Hooker Techniques
Question
Hi I play rugby on a high school girls team and I just started playing hooker. I'm having trouble with actually hooking the ball back in scrums. Do you have any advice on the actual hooking technique with my feet? Usually when I ask this I get advice on how to get my props to bind but not on what to do with my foot/leg/stance/etc. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Answer
Hi Rebecca,
The key is to have your left leg back and your right foot forward with your hips turned towards the ball/ half back. Having the tighthead prop bind first helps and exagerate your hips to face the halfback during the bind. In most cases hookers actually hook the ball with their right foot in a sweeping motion. Make sure the loose head prop has her feet apart about arm pit distance apart. Have the half back push the envelope to get the ball as close to your side without getting penalised.
Make sure the locks are only pushing on the props you should "float" between the props.
Also use You Tube to find technique options that work for you, go to Google and use theses key words for video:
rugby technique hooker scrum
There are some good videos that help explain hooker.
Play rugby in America
Rugby position, lock, prop or 8thman