Skills Help with Ruck knocks

[Lucev23]

Usually I play as a CHF/FF but last year my coach started using my more around the ground, From Wing to Rover but mostly as a Ruckman.

Being very solidly built and about 6 foot 3/4 I won it more often than not. Especially around the ground, but sometimes I was thrown a spanner in the works and had to play against skinny runty bastards that could jump ****ing high to get first hand on the ball out of the centre ball up.

Just wonder if anyone could give me some advice on how to handle playing these blokes? Am I just gonna have to accept it and try to make a contest orrrr try and get as much body contact in without giving away a free...??

Help much appreciated.

Kerry

 

[Ben the Gooner]

I'm about the same height and am also solidly built.

In centre bounces, if the second circle is there, like in AFL, I tend to be an absolute ****, and jump with my knees right up, and basically try to make as much contact as humanly possible. If you're jumping with your knees, then after one or two bounces, they'll either have to jump with their knees, cop the hit in the guts, or concede the contest by jumping around you. If it's the last two, you'll win the contest, and if it's the first, you've got yourself into a physical battle with the runty guys.

If it's an old style centre circle, taking a bigger run up help increases your jump and builds your momentum more. That's another option.

Around the ground, just stand up against him all the time. Don't give him a chance to run up.

Basically exploit your size, because he'll exploit you around the ground.

 

[Bingo23]

Depends on what type of circle is in the middle of the ground.

Two circles with line & circle with line

The key is getting your leading knee higher than your opponent if you go head to head in a jumping duel. One way to do this is to jump a little earlier than your opponent and get slightly past the footy letting it decend behind you and then hitting hit with the left hand if you are leading with your right knee. vice versa

Circle only & around the ground

You can use the above tactic or you can go body on body

Another one for around the ground and BTI is to get some other dummy from your team to stand against him and go 3rd man up.

Make sure you make forceful contact on your opponent early and put some doubt in his mind.

 

[Red Gum]

Being very solidly built and about 6 foot 3/4 I won it more often than not. Especially around the ground, but sometimes I was thrown a spanner in the works and had to play against skinny runty bastards that could jump ****ing high to get first hand on the ball out of the centre ball up.

Just wonder if anyone could give me some advice on how to handle playing these blokes?

I'll try.
I'm 191cms (a shade under 6'4" in the old language) and play at about 100kgs. As a ruckman I find I'm often undersized in terms of height but I can leap a bit.

I play in a league with the circles and the centre line. It gives me a 2 or 3 step run-up.

Earlier posters have given good advice about getting the knees up high and early. If you can get one into his chest or thigh you'll take a fair bit away from his mobility. Around the ground position yourself close to him and in front. Just use your bulk to protect the fall of the ball and keep him away. He won't get around you if you do it well and if he tries to go over the top you'll often get a free kick for him jumping into your back.

In the centre don't aim to jump up to the centre line, aim to jump past it. This way you may catch him on the up, as he is still leaping. You'll hit him on his side of the line so if the ball goes up straight it should be above you (not a 50/50 between both of you). If you hit him on his side of the line you should win or break even at worst and it'll be hurting him.

The other thing is to vary your angles. Even with the circle you've got 180degrees to work with some come from his right, or left, jump into his weak side or run straight at him. Don't be predictable.

For training try to improve vertical leap. There's heaps of programs but googling "improve vertical leap" will give some good (and some bad) free advice. Sort through it and see what works for you. Plyometrics make you look a bit like a dick in the park but it's worth it when you get above your opponent and land on him.

Good luck

 

[Moo]

Simple physics will tell you at the centre bounce you are at a massive disadvantage as you can not get body on body and basically chop out his run or get in front and increase your chances of a free kick.

Not sure which circle set up you are using - I'll assume old school.

Having once been that skinny ruckman who could jump over anyone under 6 feet 5 inches …this is what I would advise

- You can’t win the tap but you can affect his tap. Basically you can take his arm (obviously it has to appear as a genuine attempt) or put as much body contact as you can on. It is harder for him to tap consistently when you are focussing on altering your run in and avoiding contact. I always jumped with a knee up.
- Don’t get to the ruck contest too early and get caught under the ball …otherwise you become a lunch pad. Fractionally late is better than very early. Fractionally early and jumping into him on his way up is the best (but it takes practice)
- Hit the contest hard …it can be discouraging when you are getting out rucked, however if you can get legitimate hard body on body contact – it will lessen his athletic ability plus if he is thinking of where you are, it is distracting to his task at hand. I always won less ruck contests in the last quarter of physically hard games.
-Further to this I would always take a line directly in his path. If he angles his run, you angle yours so it is a head on encounter. You want to be in a position to jump into him. Personally I’d point this out to him if he kept shifting his line …but I am a prick. I know a lot of people will say vary it and make yourself unpredictable .....if I was playing against younger guys in the league I would always angle to run head on - you need to weigh up what sort of guy you are up against. Personally I would try head on and if he moved I would move to and try and upset him - if that didn't work then I would run the angles.

