ABSTRACT
The tackle is a physically and technically dynamic contest between two (or more) opposing players for territory and ball possession. Whether as a ball carrier or tackler, winning the tackle contest is associated with player and team performance. The frequency of occurrence and technical-physical nature of the tackle also places both the ball carrier and tackler at high risk of injury. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of how researchers analyse the tackle, and then describe how these methods have been used to study the tackle in youth rugby union and league, along with its current limitations and future research directions. To date, most tackle research has been through analysing video footage of tackles in matches. Video analysis of matches typically describes what has occurred in terms of frequencies and how certain risk factors and determinants relate to various performance and injury outcomes. To learn more about the technical dynamics of the tackle, studies have also been conducted in more controlled environments, including the training setting, or using biomechanical analysis and motion capture in the laboratory.
