This book of Touch Tips aims to enable players to learn about Touch outside of training sessions. We hope it will help you to improve your knowledge and appreciation of the game and thus enjoy the sport even more. The book begins with an introduction to some of the terms and concepts involved with the sport and then will move on to explaining basic strategies. As the book grows, material aimed at intermediate and more experienced players will be added in addition to sample activities that can be used to learn/teach different aspects of the game. This will include information about physical training, as well as strategies that more advanced teams may use in their games.
Knowing the rules is essential to playing your best. We have made a brief explanation of the rules so that all players have a clearer idea of what is going through a referee's brain when they blow a penalty. Don't worry, we've only focussed on the Touch stuff, not whatever else is floating around in there!...
Basic Touch Rules Player Attire: You are not allowed to wear any jewellery while playing. Of course, not many referees are going to check if you have a Prince Albert or a labret piercing. The major point for referees is they want to avoid unnecessary injury to other players and yourself. If you have really long fingernails, you may be asked to cut or tape them over. Your shoes are not allowed to have screw-in cleats.
Team Numbers: A team can have no more than 14 players, with 4 to 6 players on the field. You can be penalised for having more than 6. In Mixed you must have at least one male and at least three females on the field.
Starting Play: A coin toss decides who starts the game with the ball. Play is started with an attacking player, tapping the ball with their foot.
Possession: A change over of possession occurs in the following situations:
Passing: Passes must go straight or backwards. A player may pass, flick, knock or throw the ball. A player who passes after a touch has been made is penalised from where the ball is thrown.
Roll-ball: Any roll-balls or ''dumps'' that are not near where you were touched (''the mark'') is likely to be penalised, as is one which moves off the mark by a metre or so. If a player rolls the ball in a penalty situation, this player is not actually ''acting half'' and so this player may score or be touched. If you perform a roll-ball without being touched you will be penalised where the roll-ball occurred.
Offside: The defending team must move back five metres from the roll-ball. Only then can they move forward. The defence may usually not move forward until the acting half touches the ball unless informed otherwise by the referee. If the defence does not retire the required distance, they will be penalised. When you are near the score-line, the referee will usually tell the defenders to make it back to the line, with both feet being on or behind the line. If the referee calls you offside and the play is near you, they will call "play-on" rather than penalizing you.
Touches: You can make a touch on any part of a player or their clothing. There are obviously some places where you don't want to touch, or should avoid touching. Touches to the head are likely to be penalized. A player who claims a touch when one is not made is penalized unless the attacking team has an advantage.
Sideline/Score-line: A player with the ball who touches the sideline is out of the field and loss possession of the ball. A roll-ball will occur five metres infield from where they ran out. To score, a player need only place the ball on the score-line, not past it. If an attacking player is touched within five metres of, or past the score-line, they may roll the ball five-metres from the line.
Six-Again: When the defence touches the ball while trying to catch it or impede a pass (or "played" at it), the attacking team will usually get six more touches. The referee will call out "six again" and wave their hand in the air (but not like they just don't care). The attacking team still gets the ball back, even if they try to catch and drop the ball after a defender has "played" at it.
Obstruction: Attacking players cannot shield their team-mates from defenders trying to make touches. Nor can defensive players get in the way of attacking players when they are in an offside position. Grabbing an opposition player is also taboo, no matter how consensual your relationship is. If the referee gets in the way of a player trying to make a touch, then they should call the play back for a roll-ball with no increase in the touch count.
The Penalty: A penalty is taken like the tap for the start of the game. All attacking players need to be behind the player taking the penalty. All defensive players need to get back 10 metres from where the tap is taken in order to be onside. A referee may award a penalty touchdown if they deemed that an action by a player or spectator contrary to the rules or spirit of the game prevented a touchdown being scored.
Bovver: A referee may send you off for continually being penalized, being a smartarse or trying to cause bovver (as in "I'm gonna cause you some serious bovver, geek!"). If you are sent off for a "period of time" you will have to go to the end of the field your team is attacking. The ref will decide when you come back on. If you are involved in some serious stuff you could sent off for the rest of the game, an offence which means you will probably be suspended for at least two games. Your team will also have to play with one less player because you can't be replaced.
Q: "What is this strange language that you speak?"
A: "Touch"
Many players find that they don't understand what their coach is talking about. Granted, sometimes you probably don't want to know. However, with this Glossary of Touchspeak, you will hopefully get towards a better understanding of both your coaches and the game of Touch.