Take inspiration that Sandi dominates but our mids have not been good enough to use this advantage.

Plus talk to your midfielders, if they know the game plan is to negate and shark it helps. If you can get the ball tied up from a centre ball up, you will be able to compete far more effectively at the subsequent ball up as you can get shoulder to shoulder and chop out his run (make this a team aim ...we are going to try and win the ball or tie it up). On the around the ground stuff if you don’t know how to do this – watch some bball and see how the good players get rebounds without jumping by taking the space of opponents (not tunnelling but using your arse and a little backward momentum).

I don’t know what structures your team run but there are plenty of defensive set ups you can utilise. Don’t forget if you know he is going to win the tap and a certain % of these are back taps ….you should always be ready to compete in the ruck contest but then be looking past that to pressure, dislodge, tackle or move forward the ball after any tap. Always look to be that extra midfielder ….that way you can set up with only 1 (or even 0) players behind the ball …depending on how good you are at ground level. If a backtap is working constantly- you are not doing your role

Communication is key.

Your mids must know that you can’t win but will contest it …that way they are 100% focussed on his taps (some mids feel obliged to support their ruck and still look for him to win - let him know you are going to make it a 50-50 ball and then you know they will win it cos they are so good*). Plus they wont ride you for not winning the taps, they will encourage you every time you can body him or for every tap you alter and your guys win.

* All mids are whiney little front runners who need their tyres pumped. Plus if they don't shark it you can blame them

To be honest we have all faced dominant rucks, I faced one ex-WAFL player in the country who I just couldn’t get near...I was angry and embarrassed. The coach actually swung me from ruck to ruck rover, as I knew the most important factor was for me to move as he ran for the ruck knock (illegal in basketball but legal as in footy). The opposing ruck will survey where his players are and where you are, however as he runs in he will be 100% focussed on the ball, the bounce and his opponent. All I would do if is I was on the left of my opponent – I would roll to the right, I’d front my opponent, I’d even move to the back and then either look for the one over the back or worst case scenario poleaxe my opponent the moment he took the ball. Plus I had motivation - I had just been pantsed for a half and no one tackles and goes in for balls like a ruck scorned.

Long way to say – if you compete – the most important factor will be how your midfield handle it.

Remember you dominate the ruck – be predictable, they dominate – use chaos theory.

 

[Lucev23]

Thanks for the answer guys you have been great.

So, its better for me to run straight at him, head on, rather than try and come in at a 90 degree angle and just polaxe him?

 

[Red Gum]

It will depend on the situation. Make sure you're getting maximum body contact as often as possible, but if charging straight at him means you're only hitting his knee then vary onto his weak side (the side of the leg he is leaping off) and try and hit some exposed soft spots.

 

[Moo]

It will depend on the situation. Make sure you're getting maximum body contact as often as possible, but if charging straight at him means you're only hitting his knee then vary onto his weak side (the side of the leg he is leaping off) and try and hit some exposed soft spots.

LOL ...welcome to the dirty pricks board

You want to get as much body on body as you can ...however if you shirtfront etc on a consistent basis you will give away a ton of frees.

Agree with Red gum if going head on means you are hitting into him then do it ...if it means a clash of knees angle in at him.

Don't forget if you are competitive in the air and only being beaten by 6 inches ....hit (don't grab) his arm. A fist into his lead hand just below the wrist will make it nigh on impossible for him to direct his tap.

 

[stmookeyj]

From my experience (I'm very undersized for a ruckman but I often pinch-hit)

- Change the angle on the centre knock regularly, but not at every centre bounce
- Communicate with the ground threesome, help their positioning
- If you're against a taller opponent with a better reach/leap, try to spoil their ruck tap rather than try to outleap them.
- If you can get away with it, knock the arm (some umpires are not as smart as others)
- Don't be afraid to use the knees or the hip
- At boundary throw-ins, play to your strength. If you're not a leaper then use the body (particularly your butt, give yourself an extra cm or 3); if you're a leaper try to avoid a body-on-body or wrestling contest.
- Eyes on the ball at all times, you'll get away with more and may even get the frees.
- Be prepared to get to as many ball-ups and throw-ins in the midfield and defence (often you'll be instructed not to drift forward)
- Don't play for the free kick (i.e. take dives if there's slight contact in the back)
- If all else fails, just thump the bloody pill forward

 

[mad-saint-guy]

I'm in a similar position. This year I was top age U/16's at 184cms and 90kgs. I started lifting weights when I was 13 so am very solid and can outbody almost any opponent I come up against and have good timing in the ruck, but the athletic bastards can still get me.

I came up against a basketballer this year who jumped half a meter over me in every contest. My only options were to charge straight into him and hope he lands badly (fun but not effective), or to not jump at all and try to cut off his angle.

I ended up with about 2 hitouts for the match but after the first quarter I at least figured out how to obstruct him and affect his hitout, so the midfielders had an even chance.

 

[The Next Richo]

I also thought a good tatic was turning your back towrds them and tapping it to your rover behind you helped, because in a way, your using their force as well.