To expect every young player to make the leap from grabbing a tag as a player runs past to standing in front of that charging opponent and stopping him/her is unrealistic. Contact and collision is at the heart of the game, so as opposed to creating an environment when the core of the game could actually be the motivating factor for drop out, why not embrace the contact but control and develop it. After all we coach everything else in the game as "Whole - Part - Whole" don't we?
It takes a bit of courage to stand in front of somebody who is bigger than you and not only wait for the point of impact but actually run into that impact yourself. Courage comes from confidence as much as anything else, so Cage Rugby is designed to develop a confidence in the players' own physicality.
Control of the Impact:
To reduce the impact, we have reduced the space, less space equals less momentum, it is even possible to add in further stipulations such as not permitting a player to run further than 5m with the ball. What we are creating is a smaller version of 15 a side rugby. It is very rare to see a player make a tackle where he goes "cheek to cheek" these days, nor do you see many tackles where a player actually dives horizontally at another to bring him down. We should be creating situations which reflect the modern game, and so give our own young players the chance to practise new skills as opposed to being re-programmed having learnt out dated skills.
THIS IS NOT A CRITICISM OF HOW TACKLING IS CURRENTLY TAUGHT.
Current methods of teaching tackling have not addressed the gladiatorial element of one player standing in front of another and running at each other. That is a situation which scares many adult players let alone children!! To make the jump from walking and kneeling etc through jogging we still have somewhere within that progression where there comes a point when the player is expected to make a leap of faith and throw themselves into something resembling a train wreck - a head on collision.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE THAT THE METHODOLOGY OF TACKLING IN ITS CURRENT GUISE CONTINUE TO BE TAUGHT IN THIS WAY.
Because it introduces the player to the aspects of safety involved and allows them to practice in a controlled way. This then becomes the "Part" of the "Whole - Part - Whole".
WHY "CAGE" RUGBY?
"Cage" when applied in a sporting context evokes images of two competitors locked in combat. Not neccessarily the best image to evoke when dealing with introducing young people to collisions. We are dealing with creating confidence however. 90% of tackling is mental, you've got to want to stop your opponent! The effect of achieving success for a young player (any player for that matter) in an environment which, if you asked them individually, and in confidence, probably scares them half to death: (i.e a caged arena where there is nowhere to hide and an opponent standing in front of you) is multiplied massively. If a player thinks that they are tough they will play tough. We are now in the realms of promoting self confidence, and self worth. Let them think they are "cage fighters". It is down to the coaches to control the impacts through manipulation of space, distances, and even numbers on the pitch to ensure that the players ALL achieve success and bring their man to a halt.
The term "Cage" is not to be feared but "embraced."
Cage rugby creates an environment where the distances involved and therefore the speeds to collision are reduced. Support from other players is readily available, so players are actually playing a game as opposed to worrying about a new skill.
The progressions are detailed separately as you will have seen, and the game can be utilised from absolute beginner through to international practioner as there is a built in continuum
