Out the back door
An evasion and footwork drill for U8 and up, with where the cones go, how it runs and what to say when it is not working.
Free to read with no account. It works at a pitch with no signal too.
- Age grades
- U8, U9, U10, U11, U12
- Time
- 9 minutes
- Players
- 6 to 18
- Space
- 20 x 15 m
- Kit
- 6 cones, 1 ball
- Pitch
- Fine on hard ground
- Indoors
- Fits a small space
Setting it up
A carrier with two support runners, one on each shoulder. One defender in front.
How it runs
The carrier runs at the defender then gives it to either shoulder, whichever the defender has left open. The defender picks a side and commits. Six goes each. The lesson is that the defender chooses first and the attack just has to see it.
What to watch for
- Run at them properly. A defender who is not worried does not commit
- Wait for them to lean, then give it the other way
- Support runners keep depth so there is time to react
Make it easier
- Defender must commit early
- Walk it
Make it harder
- Two defenders
- Support runners cross behind the carrier
What it looks like when it is going wrong
What you can see from the touchline, then the one thing to say about it.
- Passing before the defender has committed to either side
- Wait. Watch which way they lean, then give it the other way
- Both support runners flat alongside with no time to react
- Get deeper. You want a full second to see it
More like this
The grades that can do it
What U8 rugby allows is the rule this sits under. Regulation 15 is reissued every summer, so the RFU's own rules of play are the ones to read for this season rather than a copy on somebody else's website. Ours included. Read against the RFU's 2026/27 appendices in August 2026.