Developmental Tackling Part II: Hashmark-to-Boundary Drills and Pursuit Drills to improve overall tackling

The safety considerations and progressive skills emphasized in part I of Developmental Tackling must be maintained and re-taught as you move from individual skill areas to group skills and game preparation. Nothing can impact your season more than great defensive play exemplified by great tackling skills, team pursuit and rallies to the ball. In film review, we always count the players who swarm to the ball carrier and address the responsibility of cutback and backside pursuit.


ON FIELD – HASHMARK-TO-BOUNDARY DRILLS

These drills are realistic on-field, game-type, tackling drills. They can begin with shields and controlled tempo but should progress to full speed contact without putting the ball carrier on the ground. Defensive players should include secondary, inside linebackers and outside linebackers. Offensive players can help with the drills and rotate if two-way players. Linemen will drill separately.

Shimmy Tackle Drill – Face to Face

In the first drill – The Shimmy Tackle, Face to Face Drill – ball carriers and defenders align in the middle of a five-yard zone created by yard lines. Ball carriers are at the hash, defenders at sideline. On whistle, both approach with speed (tempo can be controlled during early phases). As gap narrows, tackler must come under control, lower weight, holster hands, shimmy feet, keep his eyes high, focus on pecs, have a positive angle in his hips, thighs, and knees, with weight on his instep. Ball carrier is allowed one cut and defender must adjust with a lateral step without raising weight. A step upfield toward the one cut can be beaten by a cutback. At the moment of truth, the defender uncoils, delivers a blow, bites the ball and wraps up the ball carrier. He keeps his base wide and drives the ball carrier outside the near yard line (Diagram 1).

Diagram 1: Shimmy Tackle Drill - Face to Face

As skills progress, increase tempo and allow ball carrier a second cut. If coaching supervision allows, two, three or even four drills can be run at the same time, but be sure to keep a 10-yard gap between drills.
 
Shimmy Compress Drill

The next drill includes two lines of defenders and one line of ball carriers. On whistle, ball carriers run down middle line. Tacklers approach with speed and, at approximately five yards away, shimmy compress with their near foot, keeping eyes on the ball carrier’s near hip. Continue shimmy compress to hit point and follow all skills of basic approach. Both defenders hit with near shoulder and work hips together and drive ball carrier back until whistle (Diagram 2).

Diagram 2: Shimmy Compress Drill

Drill can be expanded by allowing ball carrier to cut one way but not outside 10-yard drill boundaries. The tackler to the side of the cut treats it like a profile tackle. The backside defender attacks for a strip and steal. Ball carrier can also move laterally to next hash as defenders track and react to upfield cut.
Wrap and Roll Drill

The basic purpose of the next drill is to teach tackling skills when face-to-face or profile is lost. The ball carrier and defender both face the sideline 5-7 yards back in the middle of a 5-yard zone created by yard lines. The tackler is a half step to the side and behind the ball carrier. On whistle, tackler must catch and wrap ball carrier from behind, slide down, and whip hips into roll to bring ball carrier down before he can cross the sideline (Diagram 3).

Diagram 3: Wrap and Roll Drill

Goal Line Drill

The purpose of the next drill is to teach technique to make a touchdown saving tackle in the open field at the goal line. The defenders line up even with the ball carriers on hash mark that is 10 yards apart. On whistle, ball carriers break toward cone which designates the goal line pylon. The tackler must approach with maximum speed but still stay on the trail hip of the ball carrier. If he can maintain profile approach, he will follow the shimmy profile technique. If he loses profile, he has to wrap and roll (Diagram 4).

Diagram 4: Goal Line Drill

This drill can be made more difficult by adding cut back or change of pace. When your secondary players can stop all scores, you know you have great open field tackling.
 

PURSUIT DRILLS
 

Every defensive structure must have defenders assigned to flow responsibilities which include initial force, ultimate contain, alley fill and cutback players. For the first pursuit drill, the Triangle Drill, use the corner, safety and outside linebacker to create a triangle. The ball carrier, on the whistle, can run to the perimeter and fake an upfield cut then run ladder to the outside. He stretches the corner and then drives to the alley. He then cut backs all the way to the inside.
 
