Effects of tackle height and shoulder preference on head and trunk acceleration in rugby.

Background: Most rugby injuries occur during tackles, therefore investigating safe tackling techniques is essential. Objectives: To determine the effects of different tackle heights and shoulder preference on head and trunk acceleration. Methods: Thirty-nine rugby players belonging to university leagues, adult leagues, and adult leagues, tackled a stationary tackle bag under three height conditions (high, middle, and low) with a dominant shoulder and a non-dominant shoulder. We calculated the peak head and trunk accelerations (PhA and PtA, respectively) during the tackles and evaluated the difference in accelerations by the tackle height and side. Results: The PhA (26.1 g (17.1) g) during the tackles was significantly higher than the PtA (11.7(7.2) g, p < 0.01). The PhA was significantly larger in the high (27.4 (19.4) g) and middle (27.7 (17.0) g) tackles compared to the low (23.4 (14.6) g) tackle (high vs low: p < 0.01; middle vs low: p < 0.01). The PhA was significantly lower during the dominant shoulder side (23.0 (13.7) g) tackles than during the non-dominant shoulder side (30.4 (21.3) g) tackles (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The results suggest that coaching strategies and policies aimed at reducing tackler height and improving tackle technique on the non-dominant shoulder would help reduce head acceleration forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]