Tackling Solutions

Editor’s Note: Due to the overwhelming response we’ve received from coaches on the issue of tackling, we are currently working with a group of coaches to publish a series of tackling improvement articles this off-season. Ok, so we’ve identified the problem. But how do we fix it? Each coach has their own suggestions as to how to improve our tackling dilemma, but we found that it can be broken down into three distinct elements of improvement – position-specific tackling, teaching more team-related tackling concepts and re-working the open-field tackle. They’re areas that may have been neglected in the past, but the advent of the spread is getting coaches to rethink their methods. Compartmentalize Individual Tackling How many times will a defensive tackle make a play in the open field? Granted, with the structure of zone blitzing today that may not be an unlikely scenario. But