Tackling Technique - Tackle with confidence

By choosing to refresh tackling with your players you'll not only improve their confidence but you'll also help to prevent injuries in your team occurring through use of improper tackling technique.

This contact session is the ideal way to put a little extra spark into your trainings, especially on cold rainy days. Starting with a light tackling drill in pairs you will quickly be able to guide your players from walking tackling into steadily faster drills, requiring more and more precision, power and timing. What's more everyone can get involved and there'll be plenty of running involved so you can be sure no one will be getting cold.

Key points for tackling:

• The point of contact in tackling is the shoulder and not, as some players believe, the arm. By using their shoulders your players will actually have greater control and power in the tackle, meaning the tackle is less likely to be broken and the grounded player is less likely to get away.
• In the tackle your knees should be bent with your head up. As you drive you should find that you go "cheek to cheek". By being in the proper tackling position even the smallest of players will be able to stop a larger player's run, by driving with their shoulder into the tackle.
• Encourage the tackler to watch the shorts of the player with ball, this means not only are their eyes focused on the target, they are also watching the hips. The hips are the first point of movement in when a player changes direction or sidesteps, this means your players are far less likely to be fooled by a sneaky runner.