Tackling Drills
Breakdown Position
When teaching how to perform a tackle, you must begin by teaching good football
position which is a position of leverage, mobility and power. The feet should be
shoulder width apart with the toes pointed straight ahead. The player should dip his
body to lower his hips into the power position with knees bent and weight of the
body forward on the front of the feet like performing a three-quarter squat lift. The
chest should remain over the knees while the knees remain over the toes. The eyes
are focused forward and on the target with the hands relaxed hanging outside the
knees.
(Breakdown Position)
Focus – Aiming Point - The eyes of the tackler must be focused on the hip. Which
hip the tackler focuses on will be determined by the angle and by where his help is.
Approach
The approach is very important when making a tackle and usually means the
difference between making the tackle and missing it. The approach is closing the
distance between you and the ball carrier as quickly as possible while maintaining
both good football position and focus mentioned above. It is important to keep your
shoulders square to the aiming point and the feet moving as well as knowing where
your help is.
Shoot the Hands, Eyes to the Sky - The Tackle
The strongest areas of a football player’s body are the legs, hips and lower back. A
tackler must use these muscle groups and decrease them in the ball carrier by
taking them away to stop his forward momentum. While maintaining the power
position and focus, just before contact, bring the hands forward and up in a quick
and powerful motion causing the hips to come forward with force. If the hands do
not start forward until after contact, then the tackler is only catching the ball carrier or
running into him and will not be able to use his hip strength to stop the ball carrier’s
momentum. As the hands come forward, contact is made with the tackler’s
shoulder pad to the ball carrier’s thigh pad. The head is up and focused on the
aiming point of the hips and should slide to the side before contact. As contact is
made the tackler’s eyes should raise, keeping the head up and the hips in a power
position. This is referred to as “slide the head, eyes to the sky”.
Contact Point
The contact point refers to the area of the tackler’s shoulder pads that makes
contact to the aiming point of the ball carrier. The ideal contact point is located on
the ball carrier’s thigh pad. The tackler must maintain the power position and keep
his head up with his shoulders square to the aiming point.
Wrap
The arms and hands should shoot through and up, grabbing cloth or anything they
can to keep hold of the ball carrier. If the hands and elbows are on the same level
then the tackler is not using his hip strength but instead is only running into or
catching the ball carrier.
Finish
When evaluating a tackle, check for the hands shooting through. They should wrap
around the ball carrier and the hands should be above the elbows. The eyes should
be looking toward the sky. “Shoot the hands, slide the head, eyes to the sky”. The
feet continue to drive through the tackle while the ball carrier is brought to the ground.
Use key words for each part of this tackling progression:
Dip – Dip the hips into the power position and keep your head up while focusing on
the target.
Strike - Strike the ball carrier at the aiming point while shooting the hands.
Wrap – Shoot the hands and raise the eyes while fingers grab anything to keep a
hold of the ball carrier.
Drive – Don’t stop your feet but drive through the opponent. Lift the ball carrier
slightly to keep you on your feet and your feet moving, to prevent dives and misses
and to break the ball carrier’s balance and contact with the ground.
Drills and Teaching Progression
1. Hit and Lift
a. The first drill (first three days of pads)
b. Two lines across from each other 4 yards apart.
c. Coach gives a command to the tackler following the progression (dip=players dip:
strike=players strike etc.) Check and evaluate each part of the progression to make
sure proper form is used for each step. (See Clip)
2. Angle tackling drills
a. Ball carrier and tackler 4 yards apart
b. Ball carrier aims for cone
c. Mirror step
d. Near shoulder through far hip
e. Shoot hands, eyes to the sky
f. Get outside foot down on contact
g. Change up by having ball carrier spin on contact. Punch with hands and keep
good base. (See Clip)
3. Popsicle
a. Tackler 4 yards from sled or dummy.
b. Good football position, keep leverage and eyes up
c. Shoot hands, eyes to the sky
d. Drive feet keeping a good base
4. Open field tackling between cones. Vary the distance between cones depending
on focus (where on field the ball carrier is).
a. Close distance to ball carrier
b. Give tackler a landmark distance
c. Emphasize coming to balance
5. Sideline Tackle
a. Trains the tackler the importance of knowing where his help is
b. Ball carrier and tackler 10 yards apart on the numbers
c. Ball carrier takes a 45-degree approach
d. Tackler takes an inside-out approach taking away the cutback
e. Accelerate feet and make contact with the proper shoulder
Clip #1
Clip #2
Clip #3
6. Eye Opener
a. Teaches the tackler to run through the window and attack the hole when the ball
carrier shows
b. Give ball carrier a hole to hit
c. Ball carrier runs lateral then turns up into the hole
d. Tackler shuffles laterally staying on back hip of ball carrier
e. When ball carrier turns, tackler attacks with proper shoulder
f. Feet should be inside the bag when contact is made
7. Pop the zit.
a. The focus is on two tacklers attacking one ball carrier.
b. Set up three cones ten to twelve yards apart from each other in a triangle. Two
tacklers and one ball carrier. The coach throws the ball to the ball carrier and he
tries to get past the tacklers staying between the cones.
c. Points of emphasis: Tacklers heads are always up and across the body of the
ball carrier. The tackling progression applies.
