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Sevens Kick Offs

SEVENS   2- Kick Offs and Receipts.

Kick offs are the most important set piece in sevens as there are normally many of them. It is a vital component of the game that the team kicking off can contest and recover possession as much as possible. The other option is to kick deep to find touch or to put the attack under severe defensive pressure in their own 22.
Likewise, the receiving team must at all costs catch and retain the ball no matter how much pressure they are placed under.
Both these aspects should be practiced often until the strategies and the skills required are carried out with accuracy and intensity.snookywebKick Offs
The most basic requirement is having a kicker who can kick the ball high enough and accurately. This skill needs to be practiced regularly with the kicker dropping the ball on the ground and getting their foot underneath the ball as it bounces.
The spot chosen to kick to can be anywhere across the opposing 10 metre line based on where you deem the opposition to have their weakest receiver/s.  This method requires you to have at least three players on the field who are capable of running and attacking the ball in the air depending on whether you kick it right, centrefield or left.
If you only have one strong chaser then you should utilize this person. So long as the kick is high and does not go too far then you should still be able to recover your kick off.  Along with the kicker, the designated chasers  need to practice the angles they are going to run , preferably with the outside shoulder forward and running at an angle in towards the ball, and then the jump and twist for the ball either catching at the full extension of the arms, or palming it down.  This will take some time but will be well worthwhile. Having a catcher under the ball with a hit shield will help at the start so the chaser has a target and someone to jump against.
When the team comes together to practice kick offs then you can set up your strategy. It can be a good idea to have a forward runner going beyond the ball so that they can reclaim it if it goes loose in that zone, and it is important to have a ‘pocket’ player in place so that the ball can be palmed down to them from the chaser. The pocket player must not be too close to the jumper so that they have some flexibility in their changing direction to recover the ball.
If the ball is taken by the chasing player they should keep going forward with support from the pocket player and the player who has run beyond the ball.  As much as possible in this situation the attack should try to keep going forward rather than laterally.
If the forward runner gathers the ball the same should apply. If the ball is palmed backwards the pocket player should pass it laterally to their playmaker in midfield and start setting up the attack patterns from this player.
Should the team decide to kick deep it is most important that a rapid chase takes place. The first chaser should try to keep slightly inside the ball carrier and force them towards the sideline with the appropriate number of defenders, moving up on each side depending on the width required to be defended. The strategy could be to make sure the front six defenders form a line with each person slightly behind the defender on their inside. As the ball is passed the defender comes up and the inside defenders hold their ground to cut off any ball coming back. There should also be a ‘sweeper’ in behind the defensive line.


22 Metre Kick Offs
Experiment with these when you get time but the policy is that there is no way the receiving team should ever get their hands on the ball.
Ideas include the short kick in to space with your player running on to it. Players need to look for a space and signal to the kicker.  The kicker can do a very short kick which they dive on and passes it between their legs to the pocket player.  The kicker if they are quick of mind and foot can place a short kick in behind the defender in front of them and chase to recover the ball themself.


Kick Off Receipts.
It is imperative that the receiving team is able to contest and claim the ball at the kick off.  Start with a 4-2-1 formation with four players across the front line about 15 metres from the kicker; two more in the next line ready to act as a pocket player, and a sweeper at the back.
The receivers should practice going forward to the kick and jumping in the air to receive the ball. Ideally they will leap and turn slightly to put themself in to a position of strength. As they do this the closest player can guide them down by attaching themself and providing some more stability. Again this is a mini unit skill that requires a lot of practice.
If the ball is caught cleanly then follow the same policy of going forward as quickly as possible rather than laterally. If it is a quick ruck then the pocket player, now the half back, needs to check the short side before deciding whether the ball goes to the playmaker or not who is positioned in midfield.
Obviously if the ball is kicked deep the defending side need to get back as quickly as possible and the team should bring the ball forward as quickly and as far as they can before any contact is made.
So, there it is an important part of the game that requires a lot of individual and mini unit practice. These skills need to be part of your considerations when selecting the squad.