Improve Your Rugby Tackling Techniques  - Sammy Lawanson

Sammy Lawanson,  Linebackers Coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator at Bowling Green (Ohio) shows you a drill that he uses to teach rugby tackling to his linebackers.

Along with the drill, he covers fundmanetals and techniques to improve your rugby tackling. The video contains footage of the drill in practice as well as clips from the in-game application of the skill.

You can see his entire demonstration of Rugby Tackling on Glazier Drive.  That video is one of 13 lessons from: Sammy Lawanson LB System.

You can see notes from his presentation below the video.

Bowling Green Tackling Principles

1. Wrap up and accelerate your feet through the ball carrier.
2. Hit with your stub, not your helmet. With rugby tackling, you are taking the helmet out of the tackle.
3. Keep feet running until they're off the ground.
4. Tackling is desire and want to.

Fundamentals of Rugby Tackling

1. Step right on the ball carrier's toes.
2. The strike angle is right below the knee cap.
3. Accelerate through right below the knee cap, grab a lower extremity, and roll.
4. The tackler should land on his stomach, and then roll.  Coach Lawanson does not want the tackler to start to roll before he lands on his stomach.
5. The defender is not going to the move--he is going "through the man."  The tacklers destination is a point beyond and the ball carrier just happens to be in the way.
6. It is a constant challenge to keep the taclers low, so Coach Lawanson utilized the chute with the same to keep his tacklers lower.