The side step alongside the body swerve is one of the most exciting of skills to watch when executed correctly, in either code of rugby. It’s a great way to beat a defender one on one, but can also wrong foot an entire defensive system, and change the direction of play completely. So, how do you side step for maximum impact?
How To Side Step Effectively
1. Select Your Target
Target the player you are going to step and the space you are going to step in to. This will sometimes be instinctive and happen automatically, but it also could be that you scan the defense in front of you and see a ‘mismatch’. This is when you pick out a defender that you are confident you can step around easily usually due to a difference in agility and/or speed, i.e. when any back runs at a front row forward.
2. Run The Set Up Line
Run slightly across the defender you are going to step, so if you intend to step to the right off your left foot, you should drift to attack their left shoulder. This will have the effect of starting to turn the defenders shoulders away from the direction you will ultimately go, and therefore making it more difficult for them to move their body position in the opposite direction when you do step them.
3. Make The Initial ‘False’ Step
A few steps before contact, step in the opposing direction to which you intend to go. Depending on how much time and space you have and the exact angle the defender is coming at you from this can be a distinctive sharp wide step to the side or a shorter shuffle type of step. Either way, though, the foot must be firmly planted.
4. Drop The Shoulder
Almost simultaneous to the step, but perhaps a fraction behind you should drop the shoulder in the same direction. This gives another visual cue to lead the defender into guessing wrongly the direction you are going to go in. There may also be an accompanying ‘bob’ of the head as you drop to one side and the knee flexes in readiness for the power step.
5. Execute The Power Step
Your stepping foot should now be firmly planted, so explode off this planted foot in the new direction you are going to travel. This should be a dramatic change in direction and should take you past the defender who should be left clutching at the ‘thin air’ you were due to run in to.
6. Accelerate Away
You should now be around this defender and in behind the defensive line. Accelerating away from the defender is now crucial in order to capitalize on your step. At this point, you may also need to make use of the fend in order to get free of any other defenders. This will require tucking the ball under the arm of the opposing side to that which you need to hand off to.
It is often possible to perform two or three similar side steps in a row to continue beating players in this manner. Often, players develop a preferred foot to step off but if you can learn to step off both feet effectively then you will be much more difficult to read and defend to opposing defenders.
Pro Tip: ‘Shorten your stride to get your balance and timing right’ – Shane Williams
A Sidestepping Masterclass With Austin Healey
I highly recommend you checkout this masterclass, delivered mainly by Austin Healey, who won 51 England caps and 2 Lions caps. He was a great stepper in his own right an offers some excellent insights which I’ve summarised underneath.
Austin Healey’s Sidestepping Tips
| – Move the defender with the eyes and then beat them on the outside. – Look into the players eyes to stand them up. – Make a big guy sit their heels down to stop their momentum. – Get up tight to the defender and beat them at the last minute. – As you step you’ve got to keep going forward. – You want the defender to go somewhere so use your eyes and feet. – Step late. |
I’m sure you spotted the theme there of using your eyes and stepping late. Austin make it look easy. He also said that Jason Robinson was the best stepper the world has ever seen, but now he has finished playing who is the best stepper right now? Let’s take a look…
Who Has The Best Sidestep In Rugby?
Currently, Cheslin Kolbie, the South African world cup winning winger has the best sidestep in world rugby because the speed of his footwork is exceptional and because he loses very little speed when he changes direction. His speed comes from his background in sprinting and his ferocious training régime.
Kolbe weighs in at jut 80kg and is just 5ft 7in in height, so I guess it is just as well that he is so good at stepping. You can check out the average size of rugby players by position in my article here and take a look at Kolbe stepping below:
Other rugby players who should never be far away from a discussion on who the best side steppers in the game over the years would be: Phil Bennet (Wales – 1970s), David Duckham (England – 70s), David Campese (Australia – 80/90s), Wasalie Serevi (Fiji 90s), Shane Williams (Wales 2000s, and Jason Robinson (England – 2000s). Oh, and current player Charles Piutau, (New Zealand).
How To Improve Your Sidestep
To improve your sidestep work on: technique, in particular, scanning ahead for mismatches and players to step. Secondly, work on leg strength with squats, deadlifts and power cleans. Thirdly, do plyometrics, such as drills involving: leaping, bounding, and vertical jumps. Fourthly, increase foot speed with speed agility quickness exercises.
Consistently working on those specific exercise will build the strength, power and speed to be able to execute sidesteps with a greater impact. The change of direction will become faster and the acceleration away from the defender will become greater and there will be less of a reduction in speed throughout the skill due to having faster feet.
How To Body Swerve
A beautiful skill to see executed, usually by outside backs looking to use their pace to round an opponent and complements the side step perfectly.
1. Get On The Outside
You are looking to identify a situation where you have a slower person defending directly against you, or you are already slightly outside of them. Sometimes you can engineer this by drifting outside whilst the ball is in the air and the defenders attention is on the ball and not on you. Brian O’Driscoll was a master of this and the outside swerve.
2. Rotate Your Hips
Once on the outside at some point the defender will lunge towards you and at this point you rotate your hips at first one way slightly towards the defender to make them stand up/slow down slightly and then you rotate them the way other creating the swerving motion.
3. Accelerate Away
Once executed, accelerate around and away from your opponent and be ready to use the fend to hand off any defenders. This may mean transferring the ball from two hands to just the one hand furthest away from the defender.
Pro Tip: Hold the ball in two hands as some defenders will focus on the ball and this will make them slower to react to your footwork.
Now, take a look at one of the best body swerves the game has ever seen in the clip below. Guscott’s try against Italy at the start of this video is how it should be done. There are also some other decent outside breaks from him and Will Carling later on to enjoy and some other individual magic.
How To Hand Off (Fend)
Delivering a hand off to an opponent and watching them fall off to the floor is a fantastic feeling and great to watch. Whilst it looks as though it is all about power it tends to actually be more about timing and technique.
1. Transfer The Ball
If the ball carrier has the ball in two hands they should transfer it to the side furthest from the defender. Modern players these days can off load either side with one hand via either the chicken wing pop under the back of the arm or a more conventional swing pass to pull the ball back inside.
2. Draw The Hand
Timing Is critical here. Draw your elbow backwards ready to strike your opponent with the palm of your hand preferably to that upper chest this provides a solid platform to push them away with and it avoids your hand-off from being deemed as dangerous play.
3. Strike To The Chest
Drive the palm of your hand when they are close enough so that your arm is neither in full extension, nor too close to your body, either of these will result in less than maximal power being generated. Contact should be made at around 70-80% of full arm extension. You should also be able to use the momentum gained from the hand off to propel yourself forwards and resume your running technique.
Pro Tip: Don’t be tempted to use the elbow to hand off with as this is dangerous and may well lead to a penalty and even a ban.
What Age Can You Hand Off In Rugby?
Hand-offs, or fend-offs are allowed at U12 level in rugby union provided they are below the armpit level. From U14 upwards players may hand-off to any part of an opponent’s body. However, the referee can penalise any play that they deem unsafe or dangerous and that excessive force is not used.
To clear up any misunderstandings, it is good practice for mini junior coaches to talk to each other and agree with each other exactly what the interpretation of the rule they wish to play too, and of course, include the referee in with the conversation. For a full break down of age grade rules then check out my handy guide here.
Photo Credits
Bryan Habana in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, South Africa vs. USA David Roberts from London, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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