When teaching how to perform a tackle, you must begin by teaching good football
position which is a position of leverage, mobility and power. The feet should be
shoulder width apart with the toes pointed straight ahead. The player should dip his
body to lower his hips into the power position with knees bent and weight of the
body forward on the front of the feet like performing a three-quarter squat lift. The
chest should remain over the knees while the knees remain over the toes. The eyes
are focused forward and on the target with the hands relaxed hanging outside the
knees.
(Breakdown Position)
Focus – Aiming Point - The eyes of the tackler must be focused on the hip. Which
hip the tackler focuses on will be determined by the angle and by where his help is.
Approach
The approach is very important when making a tackle and usually means the
difference between making the tackle and missing it. The approach is closing the
distance between you and the ball carrier as quickly as possible while maintaining
both good football position and focus mentioned above. It is important to keep your
shoulders square to the aiming point and the feet moving as well as knowing where
your help is.
Shoot the Hands, Eyes to the Sky - The Tackle
The strongest areas of a football player’s body are the legs, hips and lower back. A
tackler must use these muscle groups and decrease them in the ball carrier by
taking them away to stop his forward momentum. While maintaining the power
position and focus, just before contact, bring the hands forward and up in a quick
and powerful motion causing the hips to come forward with force. If the hands do
not start forward until after contact, then the tackler is only catching the ball carrier or
running into him and will not be able to use his hip strength to stop the ball carrier’s
momentum. As the hands come forward, contact is made with the tackler’s
shoulder pad to the ball carrier’s thigh pad. The head is up and focused on the
aiming point of the hips and should slide to the side before contact. As contact is
made the tackler’s eyes should raise, keeping the head up and the hips in a power
position. This is referred to as “slide the head, eyes to the sky”.
Contact Point
The contact point refers to the area of the tackler’s shoulder pads that makes
contact to the aiming point of the ball carrier. The ideal contact point is located on
the ball carrier’s thigh pad. The tackler must maintain the power position and keep
his head up with his shoulders square to the aiming point.
Wrap
The arms and hands should shoot through and up, grabbing cloth or anything they
can to keep hold of the ball carrier. If the hands and elbows are on the same level
then the tackler is not using his hip strength but instead is only running into or
catching the ball carrier.
Finish
When evaluating a tackle, check for the hands shooting through. They should wrap
around the ball carrier and the hands should be above the elbows. The eyes should
be looking toward the sky. “Shoot the hands, slide the head, eyes to the sky”. The
feet continue to drive through the tackle while the ball carrier is brought to the ground.
Use key words for each part of this tackling progression:
Dip – Dip the hips into the power position and keep your head up while focusing on
the target.
Strike - Strike the ball carrier at the aiming point while shooting the hands.
Wrap – Shoot the hands and raise the eyes while fingers grab anything to keep a
hold of the ball carrier.
Drive – Don’t stop your feet but drive through the opponent. Lift the ball carrier
slightly to keep you on your feet and your feet moving, to prevent dives and misses
and to break the ball carrier’s balance and contact with the ground.
Drills and Teaching Progression
1. Hit and Lift
a. The first drill (first three days of pads)
b. Two lines across from each other 4 yards apart.
c. Coach gives a command to the tackler following the progression (dip=players dip:
strike=players strike etc.) Check and evaluate each part of the progression to make
sure proper form is used for each step. (See Clip)
2. Angle tackling drills
a. Ball carrier and tackler 4 yards apart
b. Ball carrier aims for cone
c. Mirror step
d. Near shoulder through far hip
e. Shoot hands, eyes to the sky
f. Get outside foot down on contact
g. Change up by having ball carrier spin on contact. Punch with hands and keep
good base. (See Clip)
3. Popsicle
a. Tackler 4 yards from sled or dummy.
b. Good football position, keep leverage and eyes up
c. Shoot hands, eyes to the sky
d. Drive feet keeping a good base
4. Open field tackling between cones. Vary the distance between cones depending
on focus (where on field the ball carrier is).
a. Close distance to ball carrier
b. Give tackler a landmark distance
c. Emphasize coming to balance
5. Sideline Tackle
a. Trains the tackler the importance of knowing where his help is
b. Ball carrier and tackler 10 yards apart on the numbers
c. Ball carrier takes a 45-degree approach
d. Tackler takes an inside-out approach taking away the cutback
e. Accelerate feet and make contact with the proper shoulder
Clip #1
Clip #2
Clip #3
6. Eye Opener
a. Teaches the tackler to run through the window and attack the hole when the ball
carrier shows
b. Give ball carrier a hole to hit
c. Ball carrier runs lateral then turns up into the hole
d. Tackler shuffles laterally staying on back hip of ball carrier
e. When ball carrier turns, tackler attacks with proper shoulder
f. Feet should be inside the bag when contact is made
7. Pop the zit.
a. The focus is on two tacklers attacking one ball carrier.
b. Set up three cones ten to twelve yards apart from each other in a triangle. Two
tacklers and one ball carrier. The coach throws the ball to the ball carrier and he
tries to get past the tacklers staying between the cones.
c. Points of emphasis: Tacklers heads are always up and across the body of the
ball carrier. The tackling progression applies.
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