Teach Our D to Tackle

[Gibbs4Life]

How can we improve the tackling. I feel like the modern rules are preventing us from drilling this crucial fundamental into our D. Hopefully one of the new defensive staff hires can help teach and get this into our product on the field.

[oj]

You'd think they'd have the fundementals down by the time they get here - I'm not being critical of what you said, I'm agreeing - its' just that why should our coaches have to spend time teaching what they should have known to get here in the first place? They are defensive players, right?

[Countertrey]

You'd think they'd have the fundementals down by the time they get here - I'm not being critical of what you said, I'm agreeing - its' just that why should our coaches have to spend time teaching what they should have known to get here in the first place? They are defensive players, right?

Like so many others... tackling is a perishable skill... if it's not practiced, the skills degrade... players take short cuts, develop bad habits. League rules make it damned near impossible to practice these skills... though they really need to be worked
...

[ferryrich]

Too many players like to hit rather than tackle. It makes the highlight reels. In recent years the rules concerning hitting have changed so much the players are caught in multiple minds. If they just learned to tackle and practiced tackling, they'd improve no end

[DarthMonk]

How can we improve the tackling. I feel like the modern rules are preventing us from drilling this crucial fundamental into our D. Hopefully one of the new defensive staff hires can help teach and get this into our product on the field.

This worst flaw I see is a failure to, what coaches call, break down. It's a stutter step that helps prevent whiffing.

I once heard Bill Walsh say it's not what you practice, it's what you emphasize. I bet Marty or Walsh would emphasize the skill of tackling.

Nice link:

http://www.westcoastoffense.com/practic ... anning.htm

[tribeofjudah]

Also...they need to LEARN how to strip/punch out the ball. Turnovers baby...!!! And I'm not talking about "apple" ones.

[Countertrey]

How can we improve the tackling. I feel like the modern rules are preventing us from drilling this crucial fundamental into our D. Hopefully one of the new defensive staff hires can help teach and get this into our product on the field.

This worst flaw I see is a failure to, what coaches call, break down. It's a stutter step that helps prevent whiffing.

I once heard Bill Walsh say it's not what you practice, it's what you emphasize. I bet Marty or Walsh would emphasize the skill of tackling.

Nice link:

http://www.westcoastoffense.com/practic ... anning.htm

Does Bill explain how you "emphasize" without practicing??? I'm not trying to be obtuse... that just seems non-sensical...

[Deadskins]

How can we improve the tackling. I feel like the modern rules are preventing us from drilling this crucial fundamental into our D. Hopefully one of the new defensive staff hires can help teach and get this into our product on the field.

This worst flaw I see is a failure to, what coaches call, break down. It's a stutter step that helps prevent whiffing.

I once heard Bill Walsh say it's not what you practice, it's what you emphasize. I bet Marty or Walsh would emphasize the skill of tackling.

Nice link:

http://www.westcoastoffense.com/practic ... anning.htm

Does Bill explain how you "emphasize" without practicing??? I'm not trying to be obtuse... that just seems non-sensical...

I think he was saying you practice all kids of stuff, but you only really emphasize a few points.

[DarthMonk]

Does Bill explain how you "emphasize" without practicing??? I'm not trying to be obtuse... that just seems non-sensical...

I think he was saying you practice all kids of stuff, but you only really emphasize a few points.

Precisely. You can also practice tackling without emphasizing crucial components ... like breaking down.

It's not that you can emphasize without practicing. It's that you can practice without emphasizing.

Another similar one is this: Practice does not make perfect - perfect practice does.

[Countertrey]

... sooooooo... you have to practice tackling....

[HEROHAMO]

As with any skill practice makes perfect.

From my observations most teams are bad at tackling save for a few. The Seahawks and 49ers both tackle like pros.

Very few teams tackle well these days. The 49ers and Seahawks both tackle very well.

Main problem with our team is they dive way too much and dont wrap up. I have seen Orakpo do this many times. He dives instead of running through a player while wrapping up.

The ideal mentality should be a swarming gang tackling mentality. A defender should first impead the progress by getting face to face with the ball carrier or get in his path first. If he is close enough wrap and run through him. If not just be in the path of the ball carrier maintaining his gap while others are swarming covering all the other ball carriers paths.
If a defender is good enough which most arent they can tackle without any help. Only legends are good enough to disregard any help and make all the tackles on their own.

[DarthMonk]

Main problem with our team is they dive way too much ...

This is what happens when a guy does not break down.

[DarthMonk]

... sooooooo... you have to practice tackling....

Yeah, but anybody can practice blindly. Anybody can keep practicing the wrong way. It's not just practice. It's good practice with emphasis on certain keys. The number one key in tackling is to break down. Green Bay lost to SF because a blitzing DB had Kap dead to rights but did not break down.

We whiff on QBs again and again because we clearly do not practice breaking down. We jump at ball fakes. Imagine if while a guy is pump faking we are just breaking down. Then we sack the guy as he prepares to reload. Everybody wants to be a freaking hero. Kinda funny actually. The sack is worth so much more than batting down the pass which is what we are trying to do when we jump for a pump fake.

This is how we can improve our tackling ... by emphasizing the keys and practicing with emphasis on those keys.

It's not rocket science but it's not just "oh yeah, practice, duh."

[Countertrey]

... sooooooo... you have to practice tackling....

Yeah, but anybody can practice blindly. Anybody can keep practicing the wrong way. It's not just practice. It's good practice with emphasis on certain keys. The number one key in tackling is to break down. Green Bay lost to SF because a blitzing DB had Kap dead to rights but did not break down.

