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.

Coaching Youth Football - Review the Past Year

I always spend a good portion of the youth football off-season reviewing the past year. You want to continue to do what works and get rid of what didn’t.  If this is the first year running a different offense or defense this is especially true.  I remember the first year we ran the Single Wing offense with 8-9 year olds we had such an occurrence.  Our Running Back position decided to cut every power play to the outside.  The power play is an inside run where you must follow the lead backs to the hole.  By trying to cut the run to the outside he was abandoning the blockers and was getting tackled for small or no gains. I learned that when coaching the young kids you really need to make sure they understand the importance of the play being run the way it is shown in practice.  

It is best to wait a few months after the youth football season ends to reflect on what actually happened on the previous year.  Is important to make sure you can differentiate from what really happened versus what you thought happened.  There has been many time when I felt we were doing one thing well by the end of the year and I was dead wrong.  By waiting a few months you can clear your mind and review the past year looking for anything that will help you be a better coach in the upcoming year.

Every year you coach a different age or skill level you'll find things that have worked from previous years at previous levels, and things that do not.  You must be honest with yourself and realize that not all things work best at all levels.  I always keep an entire log with detailed notes of the entire year. It is a wonderful reference for future years.  I start each year by grabbing the binder from a previous year that most closely resembles the age and talent level I will be coaching this year.

Beware that each New Year will bring you new talent. What may have succeeded last year may not be appropriate for the upcoming youth football season.  Make sure you keep an open mind at the beginning of the season before you make any final decisions.

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