The Drills Reports: Louisiana Tech\'s Defensive Tackle Circuit Drills

by: Wayne Anderson
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This month’s feature drill is from Randy Bates, Defensive Coordinator for Louisiana Tech University. Under the leadership of Coach Bates last fall, the La Tech bulldog defense ranked third in the Western Athletic Conference. Also, the 2005 defensive WAC statistics ranked the Bulldogs first in overall turnover margin (+13), second in rushing defense, and third in both passing and scoring defense.

    Coach Bates began his career 24 years ago at Muskingum College as an offensive line coach in 1982. Coach Bates’ career included stops at Miami (Ohio), St. Joseph’s College, Navy, New Hampshire and Kent State before joining Coach Jack Bicknell’s staff at La Tech in Ruston in 2000. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State, a master’s from Miami (Ohio) and is a retired Navy Lieutenant.

    Coach Bates is sharing his Defensive Tackle Circuit Drill. It is used primarily during two-a-day camp or during the regular season as a warm up drill at the start of practice. As Coach Bates comments: “It’s a good drill to lather them up.”

CIRCUIT TACKLE DRILL:

OBJECTIVE - To teach proper tackling form and get maximum repetitions in a short period of time.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
8 footballs
1 door
3 cones
5 bags

DURATION:
 2 or 3 stations

SET-UP
Position 4 stations in opposite corners 25 yards apart.

DRILL 1 - Door Drill
Position a defender facing the door 4 yards away. Place the runner opposite the door 4 yards deep. On coach’s command, the runner bursts to one side of the door staying inside the cone. The defender chopping his feet reacts when seeing the runner and bursts to him making a side form tackle. This drill works ‘in the box’ and helps reaction and acceleration along with side form tackling  (See Diagram 1).

DRILL 2 - Pop and Tackle
Pair players up on a line facing each other. Have the defender lay on his back with his helmet touching the line. Place the runners 5 yards away standing with a ball. On coach’s command and one pair at a time, runner jogs at defender as defender gets to his feet, gathers himself and makes a form tackle driving runner back. This drill works on getting from the ground to your feet quickly along with having to learn to gather and fit on a form tackle (See Diagram 2).


DRILL 3 - Eye Opener
Place two lines 5 yards apart, 2 1¼2 yards from a mid-line with one line being runners and one tacklers. On command, the ball carrier runs parallel with the bags, chooses a seam between the bags and turns up running through the bags. While keeping leverage on the ball carrier, the defender shuffles and attacks the carrier as he turns up making a form tackle driving him back. This drill works on leverage and acceleration to the ball along with a head-on tackle (See Diagram 3).


DRILL 4 - Shock, Lock, and Tackle
Position a blocker on a line facing a defender 2 yards apart. Add a runner 5 yards behind the blocker. On command, the blocker attacks the defender in the direction given by the coach who is positioned behind the defender. The runner passes one count then runs off the hip of the blocker in the same direction. The defender takes on the blocker,  defeats him, and makes a form tackle. This drill works on block protection, getting off a blocker and making a side tackle (See Diagram 4).


    As the DC, Coach Bates has used this tackle drill among other techniques to assemble a top-ranking defense at La Tech. This is the fourth installment of American Football Monthly’s featured drill. Each month the latest and most innovative drills will be presented by Rogers Athletic Co.

Coach Wayne Anderson is the Football Drills Editor for American Football Monthly. Anderson has coached at the high school, collegiate, and international level for 17 years. We welcome your suggestions and comments. He can be reached at WayneAnderson@AmericanFootballMonthly.com

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