Fore a football player, few things are more deflating than whiffing on a tackle and watching from the grass as the ball carrier races downfield for a touchdown. It's easier to tackle smaller and slower players, of course, but tackling is every bit as much about technique as it is power and quickness. By using drills to improve your form, you'll not only become a more effective tackler, but also might lessen your chances of suffering a neck injury, which often occur due to incorrect form.
Get Low
Young players have a common -- and bad -- habit of tackling high rather than bending at the waist and hitting the runner's lower body. To correct this, line up your players at the goal line with a tackling dummy opposite each player at the 40-yard line. Have the players spring upfield, bending and touching grass as they pass the 10-, 20- and 30-yard lines. When they reach the dummies, they should again lower their bodies, this time driving through the bottom half of the dummy.
Strip Drill
Tackling a ball carrier is your prime objective, but even better is stripping the ball from his grasp while you do so. This is how you create turnovers, which often mean the difference between winning and losing games. Have a ball carrier start the drill with a 10-yard head start on the defensive player and run upfield at half-speed. The defender chases him down, wrapping him from behind with his arms while trying to rip the ball loose using a downward raking motion.
Goal Line Drill
Nowhere on a football field is it more important to make a sound tackle than the goal line. Stopping an opponent short of the end zone keeps points off the scoreboard and gives your team an injection of momentum. Line up a tackler at the goal line and have a defender begin three yards out. On the whistle, the running back races toward the goal line in any direction. The defender must quickly explode out of his pre-snap stance, track the runner without falling for any fakes and drive him backward.
Oklahoma Drill
The drill tests a player's toughness and competitiveness while developing his ability to shed a block and snatch the ball carrier. A running back is placed behind a quarterback, who lines up behind an offensive lineman. The lineman gets into his stance between two cones or bags placed three or four yards apart. The defensive player lines up a few yards away, facing the offensive lineman. When the quarterback sets the play in motion and hands the ball to the running back, the tackler engages the blocker and attempts to either overpower him or sidestep him and get to the runner. This drill is effective for defensive linemen and linebackers, who face this exact scenario many times during a game.
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