Acting Half - the player who picks up the ball after someone makes a touch and puts the ball on the ground (roll-ball or dump). If this player is touched with the ball the defending team gains possession. Also known as "dummy half"?, especially when they get caught with the ball on the first or second touch.
Buddy - Two players perform a "buddy" when the roll-ball steps or "splits" to one side and receives the ball back from the acting half. They then run with the ball at the defence to make another touch. Also known as a "daffy".
Cut-out - a pass which ''cuts out'' the player next to you and goes to the player next to them. Use of this pass is most applicable when in a scoring situation rather than in general play. Contrary to the beliefs of some male players, it is not the only pass allowed in Mixed Touch.
Dump - performing a roll-ball. No toilet paper is needed after a dump. Beware of players whose only call seems to be "dump for me".
Fade - a player performs a fade when they run toward a team-mate and make a touch in front of them. Players will generally call "fade to me"? or "get to me"?, or "fading to you"?. This is a valuable tactic in wet weather when the ball may be dropped more easily. Having a ''brain fade'' is not such a valuable tactic.
Link - the "link" position is one in from the wing. It is called the link, because it is the link between the middle players and the wingers. When a link continues to make defensive errors, they may be known as "the weakest link". Everyone has bad days though, so we promise not to say "goodbye"?to you, or at least not straight away. Link players in higher division teams are often the most elusive players in the team.
Middle - The players two in from either wing. In defence the middles often have to do the most running because they have to cover their other middle and their link player. Some of them seem to think that the wing only exists for a rest in defence and that it is much easier to score with a 1m gap in front of them instead of passing to a winger without anyone marking them.
Overlap - the attacking team has an overlap when an attacker with the ball becomes unmarked, giving the attack an advantage around the ball. If the defence take the player with the ball, they can pass to another player who is unmarked, who can either do the same or run through the defensive line.
Penalty - A penalty is awarded for the following infringements - Touch pass, being offside, forward pass, rolling the ball forward of where you were touched ("over the mark"), having too many players on the field, abusing the referee or other competitors, obstruction (defensive or offensive), delaying play, physical contact deemed unnecessarily hard. When being awarded a penalty, the opposition must move back to 10 metres from where you are taking the penalty tap. You take the tap by placing the ball on the ground, tapping it with your foot and picking it up.
Referee - While they may sometimes be blind, officious and annoying, many games could not be played without a referee. Try not to annoy them - even though referees try to remain objective, they are people (some are even your fellow club members) and they don''t respond well to abuse. Another thing to remember is that they are often doing a task that not many players put their hand up for. In general you can guarantee that you don't want people reffing you who have to because there are not enough refs at the competition you are playing in.
Roll-ball - What you do when you make a touch. Place the ball on the ground and step over it. The "roll" is an outdated term from Rugby League, where the player rolls the ball back with their feet. You are allowed to roll the ball backwards to your acting half, but it cannot roll more than a metre and in any case you should avoid it because it makes picking the ball up more difficult. The attacking player who makes the touch is also called the "roll-ball"? in the rules of the game.
Ruck - the "ruck" is the area where the acting half and roll-ball player stand. An attacking team "rucks" by making touches on their opponents, while running or passing the ball across the field. If a defensive player stands around or falls to ground near the roll-ball, they may be penalised for "being in the ruck".
Snap - The sound a defenders knee makes as they try to turn and make the touch on an attacker who has beaten them one on one. When you have been beaten, you have been "snapped". Even worse is when someone snaps a photo of you being "snapped". Don't be ashamed though, even the best players get "snapped".
Sweep - In their rucking, a team may use a "sweep" move where a player runs from one side of the roll-ball to the other. For instance, the left hand link may pass to the left hand middle who dumps and then the winger "sweeps" around to receive the ball on the right hand side of the link and middle. May also be called a "roll" and the player a "roller", however this terminology should be avoided because it confuses people with the roll-ball.
Switch - In a switch, the player with the ball runs at a gap. The attacker who is next to them in the direction that they are running, runs on a similar angle and then runs back to where the ball-carrier came from, with the ball carrier passing to them by twisting their body and putting the ball in front of the running player. The player without the ball should generally leave "switching" until they cannot score in the gap in front of them. This is because the player with the ball may beat their defender and thus create an overlap. Also known as a "B" (a dummy switch is known as an "A").
Touch - a Touch can be made on any part of a player, including their clothing and hair. As a defender, you can make a touch with a part of your body other than your hand, but you will likely be penalised if you do so intentionally. Grabbing, kicking and punching are generally not appreciated, even though they may be forms of touching someone.
