.

Instead of full tackles, you can say that a player who is grabbed has three seconds to pass the ball. A player who is grabbed by two defenders loses possession.

Don’t allow interception passes, or the tackler to grab onto the ball. A grab is with both arms, and not by just holding the shirt.

To make the players think and adjust, make the pitch a rectangle (something like 20m x 30m). Alter the direction of play, so that, sometimes, double tackles are easy and, at other times, the defence will be more stretched.

As the game goes on, you can add in a rule where a tackle to ground means a turnover if the ball carrier can’t pass within three seconds. This rewards the better tacklers.

Takeaways

• Reward ’defence’ with turnovers for double tackles
• Build up contact confidence with grab tackles to start