Better football skills in rugby contact

Being effective in rugby contact requires precise footwork skills and an understanding of why they are important. The same skills are required for accelerating into a rugby tackle or clearing a ruck.

Slow down

It seems counter-intuitive, but decelerating before rugby contact is essential. How often have you seen a would-be tackler stepped past simply because he is moving up too fast?

There are two reasons why it is important for a rugby player to slow down before contact:

It allows the player to get balanced before going into contact. He needs to slow down to make sure his feet are underneath him about shoulder width apart before he can make an effective hit.
It allows him to make the necessary lateral adjustments to get in front of his target and make the hit with his shoulder not his arms. (These sideways movements must be made with the feet not the upper body, otherwise the contact will be weak.)

Shorten the stride

As he slows down, the player will shorten his stride and bring his feet underneath him for balance. This position prepares him for the next phase of the action.

You can make your players think about taking more steps in the last few metres before the contact. If they bend at the hips as well, the stride naturally shortens.

Accelerate

With a short stride and a balanced body, the player is in a perfect position to accelerate into the contact situation. He lines up the target with his shoulder and then rapidly increases his stride speed to give maximum force into contact.

He must keep his head up and his back straight so the power from his legs is efficiently transferred to his shoulder.

Keep driving

Once he has made contact, the player needs to keep his legs driving through the contact. Using short fast steps, the aim now is to drive the target back.

This article is from Rugby Coach Weekly.