Millwall Tag Festival

TAG WARM UP GAMES & ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

Tags are not for exclusive use of rugby and can be used by physical education teachers to promote interaction between children of all ages and both genders. By using the Tags the teacher is removing the size/weight factor that prevents many children from participating in competitive sport. Tag belts enhance fitness, co-ordination, speed and agility and make playing sport fun.

Many of the games described have been taken from traditional Primary School dodging and chasing games and have simply been adapted for the use with the tag belts. The new tag belts make the games much more fun and exciting to play and makes administration and officiating far easier. In fact with the Tags youngsters could officiate their own games thus allowing a number of small-sided games to take place if necessary.

The tags also clearly identify to youngsters and anxious parents that the games are strictly of a non-contact (no tackling) nature.

It is for these reasons along with the simplicity of the Tag Rugby game itself, that has made the new tags so popular in those schools where they are already used.

The following assumptions have been made when describing the activities.

That all class members are wearing a tag belt. Groups are divided into the four colours, blue, yellow, red and green for team events.
The belts are worn around the waist on the outside of the clothing. The ribbons are positioned on either side of the hips with the tag logo facing outwards.
When players remove a tag from a classmate they are to shout “Tagged“, so the player knows they have been caught.
Once the tag has been acknowledged, the tag is then handed back to the player (except in the game called tails).
No person is allowed to stop somebody from taking their tag by holding onto them or swiping their hand away.
There is strictly no contact allowed between players.

“ Tag rugby belts can be used by all players – male or female, of all ages, sizes and abilities”

Games and Activities for TAG Rugby

Game. Individual Skills
Relays
Groups of 5
One ball per group
Players race to a line 10 m away and back to their own group to hand over to the next player in the relay.
1. Run to the line and score a try then run back
2. Pass the ball around the body twice whilst running
3. Throw the ball in the air, and clap before catching and returning to the group.
Pass the ball between the legs whilst striding to the line.

Ø WARM UP Passing
Ø Keep Ball
Ø Groups of 5
Ø Grids 10m x 10m
Ø 1 ball per group
Ø 4 players work as a team to make 10 passes.
Ø Defender tries to tag a player who is holding the ball..
Ø Either rotate the defenders
Or if caught, the tagged player becomes the next defender

Skill Development - pass and support.
Red Arrows
Groups of 5
1 ball per group
Start single file
Player 1 runs 5m and holds the ball out on the RIGHT
Player 2 takes the ball, runs another 5m and holds the ball on the RIGHT
When player 5 gets the ball, the group will have travelled 25 m forward and 10m to the RIGHT

Skill Development –Running,.Defending
Score a Try
Grid 10m x 10m
Players in groups of 5
1 Ball per group
Players take it in turns to be the defender in the middle (4 tackles then change)
The attackers take turns to try to run past the defender and score a try.
1 tag – defender scores 1 point
2 tags – defender scores 2 points
score a try – attacker scores 1 point

Progression – Running, passing and decision making
4 v 1.
Groups of 5
Combine grids to make 2 channels, each 10m x 30m
3 groups take turns to work in each channel
1 ball per group
Ball carrier tries to score a try by running past the defender. Support players follow the ball carrier. If tagged, the ball carrier must pass to one of his/her support players. The defender must GIVE the Tag back before trying to make a second tag tackle.

Game – 5 v 5 Decision Making
Pitch 20m x 20m
All players wearing Tag belts
Start the game with a free pass, defenders must be 7m back at the start.
Attacking player must try to run past defenders to score a try. If tagged, the attacker must pass the ball backwards to a teammate. After a tackle, the defenders must give the tag back, stay on their own side of the ball and NOT intercept or obstruct the pass.

Warm up – pass and support.
Follow the leader
Large grid, 20m x 20m
Players in groups of 5
1 Ball per group
Leader, with the ball can run any direction.. The rest of the group must follow like a snake. When the teacher calls “pass”, the leader must stop, then either hold the ball on one side, pass or place the ball on the floor. The next player must react, collect the ball and continue running. The leader joins the back of the group.

Skill 1 - passing, support, catching.
Chain Reaction
Divide the 20m x 20m grid in half. 3 groups of 5 work in each new 20m x 10m channel..
1 ball per group
Each group takes turns to practice lateral passing. (In each channel, the 3 groups take it in turns)
Player 1 starts in a standing position with the ball.
Player 2 is on 1 knee
Player 3 on 2 knees
Player 4 lies on their front
Player 5 sits cross legged
On teachers call, all players try to start running forward as quickly as possible, and pass the ball along the line. The starting positions should mean that every pass is made to a player supporting from behind.

Game Related Practice. Pass, Turn, Attack
2 adjacent 20m x 10m channels as in the previous activity. 3 Groups take turns to work in each channel.
In the first channel, players pass the ball across the line as in Chain Reaction but after the first pass, the player who starts the chain reaction waits at the centre of the channel whilst the rest of the group continue to the end. The rest of the group continue passing along the line to the end of the first channel, then turn and attack in the opposite direction to beat the defender who is waiting in the centre (4 v 1)

Game – 6 v 4 Decision Making
Pitch 20m x 20m
All players wearing Tag belts
Start the game with a free pass, defenders must be 7m back at the start.
Attacking player must try to run past defenders to score a try. If tagged, the attacker must pass the ball backwards to a teammate. After a tackle, the defenders must give the tag back, stay on their own side of the ball and NOT intercept or obstruct the pass.

Ø .WARM UP Running, Defending
Bull dog
Large grid 30m x 30m
Start with 5 defenders in the middle of the grid.
Everybody else stands at one end of the grid wearing tags. On teachers call, all attackers try to run past the 5 defenders to get to the opposite side of the grid.
Defenders attempt to pull one tag from each defender.
Those attackers who are tagged join the defenders and on a call again the attackers try to get back to where they started. This continues until there are only2 / 3 / 4 attackers left.

· .WARM UP - Running
· Scarecrow Tag
· Groups of 5
· Grids 5m x 5m
· All players wear Tags
· Nominated player attempts to Tag other players
· The Defender must give the Tag back again as soon as it has been removed. When tagged, a player must replace the Tag on his / her belt then stand still with both arms stretched out horizontally. To make a tagged player free, another player must run under the outstretched arms.
· Work for 1 minute then change the Defender.

Skill Development - Running.
Find the space
Combine 4 grids to make one large grid 20m x 20m
Players work individually
Players run any direction in grid trying to avoid contact by running into space
When teacher call “stop”, all players must be 1m from the next nearest player.

Skill Development – pass and support
Follow the leader
Large grid, 20m x 20m
Players in groups of 5
1 Ball per group
Leader, with the ball can run any direction.. The rest of the group must follow like a snake. When the teacher calls “pass”, the leader must stop, hold the ball out to one side so the next player can take the ball from their hands and continue running. The leader joins the back of the group.

Progression – pass and support.
Single file running
Groups of 5
This is best done with groups lined up in single file ready to run across the width of a football pitch or along the length of a netball court.
1 ball per group
Ball at the front of group (standing in single file with groups parallel to each other)
First player runs 5m then stops and holds the ball for player 2
Player 2 runs, takes the ball and continues a further 5m then stops.
When player 5 gets the ball a try is scored and the group will have carried the ball 25m in total in a straight line. When the group has finished, they will be standing in a line across the area like a chain, 5m apart..
Extension idea: Make it a race between groups from A to B