Rugby Tackling???

Question

I play rugby league and Union, and am a starting player in the team. I play in the backs, and tackling is becoming a problem for me. I play in juniour squads, and when a large forward is running at me, i just dont have the courage to tackle low and take them down, so i just end up slowing them down instead. Any tips on how to tackle more easilly, etc. Thanks

Answer 1

My boyfriend used to play professionally and I'm a trained physio, so hope we can help!

He used to say to me that they can't go anywhere without their legs. He was in the backs too, and he used to fling himself around everywhere, it scared me to death!

You need to get some confidence. To tackle successfully, get as low to the ground as possible, below the knee of the player you want to tackle. Wrap your arms tightly around their legs in an upward motion, as it you are on the blocks in a sprint, start low and rise slightly upwards. Make sure that as the player falls, he falls over your left or right shoulder, hang onto his legs as long as possible, but once you've both hit the deck, let go otherwise you'll give away a penalty.

Sounds to me that if you're slowing them down then you're on the right path, you just need to get some confidence to take down the bigger guys. Try getting some of the other backs to run at you first. Build up your confidence that way.

Practise makes perfect! Good luck.

Answer 2

Man if you have good technique you just need aggression. I used to have exactly the same problem. Get a coach or someone you trust to know what they're on about to tell you if you have the right technique if not fix it.  

From there it is all in your head which is easy to say but hard to fix. What I did was try to block out the size of the person by just focusing on their shorts. Don't take your eyes off their shorts, keep your head up and DON'T look at the ground. The first few games you just need to cowboy up and back yourself. Its a bit of a leap of faith but you will find that it is sweet as.

I used to play senior rugby with a guy who was about 70kg dripping wet but he was gutsy with a good technique and he used to SMASH people. All you need to do is back your technique and then put your balls on the line a couple of times and you'll realise that it's no big deal.

Answer 3

Aim for their hips.  Hit your shoulder with their hips and wrap your arms around their body.  Then let yourself slide down so you are holding their legs.  This should stop them running.

That should complete the tackle.  If they are ranning straight at you, use their momentum to stop them.

Watch players like Laurie Daley (NRL) and Stirling Mortlock as they are great defenders and backs

Answer 4

i know this is against the rules but if you make it look accidental it works trust me. When you go into tackle, aim quite low and try and hit there nuts(if they're a guy anyway). Don't go str8 in and crush thier balls but make it part of the tackle.

Answer 5

i used to have a problem with tackling aswell. i was afraid i would get hurt. you need to start having some confidence. get a friend of yours who could act as a prop to run at you at a slow pace and then tackle them. then in a game don't think about the outcome and just go in with all your might. the more comitted you are the less you will get hurt. after you have made a good tackle on a big oppenent things will be a lot easier from then on

Answer 6

Why would a large forward be running at you if you are playing in the backs? Think your whole team needs to be hitting the tackle bags.

I've always found the "go low" mantra a crock of pusssy talk.

You don't just tackle to drop a guy like a sack of spuds.

You line up on your opposite number to let them know you are in the game. Make them think twice about running at you the next time, give them something to remember and upset their ability to receive the pass or run the next set because they fear the fact that you want to put a dent in them.

Hit them hard just above their hips or if they are big tall mongrels aim a bit lower and thump your shoulder into the middle of their thighs.

The front row guys are usually the hardest to tackle, but they really have no business putting their chubby little hands on the pill. And if they are fast enough to run the ball over they gain line with out being mashed by two or more loose forwards, as a back you should be saying, "good luck mate!"

As for the muppet that mentioned grabbing the gonads, obviously hasn't played much rugby down under, that's like requesting to feel how cold the pavement is in the car park at the back of the club rooms. You might as well just shout out "please punch me in the face".

Answer 7

First off, you have to tell yourself that no one - no matter how intimidating - is going to get past you.

Slow down, get in position (especially for the larger fellas) it is easier to tackle someone when you are directly in front of them. Make sure you are on the balls of your feet for better agility.

Get low.

Shakira couldn't have said it better, "Hips don't lie"

When you come in contact with the opposing player, the side of your head should be against his hip, and your arms around  any part of his body below the hip. If you dig into the back of his knees with a tight embrace you would have a very high chance of taking him down.

Don't let go!

Just hold on and if you can, pull down or anchor yourself on the ground, take the guy down, don't let him just drag you along.

And by then, hopefully your team mates will be there to support you.

No fear.

Answer 8

This is a problem I faced with the under 16s side I coach, what you need to realise is you will get hurt more if you 'wuss' out of the tackle, big players like no more than to run over smaller players but with the right technique and to start with a little bit of bravery you will realise that tackling big players is easy and its really the smaller players that are harder to tackle effectively.