We whiff on QBs again and again because we clearly do not practice breaking down. We jump at ball fakes. Imagine if while a guy is pump faking we are just breaking down. Then we sack the guy as he prepares to reload. Everybody wants to be a freaking hero. Kinda funny actually. The sack is worth so much more than batting down the pass which is what we are trying to do when we jump for a pump fake.

This is how we can improve our tackling ... by emphasizing the keys and practicing with emphasis on those keys.

It's not rocket science but it's not just "oh yeah, practice, duh."

Are you being deliberately obtuse? Clearly, a professional coaching staff that is practicing tackling will be focusing on certain concepts... It should not have been necessary for me to specify that, but, apparently, someone is being a bit challenging... What ever... seriously??? Is there anything that you won't argue about?

[Gibbs4Life]

Saw that SF Safety Donte Whitner is a free agent..he could do some tackling for us!

[HEROHAMO]

Main problem with our team is they dive way too much ...

This is what happens when a guy does not break down.

Yes exactly pretty much what I was trying to say. Break down stay in front of ball carrier while others swarm as well.

[DarthMonk]

Is there anything that you won't argue about?

NO!

Just kidding, of course.

But the name of the thread is Teach Our D to Tackle and all the evidence shows we suck at it ... which leads me to believe that although "a professional coaching staff that is practicing tackling will be focusing on certain concepts..." ours has been pretty freaking sad and certainly does not emphasize breaking down, which, I believe, is the key to good tackling.

I'm just giving my opinion on the issue and was asked to clarify at least once.

Sorry, bro.

I'll add what has probably been said by someone else here. It would be nice if all these guys arrived as good tacklers. Then we could spend more time on scheme. But as we have seen, we can put a guy in the perfect spot with our scheme ... but then he'll whiff.

[44diesel]

Tackling is all about technique. It's something that players need to focus on and practice. As much haterade as I've consumed hearing about Seattle, I was truly impressed with this article about Cam Chancellor:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sean-taylor-s-pro-bowl-hit-resonates-loudly-with-seahawks--biggest-hitter-212312765-nfl.html

Cam Chancellor preps for each game by watching Sean Taylor highlights. Watching Cam play in the Super Bowl, you can easily see Sean's influence on his game. What made Sean so devastating as a tackler was his precision and technique. He was not a head hunter, he would drive a shoulder through somebody, wrap them up and drive them into the ground. Sean's technique, would produce violent collisions, but his ability to keep his feet under him made him such a threat anywhere on the field.

Chancellor's admiration for Taylor isn't just because of the thrill of impact, though. The Seahawk watches the late Redskin for form and technique. There's a science behind how Taylor hit, and it might be more relevant in today's NFL than it was when he played.

"It's how to keep your feet under you," Chancellor said. "Especially being a big safety."

The problem with being a big safety is it increases the likelihood of a helmet-to-helmet hit – and a penalty or fine. Taller tacklers often lunge at runners instead of tackling from a solid foundation. The "Legion of Boom" makes tackling form even more important, as referees know the Seahawks' reputation for heavy hitting. Along with the rugby and steer wrestling highlights, Chancellor looks to Taylor's videos as a model for leading with the shoulder and aiming for the torso: the "Region of Boom." He prides himself on tackling properly and (unlike many players and pundits) he embraces the new NFL rules.

"I've been doing pretty good with it," he said. "It protects the guy's brain. I have an opportunity to show people how to tackle."

Tackling is a lost art. It seems too many people want to make a highlight reel with a big "hit." Focusing on fundamentals and technique should be just as important for a defense to study and practice as footwork and fundamentals are for QBs.

[DarthMonk]

Tackling is all about technique. It's something that players need to focus on and practice. As much haterade as I've consumed hearing about Seattle, I was truly impressed with this article about Cam Chancellor:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sean-taylor-s-pro-bowl-hit-resonates-loudly-with-seahawks--biggest-hitter-212312765-nfl.html

Cam Chancellor preps for each game by watching Sean Taylor highlights. Watching Cam play in the Super Bowl, you can easily see Sean's influence on his game. What made Sean so devastating as a tackler was his precision and technique. He was not a head hunter, he would drive a shoulder through somebody, wrap them up and drive them into the ground. Sean's technique, would produce violent collisions, but his ability to keep his feet under him made him such a threat anywhere on the field.

Chancellor's admiration for Taylor isn't just because of the thrill of impact, though. The Seahawk watches the late Redskin for form and technique. There's a science behind how Taylor hit, and it might be more relevant in today's NFL than it was when he played.

"It's how to keep your feet under you," Chancellor said. "Especially being a big safety."

The problem with being a big safety is it increases the likelihood of a helmet-to-helmet hit – and a penalty or fine. Taller tacklers often lunge at runners instead of tackling from a solid foundation. The "Legion of Boom" makes tackling form even more important, as referees know the Seahawks' reputation for heavy hitting. Along with the rugby and steer wrestling highlights, Chancellor looks to Taylor's videos as a model for leading with the shoulder and aiming for the torso: the "Region of Boom." He prides himself on tackling properly and (unlike many players and pundits) he embraces the new NFL rules.

"I've been doing pretty good with it," he said. "It protects the guy's brain. I have an opportunity to show people how to tackle."

Tackling is a lost art. It seems too many people want to make a highlight reel with a big "hit." Focusing on fundamentals and technique should be just as important for a defense to study and practice as footwork and fundamentals are for QBs.

+1

Nice find.

[langleyparkjoe]

I would gladly take W(HIT)ner here