Welcome to Blog 2 of coaches corner:
Question – What is it? Answer – A weekly blog exploring and developing the theme of COACHING.
Video Analysis, Ideas, Opinions, Facts, the melting pot is explored here.
Written & compiled by:
Nathan Moore: 
BSc (Hons) Sports Science, P.G.C.E
Founder of NM Sports Performance,
Video analyst and Coach for NM Sports Performance
www.nmsportsperformance.co.uk Click Here
BLOG 2 COACHES CORNER: Tackling…… Is there a best way?
Having watched many professional teams play, watched and even participated in many Senior Men’s training sessions, and watched endless amounts of coaches drilling their players, I was keen to look at the tackling technique that players employ in games.
I work in Ladies rugby at the minute, coaching a Ladies rugby team in Belfast which gets new players in nearly every month. Some are current rugby players with some or a lot of experience, others have never touched a rugby ball in their lives, so ensuring technique is there before they get near a pitch is vital. The most common remark I get when we talk about contact and tackling is “I’ve no problem, sure all you do is jump on their back!” I get this from new male and female players…
In fact when working with a Further Education college around 8 years ago I was given a group of players and asked to get them ready for a game the morning of an event!!!! They all said they had experience of rugby and not until the 3rd game in and a serious question to one player on his experience was I told “Of course I have experience of rugby!… I’ve played EA Rugby on the playstation for 3 years!”….
As the physicality of players increase not to mention increases in body mass, tackling technique becomes a very important aspect to any new or experienced player. There are a few types of tackles we will look at.
1) The grab and drop
Many coaches are using this technique of tackling in an attempt to turnover more ball. The theory is that the defending player would allow the attacker to drive into his mid-rift/chest in an attempt to grab the attacker and throw him to the ground. This way the defender can then get the chance to get hands on the ball and turn over possession. Have a watch of the following clips taken from my recordings of some Ulster games and my analysis work around the province.
[youtube Qv3kosdYBHs]
Issues which may arise
On a positive note you are committing essentially 1 attacker and 1 defender to the tackle and ensuing ruck and therefore not having a deficit between attackers and defenders (i.e. more attackers than the defending team can mark).
However at top level rugby, game plans and strategies are built on momentum and “Go forward ball”. Tackling in this fashion in most cases may not halt the momentum of the attacking player and the defending team will almost certainly be knocked back behind the gain-line. This may not be the case if the defender is larger and more powerful than the ball carrier but generally the attackers will gain some yardage if a defender uses this tackle technique.
2) The hip throw
Derived from judo/marital arts, the theory is that when you wrap up a player in a smother tackle, the defender then tries to take the “ball carrier” to the ground by throwing the player using his hip as leverage. The attacking player should be turned towards the defending team and if the defending team are quick enough then they could manage a turnover. Within the games I have analysed I have only really found two reasonable examples of this type of tackle, check these out
[youtube ON8GuVDjvPQ]
Issues which may arise
Mainly can occur around line-outs and 1 on 1 tackling as if an additional attacking player joins in and binds on the ball carrier it is incredibly hard to throw them to the ground facing the defence. Also, similar to the grab and hold technique, it requires the defender to make contact above the hips and legs and therefore can lose yardage on impact which gives forward momentum to the attacking team.
3) The Old School
I call this the old school as it is the tackling technique that the world of rugby have been coached and trained to do since we start the sport. It is the basic front or side tackle where the defender’s contact with the shoulder is below the hips, with the head around the buttocks of the attacking player and the arms are locked around the legs cutting off the power of the attacker. When done with the proper technique and force it cuts of any attack straight away and also allows close defenders to get their hands on a ball and instigate a turnover. Watch the following clips on different types of “old school” tackling and see if you can see something in common?
[youtube 3iSXEZNllfU]
Were you able to see that there were more penalties in the clips for the old school than for the grab and hold technique?
Issues which may arise
Of course there are still issues with this technique such as the ability of the ball carrier to off load in the contact situation, however if the contact is with enough force then the off load may be disrupted as well. The other is getting the technique wrong, if you use the wrong shoulder leaving your head crossing the front of the attackers body, place your feet in the wrong position when entering the contact of the tackle or just making contact with your arm instead of your shoulder…. All these could cause you to be knocked over and the tackle is missed and in many cases this could cost you your place in the team.
So which is best?
All the tackles, as long as they are done with proper technique will bring an attacker to ground. It purely depends on what you want as a coach or as an individual player. If it is to stop the momentum of the attacking team then it would seem that the “old school” techniques should be employed… Just have a look at these photos if you should doubt it.
So as you can see the “Old School technique” can force a team backwards in attack whilst the “Grab and hold technique” allows a forward momentum for any attacking teams.
Now I hear you shout “Well Nathan that is obvious as in the grab and hold he is coming off a scrum so OBVIOUSLY he is going to be beyond the tackle line!” This is a fair point…
Ok so let’s look at it off a ruck in general play:
The “Grab and Hold” in general play.
So in my mind the only way to stop momentum of an attacking team is to use the “old school” technique. If you want to put a two man hit in, then great! Just send in one defender low around the legs and the next defender around the upper body. This will stop the off-load and if the second defender abides by the new laws and releases the attacker then he can go for the ball and more than likely get the turnover or penalty. Watch the Ulster vs Leinster game again and you’ll see that both teams were awarded penalties for not releasing after an “old school” double hit was put in.
So if you are a young player still learning the game or a new player coming into the game or even a coach in the game… Tackle technique is important… no that’s not true… it’s vital to rugby and I hope that the above thoughts and analysis can help in encouraging your players or bettering your future playing.
