Pursuit & Breaking Down

[Vanderwel]

Looking for some more drills!

What is your best/favorite drill for teaching how to pursue the ball carrier and breakdown prior to the tackle? This doesn’t have to be one single drill.

 

[Coach Spaulding]

Here us a few links to some things we do coach

1)

(Shedding Blocks)
2)

(Pursuit Angles & Defensive Pursuit)
3)

(Pursuit & Breakdown)
4)

(Pursuit & Breakdown)
5)

(Pursuit & Breakdown)
6)

(Pursuit & Breakdown)
7)

(Run & Gather Breakdown)
8)

((Run & Gather Breakdown)

Let me know if you have any questions

Best regards,
Coach Michael Spaulding
NB Thunder Head Varsity Football Coach
C: 830-822-3828
E. Michael.Spaulding@nbthunder,org

 

[Coach_Tarp]

Really good stuff shared by Coach Spaulding. From the last video by Blake Gideon I have used the vice tackle( A+ drill I think everyone should be doing a variation of it) , and we use the sideline tackle drill weekly.

My biggest "hot take" when it comes to defensive football is that the best way to improve as a tackling team is by being great at coaching leverage and run fits. When kids know how to attack blockers and the ball in relationship with their teammates your tackling is going to improve dramatically. We find most tackles are missed due to late reactions and bad leverage as opposed to tackling form.

Obviously working on tackling technique and form is important, but after the second week of the season we do not work on it much. After week two its all leverage and run fits.

Here is a quick video on how we teach run fits vs spread formations (it is really similar to how we teach it vs tight, just with less people) :

Defending the Run vs Spread Offenses

 

[Vanderwel]

Great information fellas, thank you!