How to Tackle in Football

Tackling seems like it should be easy - it's not.

Tackling is one of the most under-appreciated and overlooked skills in football. While a play might involve a handoff or a pass, it almost always involves a tackle (except when someone is pushed out of bounds or scores of course!).

It is a basic skill that any good defensive player should learn about as soon as they start playing and should focus on more than any other skill. It doesn't matter if you are the fastest or get to the right place at the right time, if you can't tackle the ballcarrier when you get there, then every other skill doesn't matter.

Most people see a good tackle as an instance where the ballcarrier is "jacked-up." These are certainly exciting plays and can make the game fun to watch, it doesn't take a bone-crushing hit for it to have been a good tackle.

A good tackle happens when the ballcarrier has no chance of getting away from the tackle and is taken to the ground quickly. It should be a quick and efficient hit that is really over before it starts.

To make a good tackle, you need to do these three steps:
1. Get lower than your opponent. That is different than bending over, instead, you should ideally get it a squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart your thighs almost parallel to the ground and your hands at your hips in a "cocked" position ready to fire.
2. Explode through your opponent. Your legs should straighten as your shoulder hits your opponent. Your shoulder should be making contact anywhere from his thigh pads to just below his chest pad. As you are hitting through your opponent, your arms should shoot up and grab the back of your opponent's jersey or legs.
3. Go to the ground. Holding your opponent, you should now have no problem going to the ground. If you did the above two steps right, then your opponent will already be on his way.

Obviously, a bad tackle most often results with the ballcarrier getting away. That doesn't always happen, and though a bad tackle may be your last resort, it should never be the result of laziness or forgetting your steps and form.

A bad tackle most often involves the arms. Simply reaching out to grab a player isn't enough. If you're chasing a player or it's the only thing you can do, then by all means, do it, but again, it should be a last resort.

Coaches often use the term "arm tackle" to describe this kind of tackle. The player may try to grab part of the ballcarrier's jersey or equipment. Sometimes this will work, however, think of it this way: are his legs going to be stronger than your arms? That's what it really comes down to because more often than not, he will be able to run out of your grasp.

Another problem that often happens is when a player doesn't get his head across the ballcarrier's body. Most of the time, this applies to a tackle where the would-be tackler is coming at the ballcarrier's side and not his front. By a tackler not getting his head across the ballcarier, the ballcarrier keeps up his momentum and is often able to run through the tackle and adjust.

Finally, a would-be tackler can often take a bad angle on his opponent. A bad angle happens when the player runs at the ballcarrier instead of where the ballcarrier is going to be. The tackler then ends up behind the ballcarrier and has not chance to get his head across and stop the runner's momentum. What usually ends up happening is the would-be tackler tries to push the ballcarrier, and often, that's just not enough.

It's hard to be able to make a perfect tackle every time. Often the other player might be stronger, or you can slip or trip going into the tackle. There are a lot of things that get in the way of a perfect tackle, however, if you work on the basics, even if you end up in a situation where a perfect tackle is not possible, your instincts will help you get the most out of your attempted tackle.

The biggest thing to remember is to not give up. Sometimes all a tackle comes down to is your fight and determination to wrestle the ballcarrier to the ground.