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Rugby SidestepsBreak through! Know how you use exciting rugby sidesteps and weave your way through the other team.
Why
sidestep ?To
score points and win
games, you must
get the ball
past the
opposition and into their in-goal area.
You
can kick it
past or carry
it past (rugby sidesteps help).
Kick the ball
- it's easy but you lose
control.
Carry the ball -
it's harder but you keep
control.
The problem is that the opposition is
allowed to tackle the
ball carrier. Tackle - as in get hold and throw you onto the
floor!
When you run in straight
lines it's easier
to predict where you're going and arrange to
meet you and put you on
the floor.
When you
sidestep you are much more difficult to tackle
because it's much harder to
work out where you're going.
When the opposition know you can sidestep
it makes them more wary, this means you have more space and time
when you have the ball.
What's
a sidestep?It's different things to different people. It's
really just an easy way of saying "using your wits and agility to break defences - changing
direction quickly and moving through gaps". You
need to know how to sidestep and when to sidestep.
Players
who sidestep take
advantage of weaknesses in defences - especially broken play. You spot a weakness and
take advantage. Using your skill you change direction quickly and
unexpectedly.
You also
create
weaknesses by appearing to attack in one direction and
getting the opposition to react, then moving through any gap created.
No
matter what kind of sidestep you use, some things are the same.
So,
let's start off with some rugby
sidestep essentials.
Identifying
sidestepsPeople refer to the rugby
"sidestep" but it's more complicated than that.
Compare
rugby sidesteps
with diving.
Someone
who can dive
into a swimming pool from
the side can "dive".
Someone who
does a tripple back
sommersault with pike (if there is such a thing!)
from the 10 metre board can also "dive".
Big difference!
In
diving there's
language to describe what's happening. Everyone's
focused on the diver, waiting for it to happen. Everyone knows
where, when and what's going to happen
In rugby it happens anywhere, anytime. One
player cleverly evades another. It can happen very fast and
can even be partly hidden by other players.
You may
not even see it and need a slow motion replay - and that's all part of
the magic.
It's over in a flash. We just say "steps
off
his/her left", "jinking through" or simply "Brilliant".
It's
too hard! So
we just say "It was a sidestep"
So,
its very hard to give players' actions clearcut names. What we'll do is identify some sidesteps
and expect to see
variations of these rather than always see exact
reproductions.
Start by looking at a few sidesteps on video.
The
modern
sidestepRugby sidesteps
have changed
since the old days. Changed, but not
improved. Unlike most rugby skills, the sidestep is in poor shape.
Let's
look at the
modern sidestep where the sidestepper cuts inside the
opponent.
The
classic sidestepUnfortunately
rugby sidesteps
were most well developed and widely
used at a time when
much less rugby was captured
on film/video.
The
exciting sidesteps
that were recorded are covered
by copyright. They are
on videos and DVDs
and it's well worth
buying them if you're interested
in sidesteps or rugby in general.
You have to know what to buy
to see them. Have a look
at rugby information.
It
means that good
views of good classic sidesteps are hard to find, but let's look
at the
classic sidestep, where the sidestepper cuts
inside the
opponent.
See what your opponent sees with this
classic
sidestep video clip.
The jink
sidestepSidesteps
are mostly thought of in terms of the modern sidestep or the classic
sidestep where the sidestepper is moving
forwards at pace.
Another
type of sidestep takes place at a relatively slow pace
and the
sidestepper moves sharply
to the side or even backwards to evade the
would-be tackler.
It's been called a sidestep. It's been
called a jink.
I'm using both names just to be sure! The jink sidestep
Knowing
how isn't enough - practice!When
you know how,
you must do plenty of sidestep
practice
Remember - Practice enough
and it becomes
instinctive.
Only then,
in the moment, without
even thinking about it, you'll truly know when to sidestep!
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