Dodge the Defenders

• Keep the main boundary and leave space for a wide crossing river, safe zones and dens.
• Pre-size tag belts — Escape Edition, Crocodile Crossing, Safe Zones and Fox & Hounds all use them.
• Mark two safe banks at opposite ends for Crocodile Crossing.
• Set out five cone safe zones spaced well apart for Pickle's Safe Zones.
• Have 3–4 tagger bibs ready to hand out for Pup Traffic — Escape Edition.
• Keep spare cones accessible to drop dens for the Fox & Hounds progression, plus two bib colours for the final game.

1. 1PAWS Welcome & Recap0–4 min · 4 minWarm up and remember dodging

   How it works

   1. Welcome the pack and recap helping teammates through passing.
   2. Introduce dodging, changing direction and escaping defenders.
   3. Ask what children can do when a defender is in front of them.
   4. Accept ideas such as side-stepping or finding another gap; keep it brief.

   Coaching focus · “PAWS!”

   Setup & equipment

   1. Gather the children in the normal coaching area.

   Coaching detail

   “READY!” · “Today we dodge the defenders!”

   Commands

   1. Coach: “PAWS!” — Children: “READY!”
   2. “Freeze Paws!” — Stop and listen

   Safety

   • Keep this recap short.

   More detail

   Full activity instructions

   1. Welcome the group back.
   2. Recap: “Last week we worked together and helped our teammates with our passing.”
   3. Introduce today's mission: “Today we're learning how to dodge, change direction and escape defenders.”
   4. Ask: “What can you do if a defender is in front of you?” — e.g. run around them, side-step, change direction, find another gap. Keep it brief.
2. 2Adventure Journey — Escape Adventure4–11 min · 7 minMove, imagine and escape

   ⚑ No balls or tag belts

   How it works

   1. Let children choose a destination and transport, then act out the journey.
   2. Ask which animals live there and follow their suggestions.
   3. Encourage weaving, dodging, changing speed and moving into space.
   4. Use “Freeze Paws!” to change the adventure; restart with “PAWS… READY!”.

   Coaching focus · “Find your own space!”

   Pitch setup

   Tap to enlarge

   • Coach
   • Child / attacker
   • Cone
   • Arrow = movement

   Setup & equipment

   1. Use one open bounded area.
   2. No rugby balls or tag belts are required.
   3. Children spread out with room to move safely.

   Coaching detail

   “Change direction!” · “Can you escape?” · “Show me how your animal moves!”

   Ideas & variations

   Destination ideas

   • Jungle
   • Ocean
   • Zoo
   • Safari
   • Australia
   • Farm
   • Arctic
   • Beach
   • Space
   • Another child-led destination

   Transport ideas

   • Plane
   • Boat
   • Train
   • Jeep
   • Helicopter
   • Rocket
   • Swimming
   • Walking

   Escape movement ideas

   • Ocean: dart like fish, weave like eels, escape like dolphins
   • Jungle: side-step like monkeys, sprint like cheetahs, slither like snakes
   • Australia: hop like kangaroos, sprint like emus, crawl like crocodiles

   Safety

   • Maintain safe spacing.
   • Keep children inside the marked area.
   • Avoid dangerous animal movements.
   • Keep the activity flowing.

   More detail

   Full activity instructions

   1. Ask: “Where should the Rugger Pups go today?” Let the children choose.
   2. Ask: “How are we getting there?” Let the children choose the transport, then act out the journey together.
   3. When the group arrives, ask: “What animals live here?” Let the children suggest the animals.
   4. Everyone moves like those animals — encourage weaving, dodging, changing direction, accelerating, stopping and starting, and moving into space.
   5. Use “Freeze Paws!” to stop and choose the next part of the adventure; restart with “PAWS… READY!”

   Purpose

   • Use imagination and movement to introduce dodging, weaving, changing speed and changing direction.

   No formal progression — the changing journey and animals provide the variation. The ideas above are examples only; the children choose.

3. 3Pup Traffic — Escape Edition11–19 min · 8 minDodge and escape on command

   How it works

   1. Start without balls and move around the area.
   2. Use Green to run, Amber to slow, Red to freeze and Blue to side-step.
   3. Use Turbo to accelerate into space.
   4. On “ESCAPE!”, quickly change direction into a different empty area.

