Tackling

From TurboCASH Wiki

Tackling can be Taught

There is the belief in SA Rugby that tackling is something that "Comes from the Heart". You hear reputable Coaches saying, "Our Players have the wrong attitude- no pride". The Classic for me was one of them saying "Its up to the players now, the coach is not going to teach them to tackle - they have to go out and do that themselves." Bad tackling is either percieved as cowardice or an overt inability to surpress your feminine side. I have no idea why we wish to restrict ourselves with this concept. It is playing with one hand tied behind our back. If the coach is not going to teach them to tackle - who is?

Tackling is a skill like any other sporting skill, like a Golf Swing. There are simple things to be learned. In the US there is a whole industry built around teaching people to tackle. Millions of Dollars of Equipment are sold each year only for this purpose!

Use The Break Downbefore engaging in contact Keep your eyes open during contact; Keep your head up Retain the lordotic arch Keep a low centre of gravity Balance weight on the toes and keep the feet moving Keep the knees bent and the hands up in preparation In Goal line Defense, stand in a 3 point stance with the inside leg forward Track the runner from a relative position; Step in with the Power step Hit with the head across the front of the runner. A good tackle is down one side, Power step and hit with the same shoulder. Start from a relaxed position and tense up as you hit Blow the energy out through your gum guard. A good tackle is like a golf swing, you can't 'hit from the Top'. It requires timing (a late hit) Tackling requires regular practice, no more than two days gap before the game.

There is a whole repertoire of exercises, to develop and increase the intensity of the above features. These range from simple drills, to complex team drills with specialised equipment. The more resources you are prepared to commit to this, the better you will tackle. This must be backed with a Gym program consisting of HEAVY Weight Training centered around: Squats; Cleans; Snatch; Bench; Deadlift; Overhead Squats; Extra attention to neck building exercises.

You will only learn great tackling BY USING SPECIALISED EQUIPMENT, Tackling Bags. It is prejudice bordering on recklessness to reject specialised equipment like Helmets and Pads, without even knowing it. You would never think of building upper body strength on pressups - you use an Olympic Bench Press. You would never think of injury recovery without specialised physiotherapy machines. Great tackling requires specialised equipment. You need to protect your players while you take them through very intensive hitting drills. If they don't hit intensely in practice, they will not hit intensely in the game. If they hit intensely in practice without protection, they will hurt themselves.

Now get this part - TACKLING GOES OFF IN DAYS. That means that your Thursday night practice must contain hitting. Its like a golfer or a concert pianist. Don't do it and two days later YOU WILL BE SOFT. We hardly ever lose Super 14 players between team announcement on Wednesday and trot out on Saturday. Risk a few more players with hard late practice, but put your whole team out there HARD.