Start by getting yourself some padding (I always said pads were for girls when I was young but once you wear them you will never want to play without them again), it will give you a bit more confidence in the tackle and also mean you can explode into the contact without getting hurt. Then you have to get your positioning right, eyes up dont shut them when the player gets close or you will not be ready for the colision. There is a rule that I teach the boys I coach.......eyes (see your target), shoulder (plant your shoulder into your targets thigh just above the knee), arms (wrap your arms around your target and squeeze). Do not under any circumstances attempt to tackle standing upright, have a wide base with your outside foot forward and knees bent and as soon as your about a foot from the tackle explode into it, it will not hurt and you will smash the player running at you backwards.

To play rugby you need to be able to tackle, there is no hiding place on a rugby pitch and if you ask me making a try saving tackle or smashing back your oposition number or a bigger player is a better feeling than scoring a try. Its what the game is about, contact!. Tackle well and you will be a better player for it.

Good luck and beleive me tackling big players is nothing to be scared of....Bigger they are the better it feels.

Answer 9

OK...I also played rugby through college and University and  since everyone is telling you techniques on how to tackle, let me give you a different answer:

you said you lack courage, and want a tip on how to do this more easily, well just practise in friendly games, practise with some friends who are willing to help you (don't tackle anyone without their consent outside a field)...confidence can be build in this way...then courage can be build up after you see the results of some friendly tackles...keep building confidence and then keep building courage...it worked for me...the technical stuff...every coach can teach you that

Answer 10

Bravery. When you go low it hurts them more than it hurts you.

Answer 11

its all about technique matey i've played rugby for far to long now and never been 1 of the biggest but i find it very easy to bring the big 'uns down.

most of your tackling will be done face on, if they are running at you move up towards them and take take the yards off them it ups your momemtum as well as stops them attacking the game line, just before the point of impact bend forward and ram your shoulder into their waist wrapping your arms around them and driving with your legs.

if you are cover tackling (from the side) time your run to catch themand dive when you think you can reach grab hold of anything you can - if you are close enough wrap your arms around them and drop to the floor taking them with you.

in any tackle if you can get an arm across the ball to stop an offload all the better.

nobody can tackle straight away its about practice, technique, power and heart - you have got to want it more than him!!

good luck matey.

Answer 12

I'm a front row forward so I love little fellas like yourself.  It absolutely makes my day to catch a small back and storm right through them.  However, as one of the big boys, I can tell you that if you manage to put us on the ground, we'll probably lose the ball because it'll be such a shock.    I understand that it's scary to have 120kgs of rampaging forward storming towards you, h**l it still scares me from time to time.  But here's the secret, not only are we tackle-able, but most of the time it's awfully easy to do.

You need to remember that technique will beat size 6 out of 7 days a week. Unless you're facing a 300lbs muscle bound gorilla on steroids they should be easy to take down. Firstly, don't look at their hands, shoulders, or feet. If you watch these your opponent can do little tricks and leave you in the dust. Instead look at their hips because in the words of Shakira, hips don't lie. Not only will these help you stay on your opponent, they'll also be your target. What you need to do is line up your opponent "cheek to cheek." That means the cheek of your face with the cheek of their butt. When you do this, make sure you keep your head on the outside (don't cross the body of your opponent with your head otherwise you'll break your neck).When you're cheek to cheek with your opponent, then you should line up with your shoulders at the hips. Finally, wrap your arms around their knees and squeeze. The fact is that no one is immune from losing their balance. If your bring your opponents knees together then they'll fall like a tree in the forest not matter how big or small. Then simply just let their momentum bring them down. Tackling this way aside from being the safest and easiest way to tackle a big player, also will save your tons of energy so you can run and tackle more folks.

Answer 13

Just forget about the pain, u prob wont feel it that much anyway, get in low use your leg muscle's to drive and use your shoulder for the hit, don't shoulder charge u can't do that in union wrap your arms around but use your shoulders force!

Answer 14

get them REAL low, a 6ft boy is gona be hard to take down if u grab him at his waiste, get as low as you can and he will go down like a tree. and remember! CHEEK TO CHEEK!

Answer 15

flip'em!  just keep practicing!  i love me some rugby  :)

Answer 16

Your gonna have to go low thats all i can say, if you go high you might go too high so stay low go for the legs if you bottle it at the last second and they get past you chase them and go for an ancle tap it works for me.

Answer 17

the best way to take sum one down when they are running at you nomatter what the size is is to get low around the knee regoin and lock your arms which will cause the players to fall on most ocassions. when doing this make sure uhave a level back to cause less risk of injury on ur part

Answer 18

I was in a similar circumstance last week just back from a 3 week injury! They did a move of the scrum which the full-back sprinted about 20 metres before getting the an when he ran into me he was going at full pelt... I was bricking it to say the least. So when i was tackling him i just kind of sat back and let him fall into me and used his momentum to bring him down rather than tring 2 buckle him in the tackle... it worked so thats the advice about tackling big players who are not going to side-step you! good luck with it anyway!