   Coaching focus · “Eyes up”

   Pitch setup

   Tap to enlarge

   • Child / attacker
   • Tag belt
   • Tagger (3)
   • Coach
   • Arrow = movement

   Setup & equipment

   1. Children spread around the main area.
   2. Start without rugby balls.

   Coaching detail

   “Find the gap” · “Change direction” · “Escape into space”

   Commands

   1. Green — Run
   2. Amber — Slow down
   3. Red — Freeze
   4. Blue — Side-step
   5. Turbo — Accelerate into space
   6. ESCAPE! — Change direction quickly and find a new empty space

   Ideas & variations

   Progression

   • Add 2–3 taggers in clearly identifiable bibs; everyone wears a tag belt.
   • Taggers are only active when ESCAPE! is called — during normal commands everyone moves freely.
   • On ESCAPE!, taggers try to remove one tag. Tagged children stop, the tag is handed straight back, they reattach it and play resumes.

   Safety

   • No tackling.
   • No pushing.
   • Tags handed back directly.
   • Keep taggers limited to 2–3 initially.

   More detail

   Full activity instructions

   1. Children move around responding to the commands.
   2. The key Week 4 command is ESCAPE! — children quickly change direction and move into a different empty area.
4. 4Crocodile Crossing19–28 min · 9 minCross the river without getting caught

   How it works

   1. On “Cross the river!”, run from your bank to the opposite bank.
   2. Crocodiles try to remove one tag.
   3. If tagged, continue safely to the opposite bank, receive the tag directly back and reattach it.
   4. Everyone joins the next crossing; rotate crocodiles frequently.

   Coaching focus · “Find the gap”

   Pitch setup

   Tap to enlarge

   • Safe bank at each end
   • Child / attacker
   • Crocodile (2–3)
   • Tag belt
   • Rugby ball
   • Coach

   Setup & equipment

   1. Create a wide river between two safe banks.
   2. Choose 2–3 crocodiles to begin inside the river.
   3. All other children start behind one safe bank wearing tag belts.

   Coaching detail

   “Watch the crocodiles” · “Change direction” · “Go when you see space”

   Ideas & variations

   Progression

   • Give rugby balls to some runners. Rotate the balls between rounds so different children carry while escaping.

   Safety

   • No pushing or tackling.
   • No grabbing clothes or belts.
   • Keep crocodile numbers manageable.
   • Spread children across the starting bank to reduce collisions.

   More detail

   Full activity instructions

   1. On “Cross the river!”, the pups try to reach the opposite bank without losing a tag.
   2. Crocodiles try to remove one tag.
   3. If tagged: the child continues safely to the opposite bank, the crocodile hands the tag directly back, the child reattaches it and everyone joins the next crossing.
   4. Nobody is eliminated. Rotate crocodiles frequently.
5. 5Pickle's Safe Zones28–38 min · 10 minDodge between the safe zones

   How it works

   1. Move freely until “SAFE ZONE!”, then reach a zone before being tagged.
   2. Look for an available zone with room for about 2–3 children.
   3. After a few seconds, call “Back out!” so everyone moves again.
   4. If tagged, receive the tag directly back, reattach and keep playing; nobody is out.

   Coaching focus · “Look before you go”

   Pitch setup

   Tap to enlarge

   • Safe zone
   • Child / attacker
   • Tag belt
   • Tagger (3)
   • Coach
   • Arrow = movement

   Player icons are representative — use the group numbers in the instructions.

   Setup & equipment

   1. Create several small cone safe zones, spaced well apart, around the main playing area.
   2. Children wear tag belts.
   3. Choose 2–3 taggers.

   Coaching detail

   “Find an empty zone” · “Change direction” · “Escape into space”

   Ideas & variations

   Progression

   • Introduce rugby balls to some runners and rotate the balls. Do not add more complicated safe-zone rules.

   Safety

   • Safe zones must be spaced well apart.
   • No pushing into zones.
   • Keep numbers per zone limited.
   • Taggers cannot wait inside a safe zone.

   More detail

   Full activity instructions

   1. Children move freely around the area.
   2. On “SAFE ZONE!”, children find and reach a safe zone before a tagger removes a tag.
   3. Each safe zone holds about 2–3 children — look around for an available zone rather than following the same person.
   4. After a few seconds call “Back out!” — everyone leaves the zones and moves again. Repeat.
   5. If tagged: the tagger hands the tag directly back, the child reattaches it and keeps playing. Nobody is eliminated.
6. 6Spike's Fox & Hounds38–47 min · 9 minChase and escape as a team

   How it works

   1. Foxes try to remove one tag from the hounds.
   2. Hounds escape by changing speed, direction and space or side-stepping.
   3. If tagged, stop safely, receive the tag directly back and reattach before rejoining.
   4. Rotate foxes regularly; nobody is out.

   Coaching focus · “Escape the fox!”

   Pitch setup

   Tap to enlarge

   • Den (progression)
   • Child / attacker
   • Tag belt
   • Fox (3–4)
   • Rugby ball
   • Coach
   • Arrow = movement

   Player icons are representative — use the group numbers in the instructions.

