When To Drop Back & When To Goat

This is in response to something that came up last night at practice & I thought I'd try & explain through the use of paint... when you've got a power jam, why is it not always a good idea to slow the pack by dropping back...


Scenario 1

Ok first I'll show the ideal situation, where if you can (slyly) create a no pack situation you can help your jammer through. If you do it swiftly enough then you should be able to reform the pack when instructed & still manage to get the jammer past some blockers.

1. Ok so your jammer is coming up behind you, the other team are out in front racing off as fast as they can. You haven't managed to catch a goat & your opponents are ready to take her out on the corner with ease.



2. You start to slow down nice & gently so your team can't be penalised, your jammer catches you up.



3. By this time the refs have probably shouted no pack so you have to start reforming, but until you do, the other team still can't touch your jammer.



4. The pack is reformed & with a bit of luck you've given your team some easy points!




Scenario 2

Now lets have a look at what happens if you time your dropping back wrong;

1. This time your jammer is miles away & has a lot of track left before she catches the pack



2. You start to drop back but your jammer is still pegging it round...



3. The refs have called no pack but your jammer has only just caught you. If you don't reform you'll start getting sent off, so now you're speeding up just as your jammer needs a nice easy ride.



4. The pack reforms at the worst possible moment! The opposing blockers are perfectly placed & legal to deliver a nice big hit on the jammer. Your team hasn't gained anything & the interim time could have been much better used by catching a goat or getting in a good position to make a gap for the jammer.




There is a third time that you should drop back which is when you've caught a goat. Instead of creating a no pack situation, dropping back when you have a goat can make the other blockers go out of play - you won't get called to reform the pack & you can keep that going for the whole jam if you're good enough! You'll be slowing the entire pack instead of just momentarily creating a hole & risking a potential penalty. Obviously that makes goating the more preferable of the 2 options, but if you just can't get one then dropping back at the optimum moment works great.

Hope that all makes sense!