2. The mechanics
Lifting and jumping:
Once the players are chosen, some might need to be educated or re-educated in the art of lifting and jumping.
Lifting is very similar to the snatch and jerk in weightlifting. A wide base is used, with both feet and hips square in the direction of the player to be lifted. A common mistake is to lift from the arms. However it is more efficient to use the large muscle groups in the legs to propel the player upwards initially, with the arms providing the final push at the top.
The lift:
Especially at the front of the line, the lift is more about timing than height. It is therefore helpful for pairs of lifters to practice together before introducing the jumpers. A quick exercise could be to - stand the players opposite each other and on a call, drive and push their hands together and then upwards. Or another method would be to get the lifters to lift the heaviest player together. Then when it comes to lifting the original player they lifted to start with, they will probably find they push him to the top of their limit far easier than before.
The jumper:
The jumper needs to practice a routine to jump. They must jump because it’s the crucial upwards momentum that will not only signal to the lifters they are ready to jump, but also to give the lifters a vital start to the lift.
There are a couple of basic factors that lead to a higher jump. The first is that two feet are better than one, and the second is that there will be more height from a player who is moving forwards than backwards. Therefore a jumper can take a small jump onto two feet and then jump forward into the facing lifter. The arms should be half raised, similar to that of a praying mantis, to give balance and avoid interference from the opposition. Leap like a ballerina, with the toes pointing down and the legs straight.
The thrower:
This doesn’t always have to be the hooker. It is certainly worth trying out a few players because a great plan for the season ahead can easily disintegrate if the thrower gets injured at the start of the season and there is no one else to rely on.
Lineout Glossary -
Number two or front jumper – the first three players in the lineout form the two supporters and the front jumper in the middle.
Number four and middle of the line jumper – though traditionally standing in the number four position, the middle jumper now moves around in the middle of the line between four and five and is supported by two players standing at either three, four, five or six.
Flat ball – the thrower throws the ball on flat, fast trajectory, using timing and speed of the jumpers.
Lob ball – the ball is thrown over the opposition. Can be used to exploit a particularly tall jumper.
Front peel – when players catch and move the ball from the front of the lineout through the 5m channel between the lineout and the touchline. The players at the back of the line peel off and move to the front of the line whilst the ball is in the air.
Back peel – when players catch and move the ball into the area just outside the 15m area. The players at the front of the lineout peel off and move to the back of the line out. Particularly effective because there is a ten-metre space between the lineout and the defenders, and it is good to have forwards running at backs sometimes.
Once the lifters and jumpers are organised and the throwing and catching is fluent and efficient it is now considered that different calls are used to determine whether the ball is going and where the ball is going after it’s caught i.e. is it going to be mauled? Or is it going to be popped off the top to the scrum half then to the backs?
For my team we use the phrases – CAPE, TOWN, and FISH. Each of those phrases determines whether the ball is going to the front, middle or back of the lineout. If you notice the letters are only used once, this is to avoid confusion. Before the ball is thrown the thrower calls out a word, whatever that word begins with determines where the ball is going. For example Antelope means the ball is going to the front (cApe) or Nurse (towN). Then to make the play more efficient we shout out a number, if the number is odd i.e. 23 then the jumper goes down with the ball and the forwards maul the ball. If the number is even i.e. 18 then the ball is popped off the top to the scrum half then to the backs.
You can tell if the play has been fluent and aesthetically pleasing for the jumper as he’ll gain the feeling tone of the action or gaining the ‘Eureka Phenomenon’ if the performance is done correctly.
Operant conditioning can be used to coach Line outs. As a coach you are manipulating the environment to achieve success. Operant conditioning is structured to:
- A structured situation to bring about a desired result
- Lots of trial and error, therefore players can understand what its like to get the plays wrong.
- Reinforcement whether it be positive or negative (satisfiers and annoyers) this will either strengthen or weaken the players stimulus response bond.
- Arrange the practice to be as close as possible to a game situation.
To improve a thrower’s lineout throw they can practise throwing the ball into hoops held up in the air by another player, and the thrower has to get them in the hoops. As training progresses and the performer becomes more accurate the hoop can get smaller and smaller then replace the hoop with actual jumpers and then opposition jumpers to increase the pressure.
At this stage of learning feedback for the performer is extremely vital especially for a novice performer either cognitive or associative performers. The feedback needs to be specific and easily understood. The most common type of feedback which novice performers will receive is extrinsic feedback which can be received from a teacher/coach/the crowd and team mates. It is received via Perception, these are environmental cue’s being picked up auditory or visually. Intrinsic feedback is given commonly to the elite performers which they will receive via proprioception this being kinaesthesis through the joints/ligaments/muscles and nerves or through equilibrium, these are autonomous performers.
If performers are at their optimum arousal level then they will perform more efficiently and more likely to achieve success, the performer only concentrates on the most important environmental cue’s. Cognitive performers perform better with lower arousal because they will become to anxious if their arousal levels are high and will have poor concentration and start to panic.