Beat Your Man

The step, the swerve, and the change of pace that beat a defender clean — footwork that keeps the ball out of contact in the first place.

Rugby union
U14
60 min
12–24 players
2 coaches
Effort 3/5
Half pitch
evasion
footwork
side-step
1v1
attack

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: 12 balls, 30 cones, bibs in two colours

Warm-up10 min

Quick Feet, Quick Eyes

Setup: A 20×20m square with cones scattered as obstacles. Ball each for the last round.

How it works: Players jog and weave through the cones with short, busy feet, changing direction hard at each one and keeping their eyes up on you for a hand signal to sprint or stop. Add a mirror game in pairs — one leads with steps and changes of pace, the other copies. Finish carrying a ball in two hands through the same weaving so the feet and the handling work together. Busy feet and heads-up eyes are the raw material of every side-step you will teach tonight.

What to say

“Tell them: 'small, quick feet let you change direction — long strides commit you.'”
“Tell them: 'eyes up, read the picture, feet ready to go either way.'”
“Tell them: 'carry in two hands so a step can become a pass if you need it.'”

Easier

Fewer obstacles and a walk-through first so the weaving pattern is learned before the pace goes on.

Harder

Add a partner shadowing a step behind, so the leader must genuinely lose them with a change of direction.

Activity12 min

Step and Swerve

Setup: Lanes with a single cone 'defender' halfway down each. Ball each, queue at the start of each lane.

How it works: Two ways to beat a still defender, taught clean before any live one. The side-step: run at the cone, plant hard on the outside foot, and push off sharply across to the other side, accelerating away. The swerve: run at the cone and arc smoothly around it at pace without planting, leaning away as you pass. Do both off both feet, slowly for shape then faster for commitment. The cone lets them groove the footwork with no fear of contact, which is exactly how a confident step is built.

What to say

“Tell them: 'side-step — plant the outside foot hard and drive off it the other way.'”
“Tell them: 'swerve — no plant, just a smooth arc away at full pace.'”
“Tell them: 'accelerate out of the step — the move is only half done until you are past.'”
“Both feet tonight — most players own one side and avoid the other.”

Easier

Walk and jog the shapes first with an exaggerated plant, no pressure to be quick.

Harder

Add a second cone so they must string a step off one and a swerve off the other in the same run.

Activity14 min

One-on-One, Live

Setup: Channels 15×8m, a carrier at one end, a defender at the other, a try line behind the defender. Two-hand touch, no tackle — this is a footwork session.

How it works: Now the defender moves. The carrier attacks and tries to beat the defender clean with a step, a swerve or a change of pace to score over the line; the defender can only two-hand touch, so there is no collision and the attacker is free to back their footwork. Coach the carrier to run at the defender first — a step only works once the defender is committed to a spot. Swap roles often. The defenders learn plenty too: small steps, patience, and not diving in are the answer to good footwork.

What to say

“Tell them: 'run straight at them first — commit them, then step off the plant.'”
“Tell them: 'change of pace is a move too — slow, then explode through the gap.'”
“Tell them: 'defender, do not lunge — short steps, stay square, delay them.'”
“Reward a clean beat with footwork over barging through — this is about evasion, not force.”

Easier

Give the carrier a wider channel and a defender who begins on the back foot, so early success builds confidence.

Harder

Narrow the channel and add a second recovering defender, so the carrier must beat one and get outside before the cover arrives.

The rest of this session is free — along with 3 more this week.

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