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Contents 1 Tackling 101 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Diving 1.3 Hitting the Heavy Bag 1.4 Simple Drill Tips on Heavy Bag

Tackling 101

Introduction

Google "Football Defense" and see hundreds of Videos and books come up for sale to teach you how to Defend. Google "Rugby Defense" - Nothing. Its like to Rugby, Defense simply doesn't exist. In South Africa the position of Defense Coach does not even exist, let alone the "Defense coaching team". We pay lip service to it. We have very little pride in Defense and there are simply no drills or manuals on how to develop Defense or even how to develop tackling technique. We count "jump on your back" tactics as tackles, when in fact they are lost ground! Our top international players guard goal line at the side of the ruck, standing upright with their hands on their knees. The vast majority of adult Rugby players were never taught tackling as children.

Here is the good news - Its is comeplely false to believe that Tackling is a mental game or sign of courage. Tackling can be taught and there is a method.

Diving

This is a picture off the front page of the RFU Website. Its a scene played out thousands of times in any South African or English town between 2-30 and 4-30 on any Week day winter afternoon. You can hear the coach screaming for the kid to hit the bag harder and go in lower. We have all been there. Now this is right in front of the coach's eyes and right in front of yours! This picture is why 25 years later top international players still can't tackle.

The Kid hitting the bag has his head down, his legs straight, his back curved bent (no Lordotic arch), he hasn't a hope in hell of making a decent impact and half a second from now he is going to plough his face into the ground. Next time you pass a field, stop and look at these kids hitting the bag - it looks like boys diving into a swimming pool. He is going to feel discomfort from this action. If he doesn't do it hard enough he is regarded as a sissy. Somewhere in these excersises he is going to hurt his neck and/or his shoulders.

We are teaching him to go off his feet and hit the ground. The whole object of a tackle is to stay on your feet and make the other guy go off his. Don't believe me? Step through any game video and watch how often Internatioankl standard players voluntarily, uninvited, dive off their feet we see it so often we take it for granted. Its the Rugby equivalnet of the Soccer dive.

Can you believe that something we have done for so long, something so fundemental is wrong? How are we ever going to undo 25 years of this in our top teams? As professionals we are not alone. My dentist who worked in Ascot for 20 years tells me that the reason my gums are receding is that Dentists got it wrong in the sixties teaching us to brush up and down. Nowdays they teach kids to brush sideways.

This is how I teach Kids to tackle

Head is up and accross the front of the body of the runner, his power step is left leg/left shoulder, the bag moves towards him simulating a player. He stays on his feet and drives the bag back to me with his legs Pumping. He has a helmet and pads and feels no discomfort even when hitting at 110% of his game day hit. We can do this for 40 minutes if we have to, until we get it right. We do this exersise 48 hours before the game. Its like Piano or Golf - it goes off after 2 days if you don't do it!

Still dont beleive me? Look at the body language of the kids waiting to drill in the Rugby pic - hands and arms crossed - apprehensive. This drill is a chore to them. Look at the kids in the Gridiron Pic already in the hitting position eager to get in. Why? This drill is a thrill. Because we set it up to give them a rush. He is going to smack that bag back into me.

When you train defenders properly, they will be tackling their buddies in the locker room.

Hitting the Heavy Bag

1. Learning The Hit begins with hitting the heavy bag.
2. Start Gently! Focus on angle and technique before power.
3. Start With absolutely no step.
4. In the picture the hitter (in stripes) is coming off his power foot (the right foot)
5. He hits into the bag with his right shoulder.
6. Important is that his back is straight and his head is up.
7. Eyes are Open!

1. He makes contact with his right shoulder first.
2. The head is across the front of the bag.
3. He slam the forearms into the target.
4. Keep a wide Foot Base
5. Begin driving upwards.
6. He keeps his feet on the ground – driving. The bag must come off the ground.

At first concerntrate in the technical points, we can hit hard later.

Wrong

The Way you have always done it!

1. No strong support behind bag, players dives and collapses the bag onto the ground (hurting himself in the process).
2. Do not “dive” where your feet leave the ground.
3. Do not go in with your head down and your back curved.
4. You will have no power and worse absolutely no idea of where to direct it.
5. You must not reach down to grab his legs.
6. You must drive him up and off the ground!

Simple Drill Tips on Heavy Bag

Not all of us have complex apparatus, here are simple Drill Tips to how you can improve the use of the heavy bag.

• Install a small piece of Velcro on the side of the bag and onto a ball so that you can attach a ball. This will teach the tackler to go head towards the ball and to "strip", by hitting at the ball. This concept will also teach players when carrying the ball to have the hand over the Spike of the ball to secure it as we go into contact.

• Do not let him dive off his feet. Tacklers must learn to stay on their feet and drive the opponent backwards. Its a complete misdirection getting them to go in Low. A good tackle starts from low but it is upward. Alway support and provide resistance to the heavy bag. It is supposed to simulate an Opponent.

• Use a Boxing Bag, or added supporting Straps to your Heavy Bag. In the case of really young boys a Grunt, can carry the bag around giving him a moving target. For heavier bags you may need a weight lifting bar supported by two carriers. Try to give the player a moving target.

• A good exersise is to get him to lift the bag up and back over his head. This also help develop explosiove srength. Variation (which the kids love)- Get him to Spike the bag hard back into the ground - yellow card style. You can also vary this exersise by placing a bar or have othere hold a rope in front of the bag and making the tackler come under the rope first before hitting the bag. This will teach The Breakdown and will get him hitting upwards from a low base.

• Half the problem with tackling is getting them into the Hitting Position. START SLOWLY. He does not have to move fast or hard. First step is he must get his form and his poise right. The Kid in the foreground in Red is right. Can you see the faults in the others?

• Let go of the exersise of begining with them on their knees. This is wrong. A tackle is done with the legs, on the ground and driving. Have the coach stand behind the bag and make the tackler look up and into your eyes. He must keep his eyes open in contact.