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Rugby: Ball Tag

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Heather, Rugby Coach

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Make sure that you have your warm-up area marked out before your players arrive, it's important that you get them working right away.

You can decide to play this game in smaller grids, or a larger playing area with the entire team. If using small grids, they can be 10 meters x 10 meters - and mark out as many as you need depending on the size of your team.
If playing in a large area with the entire team, have two players working as taggers. The rest will be attackers - running around the playing area trying to avoid the taggers/defenders.
If playing in a smaller area, have 2 defenders/taggers and 6 attackers. Give the taggers/defenders a ball each.
Keep your law briefing, brief! It's important to get the players working as soon as possible.
Tell the players that the two players with the balls will be chasing and looking to tag the rest of the players.
If you get tagged, you join the taggers team. Play the game until all players are tagged.
The last two players tagged, become the first two taggers for the next game.
The ball cannot be thrown.

COACHING POINTS

You don't need to focus on all or any other the following coaching points; you may have some of your own! If you do decide to use the following, pick the ones that match your training goals for this session.

Attackers move, changing direction in order to avoid contact and attack space.
Ball carriers carry the ball in two hands.
Communication between attackers identifies defenders, their location etc.
Attackers work to draw defenders away from attackers that may be getting cornered.
Attackers use changes in foot speed, spin, and sidesteps to avoid contact.
Defenders work together to isolate attackers.
Defenders communicate to identify attackers and close them down.
Defenders methods and communication becomes more sophisticated e.g. working in a line, moving up together etc. If using tags, defenders remove tags.
There should be evidence of teamwork on both sides.
Players respond to what they see and what they hear.
Players think about is happening now, but also about what might happen next.

PROGRESSION

Tag Rugby Variation: Play the same game, but make sure all the players have tags. Each player that's doesn't get touched by a ball has two lives - two tags. They keep running until either touched by the ball (they have to remove both tags), or have both tags removed by a defender who has been taged with a ball.

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OFTEN USED WITH...

Alcatraz: Jail Break:

This is a great warm-up for defensive and evasion sessions, or it might even be a warm-up that helps you reinforce coaching points made during a previous session. The best bit is that it's fun and relevant to all ages. If you're coaching tag rugby, change the warm-up exercise from contact to tags.

One team runs clockwise round the inside of the circle with the other team running anti-clockwise around the outside of the circle. The circle in this case is marked out using blue cones, but you can use whatever colour you like.

When the coach shouts 'Jailbreak' the players inside the inner circle try to 'escape' to outside the 10m x 10m square (yellow cones). The size of the square and distance from the circle is a suggestion, play with it a little and let us know your variations!

The inside team scores a point for each 'jailbreaker' - swap over. If you have an odd number of players give the defenders the extra man.

Warm Up

Bank Robbers:

Keep your player briefing, brief! Tell the players the following laws for this exercise.....

Players must start the game behind the outer cone of their corner and only one of them can enter the grid at any one time.
This game works on a relay basis, one and only one player in the grid from each group at a time - and the next player must be touched before they may enter the playing area.
While balls are in the center of the grid, one relay robber from each team can enter the grid to steel a ball from the center of the grid and bring it back to their own box or bank.
If all the balls in the center of the grid have been stolen, teams can now steel each others balls - but the same relay rules apply.
The winning team is the team that can get 4 balls into their box. Adjust this to allow your players to experience success or to make the game harder.

You can add or remove balls to make the game harder or easier.
No cheating! Only one ball can be carried at a time, only one player from each team in the grid, and you cannot go until tagged.

Warm Up

Beat The Runner:

Divide your players into groups of five, with one player acting as a running. Each grid will need a runner. The runner starts on the runners cone.
You might wish to have two groups of five at each grid, and to have a quick demo before sending all the players to their own grids.
Keep your player briefing, brief!
The first five passers attack the runners line, passing the pass down the line as they go.
The runner sets off as soon as the first ball carrier starts to move.
The aim of attack is to score a try in the corner, beating the runner - so quick hands.
Each player should realign following their pass, there will be two attacks for each group before they move the ball onto the next group.
After the first attack the runner goes to their cones on the opposite side of the grid ready for the next attack. The attack begins when the first players picks the ball off the ground.
Don't forget to change the runners.
Move the runner cones in to progress the exercise and to put the attack under more pressure.

Warm Up