COACHING CONCEPTS TO CONSIDER

by Wayne Smith

Sevens is all about POSSESSION. The key requirements are to keep the ball to and win the ball.

General Principles

1. Attack = possession. You must have the ability to win the ball and retain it, even when going backwards, sideways and under pressure.

2. Clear pressure immediately. You must move the ball away from areas of congestion immediately, rather than pick it up and run. The exception to this is when you're close to the tryline.

3. Use the full width of the field. Stretch the defence, make the gaps bigger.

4. Maintain depth in attack. This may require you to step backwards after passing the ball, thus giving the ball carrier an option to pass back to you. A deep attack is effective and has options. Attacking players should always be available.

5. Support is vital. Players must support in their zone, rather than chase and have their 'nose to the ball' as a support player would do in traditional rugby.

6. Create options. As the ball moves towards your zone, create options by changing angles, calling, feinting and generally trying to confuse the defence. Players should try to be a threat to the defence.

7. Defence = pressure. Reduce opposition's time and space. Come up together, and move across as a unit, keeping body angles pointing outwards. There is no offside from general play.

8. Man-on-man defence. Pick up the correct man by counting from the outsides. Communicate who your man is.

9. Zonal defence. Mark a man within a zone. If players switch angles, pick up the new player that comes into your zone.

10. Watch the ball less. Too much ball watching gives your man the opportunity to change lines/angles and make a break.

11. Sweep. Someone must cover kicks-through and breaks. Sweeping can be done by the outsides (thus the defence is umbrella-shaped with the wings back a bit) or there can be a permanent sweeper.