Front-on and side-on low tackles can bring down ball carriers quickly. In this tackle template, here’s what the defender should do to complete the tackle effectively.
Most tackles are neutral or passive. That means that the tackler concedes some ground after the impact. That’s not a bad thing, as long as the tackle is completed and the ball carrier goes to ground quickly.
Even at the top level, unless there are two tacklers to one ball carrier, most tackles are aimed at bringing the ball carrier down fast.
When you see the best players in action, their technique is pretty much the same:
Head up and eyes open.
Body active and ready to drive forward.
Impact with their shoulder.
Finish with a tight grip between their arms, shoulders, body and head.
For activities and techniques to improve precision in the tackle try out…
If the tackler can win the first part of the impact, they can manipulate the ball carrier – slowing down possession or even winning the ball back. Here are four ways to make a bigger impact… MORE
Use these two activities to work on the tackle impact and grip for a front-on and side-on tackle. They’re good exercises to use before more intense tackle work and can form part of your warm-up. MORE
Ball-retention post-contact is essential to your team’s continuity, so here we take a look at the pros and cons of some of the most common techniques. Encourage your players to think about which ball placement technique should be used when. When coaching within game-play, question players on the effectiveness of their chosen ball presentation and its impact on subsequent phases of play. MORE
William (14), Tom (12), John (9), Clara (5) and dad Jamie Green go through different ball handling ideas bouncing a ball against the wall. It shows how you can give each age group a different range of challenges. MORE
Handling enhanced training with balls arriving in the player's hands from different directions, angles and speeds. Touch & run develops catching at angle on the move; kick backs develops tests the catcher's reaction a quicker, more random return pass. Aim to get up to 30 touches in a minute of each activity. MORE
Use this circuit to help a player test their body position over the ball. At each station, Tony (dad) checks Harry's body position, Good warm up activity. MORE
Bill Walsh won three Superbowls with the San Francisco 49ers. When he took over as head coach in 1979 they were arguably the worst team in American football history. Within two years they were the best. This sympathetic and honest book, published after Walsh’s death in 2007, but largely in his own words, explains in detail the methods he used to achieve extraordinary success. MORE
