Session plan
Rugby tackle technique session plan
A good tackle technique session moves from no contact to contact in small steps: neck activation, footwork and body position, kneeling tackles, shoulder connection on a bag, then a moving attacker at controlled speed. Head beside or behind the ball carrier, never in front, on every single rep.
- Length
- 60 minutes
- Players
- 8 to 30 players
- For
- Any team from under 14 to seniors, adjusted for age and experience
- Focus
- Safe, effective tackle technique off both shoulders
- Equipment
- Cones, Tackle bags or hit shields, Balls, Bibs
The session, block by block
| Time | Block | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10 min10 min | Warm-up and neck activation | After a light jog, bear crawls with a neutral neck, self-resisted neck holds and gentle static neck contractions in every direction. Build tension slowly, never jerk.Neck Strength and Static Contractions drill |
| 10 to 17 min7 min | Tackle preparation shadow | No contact. Close with small fast steps, stay tall until late, then drop and plant the lead foot close, holding a strong position with head up. Alternate the lead foot.Tackle Preparation Shadow Ladder drill |
| 17 to 27 min10 min | Kneeling tackle progression | Tackler on their knees, attacker 2m away. Side-on and front-on tackles off both shoulders. Eyes on the hips, head behind for side-on and to the side for front-on.Kneeling Tackle Progression drill |
| 27 to 33 min6 min | One on three tackle decision | Everyone on their knees. One pass left, right or held, and the defender reacts late and gets their head on the correct side of whoever has the ball.One on Three Tackle Decision drill |
| 33 to 41 min8 min | Bag shoulder connection | Short run-in to a held bag. Call the target height out loud, power step, connect with the top of the shoulder, wrap and drive the legs. Alternate shoulders.Bag Shoulder Connection drill |
| 41 to 51 min10 min | Side-on grid tackle | Tackler in the middle of a 10m grid, attackers running diagonally. The next attacker only goes when the tackler is back on their feet. Walking pace first, jogging only when it is right.Side-On Grid Tackle drill |
| 51 to 57 min6 min | Defensive touch game | Two-handed touch with defenders coming forward as a line. Coach line speed, the ready position and getting off the line together, not the hit. |
| 57 to 60 min3 min | Cool-down | Walk and stretch. Each player names the one cue they will take into the next contact session. |
| Total | 60 minutes | |
Coaching notes
- Do not move to the next stage until most of the group are doing the current one well. It is fine to spend a whole session on the kneeling stages.
- Practise both shoulders evenly. A player who can only tackle off one side ends up with their head on the wrong side.
- Watch head position on every rep and stop the rep straight away if a head goes in front of the carrier.
- For younger groups, stop after the kneeling and bag blocks and use the time for more reps rather than adding speed.
Safety
- Follow your union's rules on tackle height and, for junior players, its age-grade rules for contact.
- Pair players by size and experience, and agree a stop word before contact starts.
- Use soft, flat ground and keep grids well apart so falling players do not collide.
- Know the signs of concussion. If in doubt, sit them out, and follow your union's return-to-play guidance.
- Have a first aid kit, water and someone with current first aid training at every session.
Questions coaches ask
- How do you teach rugby tackling safely?
- Build up in stages: footwork and body position with no contact, then kneeling tackles, then bags, then a moving attacker at walking and jogging pace. Head beside or behind the carrier on every rep.
- What is the correct head position in a rugby tackle?
- In a side-on tackle the head goes behind the ball carrier, and in a front-on tackle it goes to the side of the carrier's hip. It never goes in front of the carrier.
- How often should teams do tackle training?
- Short, regular technique blocks every week work better than one long, heavy contact session. Keep full-speed live tackling to a small part of the week.
- Why do neck strength exercises in a tackle session?
- A strong, controlled neck helps players hold good head position in contact. The exercises in this plan are low-risk and need no equipment, so they fit into any warm-up.