Football Drills Angle Tacking Drill

This is an oldie but goodie.  I think every team in youth football regardless if it is flag or tackle football runs some form of the Angle Tackling Drill.

There are many different ways to run the drill but we line it up as per the diagram below.

You want to set up this drill per the diagram above.  What I like to do is have a 5-7 yard distance between the tackling line and the running back line.
Then you want to back up the running line 2-5 yards further away from the cone than the tackling line.  The cone is straight down the field 20-25 yards.  Please notice the straight sideline along the right hand side.  The tackler looks to make the tackle or at least be able to knock them out of bounds.

On the whistle each youth football player takes off.  The running back runs as fast as he can in a straight line.  He can not stop, weave or change speeds.  He must go all out to the cone which we pretend is the goal line.

The tacklers must take the proper pursuit angle and make the tackle or push the runner out of bounds.  If you are coaching a flag team then you want your tacklers grabbing flags.

The coaching tips for your defenders are you want them to get their helmet in front of the ball carrier.  You also want them to stay low.  They need to drive through the ball carrier with their helmet in front, back straight and wrapping the runner up.  It is important that the tacklers learn that all three things must be done in unison.

While coaching youth football, you need to make sure the tacklers do not leave their feet when making a tackle. They need to see what they tackle, wrap their arms around the carrier and drive him to the ground.

This is one of the many tackling drills we will run.  It teaches the kids how to take the proper angle when running down a kid who is sprinting down the sidelines.

We will show many other techniques for tackling in the open field and trying to contain speed backs by forcing them back to the middle of the defense where support is. All of these drills and techniques will make you a better youth football coach.