Tactics and skill development
Over time, rule changes and the nature of the game allowed touch football to develop different skills from rugby league and rugby union.
Now some of these skills are of benefit to rugby league and union players
Player positions outlined
Teams are generally split into three positions:
- 2 Middles
- 2 Links – the players between the two middles and the two wings
- 2 Wings
- Each position has slightly different workloads and skills. The rules place no restrictions on where players can play. Players can play anywhere and often do due to the nature and speed of the game.
Speed of the game
The speed of the game has dramatically increased since the game first started, due to the fundamental nature of the game and rule changes.
Of course, making a touch (the rules state with minimum force) instead of a tackle vastly increases the speed of the game compared to rugby league and union. And early rule changes to allow the attacking player to affect a touch increased the speed exponentially.
Another early rule change ensuring players did not continue to play on and passing the ball after being touched (the referee would bring the player back which would slow the game down) where players were penalised for a “touch and pass”, ensured the players developed skills to play the ball after a touch as quickly as possible.
Comment: While the referees originally cracked down on this rule, they have never “backed off” so the rule tends to be overly enforced by referees.
Play the ball skill
One skill resulting from the speed of touch is the attacking player affecting the touch and playing the ball at the same time. It can take years to develop this skill and perfect it. The top players can judge when they are going to be touched, even from behind, and play the ball quickly and effectively without going over the mark.
Passing
While still very skilful, Rugby League and Union is more about physicality as well as passing and kicking.
Touch football is all about passing the ball to beat the opposition.
Experienced teams may well now pass the ball many times before being touched, taking the risk of perhaps dropping the ball early in the touch count. In Brisbane, the UniRebels team in the 1980s started the change of more passing, and eventually won many competitions due to this change in style of playing.
The changes from leather footballs to synthetic balls, has changed both touch football and rugby league and union. Balls are now lighter and synthetic, with small “nipples” for grip.
In the old days of rugby league and union, we were taught to hold the then leather balls with bladders with one hand on the laces and one hand underneath. Now the ball is held towards the end of the ball where a spinning action can be imparted on the ball, sending it faster and further.
The modern player with the right strength can pass a ball quickly and effectively across a field, up to thirty odd meters. The timing of the pass needs to be slightly different to rugby league and union to avoid a “touch and pass” and get the ball to an often unmarked winger.
Moves
“Moves” are how attacking players combine in a set pattern of play, either in one attacking play or over multiple plays of the ball.
They are generally used in serious games, but not so much in park touch.
The Switch – the basic move of touch
Other than just running hard and fast and passing the ball, the basic move and the corner stone of many other moves is the “switch”.
In its simplest from the switch involves one attacking player running diagonally across the field and crossing the path of another player who is running the opposite diagonal and while doing so the first player passes the ball to the other player. If performed correctly, the switch will cause a gap to appear in the opposition’s line of defence.
One variant to this switch move is the “option” (and the writer of this paragraph, Ross Bateson claims that together with Greg Young when we played for Eagles in the early eighties, defensive teams were starting to read the switch move and defend accordingly. By changing the point of attack a second time, it was hoped to beat the defence on the “outside” rather than the “inside”.
A variant is the option move is when the second player in the switch, after receiving the ball, turns and follows the original line of the first player, with the first player supporting on the outside. Those familiar with the game will understand this, as it has become a common move.
From there developed all sorts of other options to the switch move. Many of these basic moves are called the same name and are transferrable from team to team. But even if the opposition knows what the move is, if done properly, the move will be effective.
The Wrap
One could even say the common “wrap” move is a variant of the switch.
Player A passes the ball to player B, then runs around behind player B, hoping to gain an overlap.
Diving for the try line
Many players can dive low and along the ground close to an opponent’s try line to score a try. As the speed of the game has increased and defences on the back foot, this has become a common way to score tries.
In general
Combinations and variants of the basic switch and wrap, sometimes being organised across the whole six touches, exist.
Defence
Once again, the speed of the game has necessitated how a defensive team works.
At the start of touch, basically one defensive player covered one attacking player. In fast games, there has now developed what is called a “squeeze” defence. Due to the speed of players around the middle of the field and how quickly they can change direction (a step), teams will play three defensive players in the middle, against two attacking players, and slide left and right accordingly, leaving the furthermost wing unmarked.
If the attacking players cannot score in the middle of the field, it forces them to attempt a long ball to the temporarily unmarked wing. It is then a race of the defensive player against the speed of the pass to the wing.
Another part of a top defensive team is communication. Players must talk as to who has who every touch and be specific about it. By specific, it means you must call out exactly who has who. (General talk such as “let’s defend” is generally not helpful.) Generally defensive talk starts from both the wings, as there is no doubt as to who they are defending, then the links talks to the middles. (For this reason, touch football is often known as a noisy sport.)
Players should try not to cross over each other in defence, but move the team as a whole from side to side.