Flag Rugby Dummy Pass and Break
Flag rugby lane situations that teach students to sell a dummy pass and break through the gap the defender leaves. A try after a dummy scores more than one after a real pass, so students use both. It builds evasion, deception, and reading the defender.
How to play
- Six groups of 4 in 20 x 10 m (about 22 x 11 yd) lanes; everyone wears flags (2 min).
- Dummy in pairs: the carrier turns the shoulders, looks at the teammate, and swings the arms as if passing, then keeps the ball and accelerates inside. Eight reps against a cone (4 min).
- Two-on-one with the defender 10 m (about 11 yd) away: a try after a dummy is 2 points, after a pass 1, a flag pull 1 for the defender. After each play the defender attacks and the fourth student steps in (5 min).
- Three-on-two with a decoy: one attacker runs hard calling for the ball to draw a defender, even without getting it. Six attacks per group (7 min).
- Wrap up for 2 minutes: what made the dummy believable?
Rules
- Passes go backward or sideways only; a forward pass cancels the try.
- Defenders may not grab or push: they only pull flags.
- Safety: break through open space, never into the defender's body.
Variations
Easier
The defender walks toward the attackers and may move only to one side.
Standard
Dummy practice in pairs, 2-on-1 with 2 points for a try after a dummy, and 3-on-2 with a decoy.
Harder
The defender may start 5 m (16 ft) away, and a second defender joins 2 seconds later.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a student using a wheelchair can be the receiver or the decoy, and defenders tag the shoulder instead of pulling a flag.
- Autism: teach the dummy as a "trick" with fixed steps (look, swing, accelerate) and show it on a card.
- Fitness or skill level: slower students may start with a 2 m (6 ft) head start on the defender.
Learning goals
- Perform a believable dummy pass and accelerate out of it.
- Choose between passing and dummying based on the defender's reaction.
- Use decoy runners to hold defenders in place.
Equipment for a class of 25
- flag belts: 25
- foam rugby ball: 6
- cones: 24
Teacher tip
Many students dummy without looking at their teammate, and the defender doesn't buy it: stress that the eyes are half the fake. If someone only ever dummies, remind them that the real pass is what makes the fake believable.
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