Split - a player "splits" when they dump and then step to the side, so that the acting half can give the ball back to them to go forward. This is a good way of getting the defence offside when you have no other nearby player running on to the ball, or scoring close to the line when the defence is lacking in agility. These more attacking splits are known as a 'quickie', "k1" and many other names.
Tap - Don't leave it running while cleaning your teeth. You "tap" the ball at the start of the game, at halftime, and any time your team receives a penalty. Place the ball on the ground, gently tap it with your foot and then pick it back up.
Touchdown - What you score when you put the ball down on or over the score-line. If you are feeling creative, exuberant or don't mind being ridiculed for showboating, you can come up with a touchdown celebration routine or routines.
Try - some people call a touchdown a try, some don't.
Wing - The winger stands nearest the sideline. They should be loud and talk all the time to their fellow defenders. Although much maligned as the easiest place to play, a really good team will have good wingers who can stop opposition touchdowns with good decision making, as well as being in the right place at the right time in attack. Remember, "You can't fly without wings". Players who attack in the middle and defend on the wing will be summarily taken out and shot at dawn the next morning. Links who try to score themselves when the winger is totally unmarked, will be boiled in oil and then hung, drawn and quartered.
Wrap - Not the stuff you put around your sandwiches, nor is it backed by hip-hop beats. No, the wrap is the simplest but most effective two-player move there is. The player with the ball passes to the player next to them who runs into the gap between their two defenders at speed. If timed right, the player running into or "hitting" the gap will confuse and commit the two defenders to them. This allows the player who passed the ball to run around, or "wrap" them in the same direction as the ball was passed.
Now the next time your coach talks you may be able to understand them. Then again, maybe you won't.
"What makes a good Touch player?" It's a question with many answers but one which can create endless debate and often arguments when teams are selected. What follows is a short guide to the skills that selectors of representative teams in particular look for in a Touch player, which may give you some clue into the areas that you can work on to improve. If you have played or watched a few seasons of Touch, you already have some idea about what makes a good Touch player. You will have some appreciation of what makes a good or successful player, and what is needed for a team to win games or be competitive in them. To improve your own game or improve your ability to assess players for either coaching or selecting purposes, you will need to broaden your appreciation of the game and slightly change your mindset when watching a game or a training session.
For example, many people only consider what attacking skills a player may have and pay little attention to the defensive skills needed to be able to compete against other good players. Likewise, many spectators can only recall those players who scored and not those who contributed to the plays or decisions that led up to the creation of the scoring opportunity. When selecting teams, coaches and selectors need to consult with each other as to what kind of game style they are aiming to play (if any) or what kind of players they would prefer. Straight away, you can see that this may mean that this may mean that those players who are considered the 'best' 14 players may not get picked.
Some coaches will have a detailed list of attributes they are looking for, others will be quite general. If you look at higher level teams, you will realize that a team is usually not made up of players who are exactly the same, indicating that there is no one ideal kind of player. For example wingers need different skills and different physical capacities to middle players – many players are incapable of, or are unsuited to playing both positions. Similarly, a team full of dominant personalities will often fail to play to their technical potential unless they are coached by a strong coach.
Selectors and coaches generally look at four broad areas -
This breakdown gives you a good idea of things that you can work on in your own personal game. It is probably difficult to excel in every area, especially in the technical and physical skill areas. What it does indicate is that if you are not exceptionally fast over five to ten metres but if you can keep your speed up, or if you have an average pass but are a very good runner with the ball, you probably have enough talents to make you a good player and can work on your other skill areas.
One way of improving your own game is to watch others play. When doing so it is a good idea to vary the position you stand in, so that you get a good idea of how players are performing in different positions up and down and across the field. You will also be able to hear how they communicate to other players and gain a better appreciation of why they may make particular decisions. You can also ascertain how a coach may be telling them to play and see if they are following instructions. Whether you are a player, coach or selector, you should be aware that not everyone will have the same opinion.
If you are a player who enjoys analysing the game of Touch, you might want to consider becoming a Coach or a Selector. It is not necessary that you are an outstanding player to take up one of these roles, in many cases players who had to work hard to improve are better coaches because they understand what is required to inspire and educate other people. If you are interested in taking up coaching or selecting, then get in contact with one of the club committee or someone at the Touch Football South Australia office who can point you in the right direction. Top 5 attributes of a good Touch player