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LINEBACKER TACKLING DRILLS AND TECHNIQUES

by: Shane Richardson
Defensive Coordinator • University of North Carolina-Pembroke
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One of our defensive coaching guidelines is that we will get what we demand or allow. If we do not emphasize what we think is important to our defense or if we do not hold our players accountable for what our expectations are, then we are held responsible for the lack of production on the field. This definitely applies to tackling. We demand to be 90% efficient in all tackling opportunities and we do not want to allow poor practice habits or a lack of emphasis on the right things to adversely affect that. We feel that we must put our players into realistic situations, as much as possible, to train those movements and techniques that will be useful in performing sound, sure tackles when it counts.  

FACTORS AFFECTING EFFICIENT TACKLING

There is no time to waste doing drills just for the sake of completing a drill. Our drills need to practically represent what is useful for the situations that our players are faced with. It is important for us to study what the situations that players are most faced with that directly affects their tackling. There are five most prominent factors that came to the surface in 2011. We applied drills that addressed these issues and made practice situations more realistic to what we learned from film.

1. Poor come-to-balance – footwork and body control. 

2. Not disengaging a blocker quickly enough – lack of vision and awareness of body position in relation to the ball carrier.

3. Unaware of where the defensive help is at – need better emphasis of knowing your relationship to others for each call.

4. Not keeping inside-out leverage/tempo on the ball carrier and allowing the ball carrier to cutback.

5. Missing plays at the L.O.S. – lack of patience/working too far upfield too quickly.

Here are three drills that our linebackers perform in practice that address some of these factors. There is some carry-over technique, but each one is very realistic to what our linebackers will be faced with in game situations.
Open Field/1-on-1 Come to Balance Drill (Diagram 1)


EQUIPMENT NEEDED:  Two disk cones

OBJECTIVE:

To teach the proper fundamentals of transitioning the defender’s body from a particular movement to coming-to-balance so as to adjust to the ball carrier’s open field cut. This can be finished with a two-hand tag off at the hips or a sound fit-up tackle while driving the feet on contact.

DESCRIPTION:

1. Position two disk cones 5 yards apart.

2. A single tackler will align over one cone facing a line of ball carriers directly in front of him at the second cone.

3. On the coach’s command, “SET”, the tackler will drop at the specific movement the coach has predetermined (45 degree crossover run to the left, right, or backpedal straight back). Once the defender has dropped far enough to the coaches’ preference, the coach will command “HIT”. This will trigger the defender to transition from his movement to attack the original area he began. At the same time of the “HIT” command, the ball carrier will also attack the cone that the defender started the drill.

4.  As they both close space to the cone, the ball carrier is allowed to make any move he prefers. The ball carrier should get as close to the cone as possible before making his move.

5.  The tackler will pursue toward the cone. The cone is a landmark, but the ball carrier becomes the realistic point of reference once the tackler has closed to a sufficient tackling zone. Upon reaching the cone, the tackler will react to the ball carrier’s cut to determine his finishing position.

6.  The drill continues until all LBs have had sufficient opportunities to complete the different starting movements as designated by the coach.     

COACHING POINTS:

1.  Instruct the tackler to transition quickly and attack the ball carrier at a high speed closing down the space instead of sitting back and waiting for the ball carrier to come to him.

2. The tackler should understand his space awareness in relation to the ball carrier. Closing down the space is important or else the ball carrier is going to keep running vertical.

3.  Emphasize to the tackler coming to balance that he keeps under control by sinking his hips and keeping his feet active upon the ball carrier’s cut.

4.  When the tackler comes to balance under control, it should be emphasized that he is reacting to the ball carrier’s cut.

5.  When the tackler successfully pursues and reacts to the ball carrier, he should finish in a proper tackling position. Most often this is good for two-hand tag off at the hips to ensure good tackling position on the ball carrier. We do not want lunging, grabbing, or one-hand reaching.

Cup Leverage Drill
 (Diagram 2)



Equipment Needed – 1/3 field – Hash to Numbers

OBJECTIVE:
To teach the proper fundamentals of attacking a ball-carrier, coming to balance under control with knowing where the defender’s help is and what is your leverage point of responsibility.

DESCRIPTION:

1.  Position one line of tacklers one yard in the hashmarks (pursue), another line of tacklers one yard inside the top of the numbers (force), and a line of ball carriers 15 yards away. They are one yard inside the hashmarks facing the two lines of tacklers.

2.  On the coach’s command or the on the ball carrier’s movement, the ball carrier will attack upfield in an attempt to either get back inside the hash tackler, outside the numbers  tackler, or split the two tacklers in the middle.

3.  The ball carrier has the freedom to do whatever he can to make the tacklers miss.

4.  The tacklers will pursue toward the ball carrier and complete a cup leverage fit up tackle.

5.  The drill continues until all LBs have had sufficient opportunities to tackle from both the hashmarks (pursue) and the numbers (force) as well as working both sides of the field.

