Engaging to win the ball

Description

In this session we are focusing on our players ability to slow attackers down, before engaging to win the ball. The drill begins with the coach playing into one of the players. The player with the ball looks to drive into space to attack the endzone. There are five zones, two end zones, a middle zone, and two ‘engaging zones’. The engaging zone is to set out when the defender is running out of space to restrict the attacker and should look to win the ball. Ideally, we want the defender to win the ball in the middle. If the defender wins the ball, they look to attack their end zone instantly. The player who scores receives the next ball from the coach. If a player loses possession, they look to react quickly and prevent the other player from scoring. It’s important to reiterate to the players the importance of their body shape, and angles and distances from the ball and player. The players should be given a brief rest before each rep.