Near Hand Tackle

Key Points

Move alongside or level with the opponent.
Eyes on the ball.
When the opponent’s far leg is forward step across their space with the near leg
Shouldering the opponent flick the ball away with the hand nearest the opponent when the ball is free in the solo or bounce
Knock the ball away from the opponent to gain an advantage
Recover the ball to win possession

Practice the Technique

Drill 1 – Basic – Pairs

Divide the group into pairs.
Mark out a channel approximately 5 metres wide using cones.
Each pair start walking side by side through the channel with Player A attempting to step across and execute the near hand tackle on an imaginary ball.
Change roles after a number of attempts.
To progress the drill as soon as the component elements have been practiced introduce a ball.
In this case encourage Player A to toe tap or solo the ball on every stride to afford the tackling player a number of chances to practice the tackle.

Drill 2 –Intermediate-Tackle in 3’s

Divide the players into groups of 3.
Mark out a channel approximately 5 metres wide using cones.
This drill is designed to improve the timing of the tackle.
Player A on the right of the group solos forward.
Player B in the middle attempts to perform the near hand tackle and knock the ball to Player C in the process.
Change roles after a number of attempts
To adapt the drill Player B is in possession and Player C attempts to perform the near hand tackle and knock the ball to Player A.
Increase the pace of the drill as the proficiency of players improves.

Develop the Technique

Game Play Drill 1

Mark out a grid 15m x 15m
Two Players with a Ball each enter the grid from one side
Two tackling players enter the grid from each adjacent side
The players in possession continue to solo around the grid as the tackling players attempt to perform the near hand tackle
After a set time reverse the roles

Game Play Drill 2

Mark out a channel using cones from approximately 45 to 20m out from goal and approximately 10m wide
Divide the players into defenders and attackers
The attackers line up at the beginning of the channel each with a ball
The defenders line up to the side of the channel
In turn each attacker and defender enter the channel.
The attacker attempts to get past the defender to take a shot at goal from the end of the channel
The defenders may only use the near hand tackle to dispossess the attacker