There are few things more satisfying than landing a perfectly timed hand off to prevent a player from tackling you, watching them fall to the floor and then running in to score a try. However, it is not as simple as it looks on television, there are a few rules to bear in mind, such as:
Hand-offs can be made to any part of the body, including a player’s face, however, excessive force and leading with an elbow or forearm is not allowed. To be effective, the timing of the handoff is more important than force and it should be made with an open palm, thrusting into the upper chest area.
On this page, we are going to teach you the rules behind a rugby hand-off, and the techniques, we will even give you a few tips and tricks on how you can improve your rugby hand-offs. If you can do that, you’ll soon be swatting would be tacklers away like flies!
What Are The Rules Behind A Rugby Hand-Off?
Here’s what you can do:
“A ball carrier is permitted to hand off an opponent provided excessive force is not used.“
Source: World Rugby
What this implies is that you can hand off a player to any part of their body, i.e. shoulders, chest, or even face, so long as excessive force is not used.
What is excessive force?
Well, anything that looks more like a hit, or strike, rather than a well-timed handoff may come under question. It is rare to see a penalty given for use of excessive force in a hand off, but if it looks as though there is aggression directed to hurt an opponent then you can expect it to be penalised.
What you can’t do, however, is this:
“Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others including leading with the elbow or forearm.“
Source: World Rugby
So, in essence, this means if you are going to hand off then you must do it with a more or less straight arm at the point of contact and you must try to use the open palm of the hand to push the would-be tackler away.
World Rugby doesn’t actually give a definition as to what ‘excessive force’ is, and thus the decision as to whether a hand-off broke the rules will rest in the hands of the referee.
It is worth noting that the rules surrounding hand-offs are going through a bit of a change. Hand-offs that would have been seen as fine several years ago are now likely to see you getting penalized as World Rugby is on a mission to prevent players from getting needlessly injured and to protect the head area at all costs.
What Are The Techniques For A Rugby Hand-Off?
The hand-off technique isn’t too difficult to nail, to be honest. The Rugby Union hand-off is a simple motion. You hold the ball close to your chest under one arm, and outstretch your other arm towards the tackler.
Do not overextend your arm, try to make contact when your arm is at about a 45-degree angle, giving you plenty of leverage to push the player away firmly.
Remember that key rule? You can’t use excessive force? Well, you will need to try and work that into your technique. Although depending on how harsh the referee is judging the game, you may still fall foul of the laws if you look like you are punching or striking to the face or eyes in particular.
We suggest that you work on pushing your outstretched arm out firmly and powerfully to a nearly straight position.
You can put a bit of pressure on your opponent while doing this, otherwise, the hand-off technique doesn’t work. However, you shouldn’t be punching them with a closed fist or targeting the area around the eyes. If you do, then expect a card!
If you can, we suggest that you aim at the chest area. This isn’t always going to be possible but it is a firm platform to push players away with. Try to avoid angling your hand upwards into someone’s face, which, once again, is likely to be a penalty.
Also check out: Rugby Tackling: Your 4 Step Home Improvement Guide
Top Tips For Perfecting Your Hand-Off
The hand off often happens at full speed and without too much time for thought so these tips need to be practised and thought about before game time so that they happen automatically in the game.
Switch the ball away from the defender
You definitely need to have the ball under the arm furthest away from the would be tackler. This may, therefore, require you to switch the ball carrying hand as you are running. This sounds easy but when you are running at full tilt it can be problematic so do practise this skill this skill until it becomes second nature.
Practise handing off on both sides
Practice the hand-off with both hands. The defender isn’t always going to approach you from your dominant side, after all, and so you need to be comfortable carrying the ball in both hands and handing off either side.
Decide early, react late
Make that decision early to deal with the hand-off, but react late. The defender must be within arm’s reach, or you have slowed down your game and the defender may see your hand off coming and be able to react to it.
Be aware of the grab
Push firmly on the defender and pull away quickly. If you linger too long, you are at the risk of having your hand grabbed. There is also a small chance you won’t have time to reset the ball position.
Use the momentum from the push to give you a little bit of a speed boost.
Recommended for you: The 8 Tackle Techniques Explained
Now, I’m sure you are keen to see some hand offs so here is a cracking range of hand offs for your viewing pleasure:
How To Handle The Hand Off?
If you find yourself on the receiving end of a hand off then you have a couple of motions:
Try to get under the handoff so you can get a hit on the rib cage, or, if you see the hand coming out, feign to go in for the hit and allow them to attempt the fend off without fully committing to the tackle. After they attempt the hand off, then is your chance to make the hit.
Of course, if you are subject to a hand off you can always try grabbing the hand or arm itself so you can try and drag them down with it. You could also try swatting it out of the way and going in for the hit immediately after although this is the less common approach.
If you coach Rugby Union, then you should be spending a lot of time working on those hand-offs. Try them at various speeds (start with walking speeds for new players), and gradually work your way up.
Have the defenders approach the players from different angles or even different heights. It won’t be too long before people start to grips with the right way to use a hand-off, and when it should be avoided. In some cases, it is actually far better to pass the ball.
You might also like: The 31 Skills Needed For Rugby
Image Credits
Israel Dagg for the All Blacks 江戸村のとくぞう, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rugby tournament “Oktoberfest 7s”, Munich, 2017-09-29/30 at the Olympic stadium of Munich. Henning Schlottmann (User:H-stt), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (featured image)
