Setup: Lanes 12m long and 6m wide, marked with cones. One attacker with a ball at one end, one defender on the halfway line of the lane. Three or four lanes running so nobody queues more than a turn.

How it works: The attacker walks then jogs the ball toward the far line; the defender's only job at first is to jockey — stay side-on, steer her toward the sideline, and slow her without a single touch. No hands yet. The defender wins by shepherding the attacker over the side cones or holding her up for a called five-count. This is the patience half of tackling: you do not win the ball by diving in, you win it by making the pitch small and waiting. Swap roles every go, change partners every three goes.

Setup: Back to the lanes, same pairs. Now the attacker must solo or bounce the ball once as she carries — the ball has to leave her hands. Cones mark a target line 10m up the lane.

How it works: Now we add the hands, but only at the right moment. As the attacker solos or bounces, the ball is briefly on show — that is the one instant the defender is allowed a single open-handed tap to knock it loose, side-on, never a slap at a held ball and never across the body. If the defender mistimes it and swipes at the ball in the hands, that is a foul, so we count clean taps and forgive the misses. The lesson lands fast: watch the ball leave her hands, then and only then reach. Swap roles each go, keep the numbers on their side honest.