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Categories > Catching & Passing

Fun Offloading Game!

Ball control is the key element to an effective offload. Jim Evans from Harlequins uses some fun games to coach this skill

Video Subtitles

Three four five make sure you're staying in the pitch good ball Tom, lovely ball. All right, good. We're just going to revisit the grip game rugby ball version of the of the grip game. Why do we grip the ball in our hands out here chaps, why do we not tuck it in here? Somebody Easier to get out, easier to move it? YeahDefender knows what we're going to do if its tucked in our chest. And do we do we hold the ball here using our forearms? How do we hold it?We try and grip it in here. It's difficult to roll it off. If a pass isn't on if an offload isn't on, you know, you're halfway through you're going to let that ball go. Whereas if you grip it in the mits of your hand fingers on the ball. You can always recall that ball in if the passes isn't on. Okay, so rules are we've all got ball in hand. We'll start with our dominant hand free. So right hands for most of us free. Okay this ball here, handball. We're going to move it around any way you like it. Okay overhead pass you can bounce pass it but we're trying to get to as many passes as we possibly can within our teams. There's one two Three good Okay green ball. Just hold their a sec chaps. How ideally boys am I looking for you to catch this bal? In your mitts. Okay pass the ball to me.I'm not looking for any of this trying to balance it on your hand. Okay. This is why we're doing the grip what we're really looking to get our fingers on it so we can then move it straight away. Good Lovely Sam good that's better. We're going for a high-risk catcher. Always make sure you got a strong grip of that. Green ball Tom Green ball knocked down by you could have caught that one, two, three. He's doing good. Who's in space? Try not to use your chest Marcus five six Brandon how we catching that ball? Really test yourself 7 Why do we grip the ball in the hand is now fingers instead of tucking it under the arm, etcetera and luckily the guys knew the answers, you know, if you're looking to offload a ball in a game you don't want it tucked under here. You want it in your hands, you can offload it anytime and also the defence don't know what you're going to do. If you've got that ball in your hands in one hand you could offload at any time you can make a pass etcetera. If you've got it tucked then then I know you're not going to be able to get the ball away. So that's what we look to keep the ball in our mitts. So we're able to offload and make good decisions with it. Okay. One two, You can bounce pass it chaps. Somebody's got to pick it up off of after one bounce five six. That's okay. The seven nice good strong. Keep it away from your chest Tom. Nice. Okay, we're really going to test ourselves now passing this on with our weaker hand again. Try and refrain from going underneath the ball really test your skills and try catch this ball out here.Try not to go underneath it. Use your grip. Okay, Play off there; two, three good. Who's in Space, work off the ball Sam. Okay. So, how can you help yourselves out a little bit there. We spoke about this last. So yeah, it's just down the thinner part of the ball. Just making sure the whole time. You've got that really strong vice grip on it. Okay, you're going to contact little jolt that balls not going to come loose and what you're doing now just the last 60 seconds was when you catch the ball. You've got to juggle it. Okay, you got to switch the balls. I don't mind if you use your chest a little bit. Okay, but you got to keep hold of that ball. So you got to find a find a little bit of spice. I don't mind you stepping out change the ball around and then move it. Okay, there is a contest, okay. One Okay green ball. That's why we're doing this Silas. Yes changeover changeover lovely three Quick Change Big John Quick Change lovely and move it. There's five Okay, who wants that ball? Good now move it good. Nice cameron last time there chaps. Are you allowed to knock it out of their hands. No, not once they're juggling. Grab a juice fellas any questions on that everyone happy? We're trying to develop these players and you know, we've got two or three years to give them the best chance of gaining full time Academy contracts when they get you know under 18/19 s so therefore we recognise that okay, the skill level maybe of one or two palyers isn't at the minute work needs to be but that's our job as coaches to know you can see Warren's in behind you now working with some of the guys that didn't you didn't perform so well in the handling drills today and just doing those extras and being as positive as we can either reinforcing reinforcing the points. We want to get across but in a in a positive way.