   Setup & equipment

   1. Choose 3–4 foxes; everyone else is a hound wearing a tag belt.
   2. Use the whole bounded area.
   3. Give rugby balls to some hounds where possible.

   Coaching detail

   “Find a gap!” · “Change direction!” · “Get to a den!”

   Ideas & variations

   Progression

   • Place several cone dens around the area.
   • Hounds score by reaching a den with both tags still attached, then move straight back into the game — nobody stays in a den.

   Safety

   • No tackling or pushing.
   • No grabbing clothing or belts.
   • Dens must be spaced safely.
   • Keep fox numbers manageable.

   More detail

   Full activity instructions

   1. Foxes try to steal one tag from the hounds.
   2. Hounds escape by changing direction, changing speed, finding space and side-stepping.
   3. If a fox removes a tag: the hound stops safely, the fox hands the tag directly back, the hound reattaches it and rejoins immediately.
   4. Nobody is eliminated. Rotate foxes regularly.
7. 7Big Pup Tag Game47–56 min · 9 minPlay tag rugby with dodging

   How it works

   1. Choose one 10v10 match, or two 5v5 matches only if both can be safely supervised.
   2. Ground the ball over the try line to score.
   3. When tagged, stop; the defender returns the tag, the player reattaches it, then passes to a teammate.
   4. Pass sideways or backwards, not forwards.
   5. Praise finding gaps, side-stepping and escaping; add no bonus points or skill counts.

   Coaching focus · “Find the gap”

   Pitch setup

   Tap to enlarge

   Option A — One game · 10 v 10

   Option B — Two games · 5 v 5 on each pitch

   Use only when both games can be supervised safely.

   Player icons are representative — use the team numbers shown above.

   • Attacking team
   • Defending team
   • Try line / end zone
   • Coach
   • Arrow = movement

   Setup & equipment

   1. Use the main pitch and end zones already in place.
   2. Two colours of bibs.

   Coaching detail

   “Change direction” · “Run into space” · “Help your teammate”

   Simplified rules

   1. Ground the ball over the try line to score.
   2. A defender removes one tag.
   3. The tagged player stops.
   4. The defender returns the tag.
   5. The player reattaches it.
   6. The ball is passed to a teammate.
   7. No tackling, pushing, grabbing or blocking.

   Ideas & variations

   Option A — One 10v10 match

   • Use when the group benefits from one closely supervised match.

   Option B — Two adjacent 5v5 matches

   • Use when both games can be supervised safely.

   Safety

   • No tackling, pushing, grabbing or blocking.
   • Keep every playing area in your view.

   More detail

   Full activity instructions

   1. Same familiar game. Choose the match format below on the day.
   2. Week 4 focus: finding gaps, changing direction, side-stepping, running into space and escaping defenders.
   3. Simply praise and encourage attempts to beat defenders — no bonus points, no side-step counts.

   Don't over-referee whether a skill was performed correctly.

8. 8PAWS Huddle & Collection56–60 min · 4 minCelebrate and tidy up together

   How it works

   1. Ask what helped children dodge or escape today.
   2. Praise effort, confidence and safe play.
   3. Finish with “Once a Pup…” — “ALWAYS A PUP!”.

   Coaching focus · “What helped you escape?”

   Setup & equipment

   1. Gather the children.
   2. Collect balls, belts, cones and bibs.

   Coaching detail

   “Well done, Pack!” · “Once a Pup…”

   Safety

   • Follow the school's authorised collection and handover procedure.

   More detail

   Full activity instructions

   1. Ask: “What helped you escape a defender today?” (e.g. side-step, change direction, run faster, find a gap, look for space).
   2. Praise effort, confidence and safe play.
   3. Finish with the closing chant.

   Closing chant

   • Coach: “Once a Pup…”
   • Children: “ALWAYS A PUP!”

Total60 min

• Keep their eyes up.
• Find gaps.
• Change direction.
• Change speed.
• Side-step.
• Accelerate into space.
• Evade taggers.
• Carry a rugby ball while moving.
• Use tags safely.
• Apply evasion in a simple tag rugby game.
• The session should feel like: Adventure → escape → dodge → score.

• 20 tag belts
• 40 tags plus a few spares
• 10–12 rugby balls
• 35–40 cones or flat markers
• 2 colours of bibs
• Whistle
• First-aid kit
• Access to drinking water

Main area · Use one main rectangular area of roughly 20m × 25m (a flexible guide).

• Keep the main external boundaries, and two end zones where useful for the final game.
• Leave enough internal space for safe zones, dens and a wide crossing river.
• Use internal cones to adapt the space — avoid full-pitch resets.
• The whole session must stay manageable for one coach and up to 20 children.