Rugby coaching drills to improve aggressive tackling

This is an intensive tackling session that rugby coaches can use to improve a team's poor defensive performance. The rugby drills involved concentrate on three main types of tackle.

What you tell the players to concentrate on in the drills

You are trying to knock the tackle victim off balance using quick, short driving steps when you make contact. Avoid grabbing and "flopping" down off your feet.
Approach the tackle with the arms in close ("chicken wings"), not arms out ("aeroplane arms").
Focus on the ball carrier's core, their torso, not their feet, ball or shoulders. The player will go where their core goes.
Punch your arms out and around the tackle victim and then grip hard.
You must step in to the tackle, with the same foot as the shoulder you will be hitting with. Right foot with right shoulder, left foot with left shoulder.
Keep your eyes open throughout the approach, the tackle and the recovery phases.
Get back to your feet quickly. You must aim to contest the ball if you can.

Basic set up for the drills

All the drills start with four players rounding a cone halfway up the side of 20 metre square box.

The players line up at the end of the box opposite a numbered bag or shield lined across the middle of the box.

Each tackler has a designated shield as a target. Each bag or shield is held by a player, but not by the straps.

setting up practice session for aggressive tackling

setting up practice session for aggressive tackling

Drill 1: The aggressive front on tackle

Stipulate which shoulder you want the tacklers to use. Once the tacklers have run into position, on tackler 1's command they advance together and tackle on the stipulated shoulder.

Get the tacklers to "stomp" their front foot close to the bag/shield. They should drive the bag backwards with three or four quick power steps, tackling the bag to the ground before quickly regaining their feet.

Insist that tacklers do NOT dive into the bag to make the tackle. This is a front on tackle. When do your players ever dive head first into front on tackle?

If they can't drive the bag backwards, then they need to aggressively twist and throw the bag forwards.

Drill 2: The aggressive rear on tackle

This works as the previous drill, but the bag men now run backwards with the bag towards gate 3. The tacklers have to catch up with them, to tackle and drive through the bag.

Drill 3: The aggressive side on tackle

The set up is the same as for drills 1 and 2, but the difference is that once tackler 1 is in position, the bag men will run around a corner cone and towards gate 2 or 4.

You dictate which way all four bags/shield go. The bag carriers must initially stay in number order 1-2-3-4. They follow the leader and run a straight line around the coloured cone to the named gate.

The tacklers go up to the white cones, then immediately break left (gate 2) or right (gate 4) to make the tackle on their numbered bag.
Bags should step into the tackle to add more weight and ensure contact is real and aggressive.