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Central Missouri’s Tackling Drills

by: Chuck Clemens
Co-Defensive Coordinator, University of Central Missouri
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With the increasing pressure that offenses are posing for defensive coaches, organizing practice to maximize benefits is vital. Covering everything and still improving fundamental skills is nearly impossible. The fundamentals unfortunately get shorted more often than not. I think that coaches do a tremendous job at adapting to this dilemma by combining skills into one drill. With that in mind I want to discuss three tackling drills that accomplish that exact purpose.

Drill: Finish & Hit-up Sequence as Dynamic Flexibility

Purpose: Maximize time by warming up using our Finish & Hit-up series. Everyone argues about the benefits of stretching as a warm up. A neutral ground seems to be a Dynamic routine (warming up and stretching while moving through range of motion). Combine that with finish sequence and we are getting reinforcement of our fundamentals of tackling as well. Since we have a number of on-air sequences with this program it allows for variation as well. We can choose to be broad or isolate on a particular type of tackle. The advantage of this is that it takes only about seven minutes. Use as many lines as necessary that will allow you to be 2-deep.

Broad
1. Finish Position – Double time (Rt. Foot) on air
2. Finish Position – Double time (Lt. Foot) on air
3. Flat Back Hit-up – Double time (Rt. Foot) on air
4. Flat Back Hit-up – Double time (Lt. Foot) on air
5. Hit-up from a knee – Double time (Rt. Knee) on air
6. Hit-up from a knee – Double time (Lt. Knee) on air
7. Finish Position – Double time (Rt. Knee) Partner
8. Flat back Hit-up – Double time (Lt. Foot) Partner
9. Shimmy walk-off /Hit-up/ Double time – Partner
10. Profile (play-side pec.) Style Pts. – Partner

Isolate (Shimmy Tackle)
1. Shimmy chin on chest from walk-off (Partner)
2. Shimmy chin on chest from style-points (Partner)
3. Shimmy chin on chest from time and distance (Partner)
4. Shimmy (walk-off) Hit-up & Finish (Partner)
5. Shimmy Break – Visualize
6. Shimmy Double Break – Visualize
7. Shimmy Break/ Hit-up/ Finish
8. Shimmy Double Break/ Hit-up/ Finish

2. Drill: Defensive Line – Profile
(Time and Distance)

Purpose: Defensive linemen combine take off, change of direction and profile tackling. More importantly, the D-line develops understanding of focal-point pursuit on the move. The drill involves a ball carrier and lineman (See Image 1).


D-lineman takes off (ball snap or verbal cue), locates ball carrier and executes broom redirect (See Image 2).


At this point he must understand if he has leverage or has lost leverage. D-lineman chases ball and profile tackle on air. If he has leverage, he works to the play-side pec (See Image 3).


If he has lost leverage, he works to the inside hip (See Image 4).


You can also include late shimmy on a cut-back (See Image 5).


Coach can also add escape on take-off, or add the porta-pits for finish phase.

3. Drill: Kick-Off cover/ Escapes/ Shimmy-break tackle.

Purpose: Defensive personnel and other special team players improve coverage skills and open-field tackling techniques. Once again we are combining different skills into one drill to maximize time. This drill is very conducive to a number of players going at once if space allows. In the first set of pictures the cover man is using a simple rip technique to avoid blocker and restack his hips (See Image 6).


The second shows the cover man recognizing angle return and going butt side of blocker (See Image 7).


After avoiding a couple of blocks, the cover man attacks the ball carrier, recognizing the full belt. The ball carrier that is holding a dummy approaches tackler until tackler begins to shimmy (See Image 8). The ball carrier then slides the dummy to just outside his body. Tackler now matches dummy and executes shimmy break tackle. The bag helps us see the tackler squeezing his elbows for the perfect finish. p






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