Tackling is the most important aspect of football, but it is also one of the most difficult to master. If you want to be a great tackler and positively impact your team, you need to know how to do it properly. We've got some tips below!
Tackling is a critical component of football. It's the act of bringing down an opposing player with the use of one's body, and it's an essential skill that needs to be practiced to perfect it before the season starts.
Spring practice is the perfect time for tackling drills because you can implement new techniques and skills in a controlled teaching environment that reduces the risk of injuries on your players' part. In addition, since spring practice occurs before training camp begins, this gives players ample time (and reps) to master their technique before heading out onto fields where full contact will occur during fall ball practices later this summer.
The coach has an offensive and defensive strategy but also needs to develop a tackling plan to communicate the vocabulary, instruction, and evaluation effectively. The defensive coach should ensure that tackling is a priority during spring practice. Teaching players how to tackle correctly will help them be more successful against offenses that use multiple formations and motions. Each player's strengths and weaknesses need to be identified so they can be coached accordingly on improving their skills in this area during practice sessions throughout the season.
The coaches should evaluate how well the team does regarding its tackling techniques during practices by digging into the traditional metrics of tackle effectiveness, made vs. missed and using video analytics software such as Tacklytics provided by us at Atavus. This evaluation will give them feedback on what areas need improvement so they can work with players individually or as groups depending upon how badly things need fixing before next season begins!
In spring practice, the focus is on implementing new skills that will be perfected during training camp. For example, if you're a linebacker or defensive back and want to improve your tackling technique, specific drills are unique to each group that can help with this goal.
The best way to prioritize which skills should be learned in spring practice is by evaluating each player's strengths and weaknesses against their position group's needs at the high school or college level. For example: If you're an offensive lineman who struggles with pass protection but excels at run blocking, then it may be more beneficial for you to work on those areas during the offseason so that when fall arrives, everything will come together smoothly without any significant issues requiring extra attention from coaches or teammates.
One key aspect of the mission at Atavus is to identify and improve the individual tackling technique of each player on your team. We focus on identifying a player's strengths and weaknesses in tackling and what segment they are occurring in; Pre-Contact or Contact, closing space, leverage, or footwork.
Once we have identified these areas, we will work with you to correct them through various drills that address each area individually. This approach allows us to develop better overall tackling ability for your players and build confidence through repetition.
Video analytics allows us to identify specific techniques used more often than others and which methods lead to success. We then take this data and combine it with video analytics to determine the drills each player and position group needs to work on to improve. We then use this information when creating our spring practice plan for each position group.
For example, a particular technique is used less frequently, leading to more effective tackles than other techniques. In that case, we will emphasize teaching that specific skill during spring ball because it will help players make more tackles in games later by implementing this technique into their repertoire of skill sets during practice sessions throughout spring ball.
Regarding football, we all know that the game is won or lost on the field. But what many people need to think about are all the factors that go into determining how successful a team will be. One such aspect is tackling efficiency. A team can have great players and even better coaches, but they will win games more often than not if they are tackling correctly.
That's why tackling drills should be a part of every spring practice plan, not just for high school or college teams! Even if you're starting as an offensive lineman who doesn't anticipate making many tackles during games (and yes, some linemen can make them), learning how much harder it is after running downfield for 20 yards instead of standing still makes all the difference in terms of technique development.
Are you a high-arm tackle or a heavy-shoulder defender? There are many ways to improve your tackling, but the first step is knowing your strengths and weaknesses as a tackler. Once we know our style, we can start practicing proper form and techniques during spring practice! Before implementing any technique changes, you should understand this because it will help determine which drills work best for you.
Get started with an assessment of your own program to find out the areas needed for improvement and the best plan to address them.