Triangle Drill

The corner must not allow the ball carrier to turn up the sideline. Use profile or head-on shimmy tackle technique so safety and outside linebacker can be involved. The safety needs to fill the alley if the corner forces the ball carrier back inside. Do not over pursue but come under control with the shimmy approach. The outside linebackers shuffle, cross over, run and come back to shuffle if the ball carrier shows any cut back. Keep profile and adjust shimmy technique to the position of the ball carrier (Diagram 5). A blocker in front of the ball carrier can be added to further challenge the triangle defenders.

Diagram 5: Triangle Drill

Full Second and Third-Level Pursuit and Tackle Drill

The basic premise of the second pursuit drill – The Full Second and Third Level Pursuit and Tackle Drill – is a full flow to the perimeter in both 2-deep and 3-deep coverage. Disciplined responses to each position will help control big play potential by the offense.

From your base defensive look, second and third level players must respond to full flow in either direction as designated by the coach. The outside linebacker should be the primary force and attack the near blocker as deep and tight as possible. He should also keep his outside hip and arm free to force an inside cut.

The corner, the ultimate contain player, should not allow the ball carrier to turn up the boundary outside him. The safety pursues to the flow and closes the alley. He should stay on the backside shoulder of the ball carrier and take on the blocker with his inside shoulder. The inside linebacker shuffles to the flow. He crosses over if necessary and closes on the upfield turn of the ball carrier. He takes on a blocker with his backside arm unless the blocker is out of sync with the ball carrier. He must take away the cut back by the ball carrier.

The inside linebacker away from the flow shuffles with depth, keeping in relationship with the other inside linebacker in pursuit.  He should look for an open window to take away a full cut back by ball carrier.

The outside linebacker away from the flow shuffles with depth slightly deeper than the inside linebacker’s and must respond to the cutback by the ball carrier and cover open windows. He keeps depth leverage if the ball carrier penetrates the second level. The backside corner pursues the proper level to replace the safety then reacts to the ball carrier’s depth and width. He is the ultimate pursuit-player to save a touchdown (Diagram 6).

Diagram 6: Full Second and Third-Level Pursuit and Tackle Drill

On offense, the blockers line up 7 to 8 yards from linebackers with the ball carrier in the middle.
 
B1 – Tries to block outside shoulder of primary force so ball carrier can run to the perimeter.

B2 – Reads block of B1 and either turns up an alley fill or slides out to block corner.

B3 – Runs for width and turns up on side linebacker or first defender to show.
 
Full Team Pursuit Drill

The last drill – the Full Team Pursuit Drill – has all players chasing the ball carrier until the final defender is at the boundary. Then there is a full team, foot fire, break down yell “hit” and the defenders jog back as a team to the end zone.

The basic purpose of this drill is to teach correct technique, correct angles, full team pursuit, and defensive attitude needed for a great season-long quality defense. Pursue until you can touch the ball carrier, but do not tackle him.

In this drill, the center snaps to the quarterback. The quarterback tosses to a tailback (Rabbit). The rabbit runs the perimeter and up the sideline with

The defensive front four takes two steps up on the snap. They hold for one second and pursue. The linebackers immediately have full flow pursuit while the secondary shows force technique and then pursues proper angles (Diagram 7).

Diagram 7: Full Team Pursuit Drill

Over my years as a coach, I developed eight pursuit principals:
 
1. The deeper the penetration, the deeper the angle of pursuit.

2. The slower the player, the deeper the angle.

3. The further from the ball, the deeper the angle.

4. The faster the back, the deeper the angle.

5. Never follow the same color jersey.

6. Play the game with your eyes.

7. 11 for 7.

8. Never give up.
 

About the Author: A frequent contributor to American Football Monthly, Brent Steuerwald retired in 2011 after a 55-year coaching career with 44 seasons as head coach at Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, New York. His overall record was 319-88-4. Steuerwald received numerous local, state, and national coaching honors and led his team to three state championships.