Ruckwork is one of the unique plays of Australian Football, it consists of two men running into each other and knocking the ball to their team mate when the game restarts.

It is normally played by tall players (6.5 or taller) but the skills of tapping the ball is handy to learn by everyone as it allows you to knock/ tap the ball from a contest to the advantage of your team.

Steps on how to Ruck and tap the ball

1. Your aim is to reach the ball before your opposition ruck man.
2. When the umpire bounces/ throws the ball watch the ball
3. Jump to met the ball when it reaches its high point
4. Use your hands to reach and tap ball to your teams advantage

It helps to tap the ball directly to a team mate as it allows them more time to get away from a tackle from the opposition. The second video shows just how much more time is wasted trying to gather the ball.

Extra tips

• It does help to wear protective gear like thigh pads and ankle guards.
• Apart from tapping the ball you can also punch the ball which means it clears the area which is also advantages at times.
• Practice tapping/ punching the ball using both hands (see video one).