Teaching Players To Tackle Aggresively - Coaching Youth Football
Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2009
by Erik Saunders
Union County Sports Academy
The following is an excerpt from the Youth Football Coaches newsletter on the matter of teaching youth football players to hit with aggresion.
Coaches,
I would like to thank everyone that responded to the survey on Monday and it was a mixed bag on what guys would like to see. I will be addressing the big ones over the next few days and you can look forward to articles on organizing an efficient practice, teaching technique and other great topics that were asked for. The first category we are going to cover is on the topic of getting young kids to hit an actual player like they hit the bags. Here is a copy of a letter that I received on the matter.
I would like to thank you for sharing your daily thoughts and ideas. Your practice planner was great.
I coach 7-8 yr, mostly first year (tackle) players. Their form is pretty good but the AGRESSION is not there. They are not understanding that you have to drive through the ball carrier. They look great against the dummies and blocking pads, but boy vs boy, it's not there. Any thoughts or ideas you can share about getting these boys excited about HITTING!!!?
Regards,
Steve
Houston, TX
Steve has a great question and I'm sure this situation can be very frustrating to coaches, especially at the younger levels. Here are a few pointers to getting players to make good aggressive contact with each other.
- Be sure to have the players tackle dummies (if you have them) before you go live tackle. Start with 1 step tackles and have the guys "Run their feet" through the tackle. I have a video of this on Youtube - click here. Tackling dummies gets them warmed up and gives them success before you go live. Be sure to get them excited during this period.
- Continuing the "Run Your Feet" concept, you want to stress that the players "SPEED UP" at the point of impact. Most young players naturally decelerate at the point of contact and that is a very difficult thing for coaches to watch. Be sure to tell the players "Speed Up" and "Run Through" the tackle. Most young players leave their feet to make a tackle and they end up in a pathetic lump grasping at the ankle of the runner...very sad to watch.
- Tackle on an angle. Young guys struggle with head on tackling so have player tackle at a 90 degree angle. Only allow a 2-3 yard take off so the guys can't get too much speed and don't blow their stance and form. I would also reccomend creating lanes that guarantee a tackle so you don't have "juking" or guys making moves.
- Give them a soft landing. It may sound funny but the kids get more pain from the landing than the actual hit itself. Their mind is consumed with cushioning their landing and thus they are in the wrong place mentally to run the drill. In most tackling drills, it is the runner that ruins the drill as he pulls up at the point of contact. Use hand shields, a mattress or anything you can to provide a soft landing for the guys. This stuff can go away after a few sessions but it helps to remove the fear while the guys get their muscle memory down.
- Have a goaline. Make sure every tackling drill has a goaline that the runner is trying to get to about 2 yards after the point of contact. Keep score and make a game with points awarded to teams. It replicates game situations and it creates a sense of urgency that gets the guys in the fighting mood.
I'm very thankful for all of the feedback that I get and I appreciate your time in responding. Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer or assist.
Have a great season,
Coach Saunders
coach@youthfootballhandbook.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Great points... little guys always struggle with learning to tackle.
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