COACHING POINTS:

1.  Instruct the tacklers to sprint and close down the space, not allowing the ball carrier to gain vertical yards.

2.  It is extremely important for both tacklers to understand their point of leverage, this will help ensure their responsibility part of the CUP.

3.  Emphasize the tackler coming to balance under control by sinking his hips and keeping his feet active.

4.  Regaining square shoulder position is key to keeping both points of leverage. Once the pursue tackler’s shoulders turn too far out, it makes him vulnerable to give up the cutback; on the other hand, if the force tackler gets his shoulders turned too far inside, then he is vulnerable to allowing the ball carrier outside of the cup.

5. The cup leverage tackle, if completed correctly, should build a wall and eliminate forward progress of the ball carrier.

Door Drill
(Diagram 3)


Equipment Needed:  1 Pop-Up Dummy and 6 Cones

OBJECTIVE:

To teach the proper fundamentals of attacking a ball-carrier, coming to balance under control, reacting to the ball carrier’s cut, and finishing with a good fit-up tackle.

DESCRIPTION:

1.  Position 4 cones to form a 10 yd x 10 yd square. Center the pop-up dummies in the middle of the square. On either side of the pop-up place two cones one and a half yards on each side of the dummies.

2.  A line of tacklers will align on one corner of the square and will face a line of ball carriers at an adjacent corner of the square.

3.  On the coach’s command, the tackler and ball carrier will attack the pop-up dummy at approximately a 45 degree angle.

4.  The ball carrier, upon reaching the pop-up, will decide to continue to stay on course and run through the far side of the pop-up or cut-back to the near side of the pop-up. The ball carrier should stay in between the one and a half yard cones on either side of the pop-up when making the cut, keeping his course fairly tight to the pop-up.

5.  The tackler will pursue toward the pop-up at the same angle as the ball carrier. Upon reaching the pop-up, he will react to the ball carrier’s cut to determine his finishing position.

6.  The drill continues until all LBs have had sufficient opportunities to pursue and tackle from both right and left angles.     

COACHING POINTS:

1. Instruct the tackler to pursue inside/out at a tempo relative to the ball carrier.

2. The tackler should not come to balance too tightly to the pop-up, which is an assimilated blocker. This will block his vision from the ball carrier and create a poor tackling angle. He must understand space awareness and the tackling zone.

4.  Emphasize the tackler coming to balance under control by sinking his hips and keeping his feet active upon the ball carrier’s cut.

5.  When the tackler comes to balance under control, it should be emphasized that he is reacting to the ball carrier’s cut. If he pursues too aggressively, coming too close to the pop-up, his vision will be blocked. He will be forced to guess, instead of reacting properly to the direction of the ball carrier’s cut.

6.  When the tackler successfully pursues and reacts to the ball carrier, he should finish in a proper fit-up tackling position ensuring that his helmet is across the ball carrier while wrapping and driving him backwards.  


TACKLING FORMULA

Our goal is to be 90% efficient at tackling as a unit. Some plays may have three tackling opportunities, and some may not have any (incomplete pass). We get the overall tackling opportunities from the film. The final game stats will not tell us these figures. Tackling opportunities are different for each game. Versus a predominantly passing team there may be fewer opportunities because it creates a lot of 1-on-1 tackling situations. 

This is a great way to study the types of positions and situations that our defensive players are put in and to figure out what techniques/movements that we need to work to improve on so that we can eliminate missed tackles. We feel it is important to chart our progress and keep track of how well we are improving as well as breakdown the areas that continually need to be emphasized and re-evaluated.

These important concepts combined with the element of consistent quality teaching and repetition helps to correct our tackling challenges, minimizes extra yardage, and ultimately improves defensive production. As a defense, we are committed to practicing some form of tackling each day, and as the linebacker’s coach, I have a tackling drill that is practiced each day that is specific to the position.Tackling is one of the most critical fundamentals on the defensive side of the ball. 


Coach Richardson answers your questions on Facebook - just go to to https://www.facebook.com/AmericanFootballMonthly/

Want more? Here are more articles from American Football Monthly

Drills Report: Linebacker Progression Drills  – June, 2012
Drills Report: Advanced Linebacker Drills – May, 2011
New Mexico Linebacker Drills and Techniques – March, 2008


About the Author: Shane Richardson is in his ninth season as a college coach. He joined the staff of UNC-Pembroke in 2006 as both the Linebackers Coach and Strength and Conditioning Coach and has served as the Defensive Coordinator for the last five seasons. Richardson started his coaching career at his alma mater, Northern Michigan, and was in the staff of North Dakota State prior to coming to Pembroke. A three year starter at linebacker, Richardson earned his bachelor’s degree in 2001 and received his master’s from North Dakota State in 2005.






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