LTPDst3cover.qxd (Page 1) - Scottish Rugby Union

AVOIDING HEAD-ON TACKLE30m20mSET-UP DIAGRAMSCORING ZONESCORING ZONE10mActivity Mirror drillObjective Attacker utilises clever and effective foot work to beat the defender in aman-on-man situation.Key Factors1. Drop centre of gravity in order to change direction effectively (drop hips).2. Keep head in neutral and eyes up in order to read the defender’s body language.3. Manipulate defender through moving him/her in one direction followed by a step andacceleration in the opposite direction (usually only a slight turn of shoulders is needed).Equipment RequirementsBalls 6 or more Bags n/a Area 15m x 10mCones 1 stack Suits n/a Players In pairsShields n/a Bibs 6 Time 10-15minsPractice DescriptionAttacker starts with a ball in hand in the middle of the blue square facing the defenderwho is lined up in the middle of the red square. The attacker can move to any blue coneand return to the middle and the defender needs to mirror the movement. The aim is tomove so quickly that the defender cannot follow. On the coach’s whistle the attacker willrun forward leaving the blue box at the front end and attempt to beat the defender andscore without leaving the channel. The defender can leave the red box at the front end onthe whistle and attempts to tackle the attacker - remember that the tackle is onlycompleted once the tackler is back to his/her feet and contesting the ball!5m5m5mSET-UP DIAGRAMSCORING ZONESCORING ZONEActivity Evasion touch/scragObjective Encourage players to evade a head-on tackle/touch and utilising footwork toaccelerate through the spaces. This will enable go-forward and createscoring opportunities.Key Factors1. Scan to identify space before the ball is received.2. Avoid head-on tackles through effective footwork and acceleration through space whilstkeeping the eyes up to read defence and look for support.3. Support players run towards ball carrier after line break - anticipation is key .Equipment RequirementsBalls 1 Bags n/a Area 30m x 20mCones 1 stack Suits n/a Players 12Shields n/a Bibs 6 Time 10-15minsPractice DescriptionStart with a 6 v 6 touch game on a 30m x 20m pitch where a head-on touch with two handson chest forces the attack to retreat to their own try line. The defence can’t get closer than10m to the attacking try line. A side-on touch allows the player to offload within twoseconds (encourage player to accelerate past the defender before offload).Practice Progression / RegressionsProgression 1: Head-on touch also becomes a turnover which will force players to workhard to get into the spaces.Progression 2: Move onto scrag where the attack need to retreat to their own try line ifthe defence can get shoulder contact in the scrag.Progress - If no support within 2 metres then turnover.Practice Progression / RegressionsProgression 1: Attacker has the option of moving in any direction within the blue squareand is not restricted to the blue cones.Progression 2: Add a defender starting at the opposite scoring zone behind the attackerwho will chase the attacker from behind on the whistle - this will force the attacker toaccelerate and utilise footwork at pace which is more game specific.66