Tackling help.

[Aussie_Boy]

Me and my mate are coaching an U/12 team. They are all extremelly skilled players 4 having dropped down from reps and 5 from Div 1. These boys are really fast and love tricks and individuall tricks. We have come up against 3 teams our size winning 14 - 0, 7 - 0 and drawing 2 - 2. The only problem is we are coming up against teams who are physically alot bigger and stronger than our boys. I mean some of these kids are no joke the size of 17 year olds. Anyway we are trying to find a way to improve:

1. Our boys tackling technique. (They just can't get it right seeming there practicing with kids who are small)

2. Teaching them to win physically.

3. Getting to the ball first without getting pushed off.


Any help would be great thanks Matt.

[BigGuy]

An old post on everything you ever want to know and then some on regular tackling not on the slide tackle.

Let's talk about the stand up block tackle the normal tackle. It is all about timing and
form not about being physical or big or even contact with the player.

It is about winning the ball, then starting your teams attack.

Tell players the idea is not to crash into the dribbler. The idea is to
win the ball from the dribbler.

I have the feeling nobody has worked with her on her tackling. So she
doesn't know how to tackle.

You don't go for the tackle when the dribbler has close control of the
ball. You do close space on the dribbler. Meaning if the dribbler is
alone you close that open space within two yards of the dribbler. That
alone limits the dribbler options, her view of the goal and also her
passing options.

Then you position your self to be ready to tackle. You get into a side
ways position, and again you wait for the moment where the dribbler
does not have close control of the ball. Then at that time you go for the
tackle. So it is a lot about the timing of the tackle knowing when to
tackle.

You never go straight into the player. Your not looking to bang into
her just take the ball away from her. Then you can start your teams own
attack.

You come in from an angle to the left or the right of the dribbler not
straight into the dribbler.

You tackle using only the inside of the foot with a bended knee not
stiff legged. You want to hit the center of the ball so your tackling foot
should be slightly off the ground with the heal down, and toes up ankle
locked. It looks very similar to the form she uses for her push passes.

Can she make a good push pass by the way?

So she hits the center of the ball, and the tackling foot follows
through riding up the ball. That gives the ball top spin. You want to put
top spin on the ball to help the ball go over the dribblers right or left
foot depending on the angle she took. She wants to put the ball behind
the dribbler off the dribblers left or right shoulder. Then you go to
the ball and win the ball and start her own attack.

If you don't hit the ball over the dribblers foot the first time.
Immediately tackle the ball again, and keep tackling until she does win the
ball.

When you tackle you will hear a loud noise of your foot hitting the
ball, not your foot hitting the dribbler and not the dribblers foot
hitting her body. A loud noise but no one should be hurt either player. Both
of you hit the ball at the same time again loud noise both neither
player should be hurt because your just hitting a ball.

Take a ball put it down. You come from one angle she comes from another
angle you both hit the side of the ball your facing at the same time.
You both will hear a loud noise, and you both will be okay.

Do not turn your inside of the foot after the touch. Keep it square
with the ball just like she does with the push pass. If she can't do the
push pass think of it as when you putt in golf. You don't turn the face
of the club immediately after the putt as your follow through you keep
the face of the club in the direction you want the ball to go. The
tackling foot also faces in the direction you want the ball to go. Also the
non tacking foot points the direction you want the ball to go.

Eye on the ball and tackle coming in from an angle, hitting the ball
with the inside of your foot so it goes straight over one of the
dribblers feet with your top spin follow through. You don't want to hit the
ball into the dribblers body.

Practice-last thing is you don't go for a tackle unless you have a team
mate supporting from behind just in case you miss.

Practice - once she understands that you are not making contact with
the dribbler just the ball, and the foot to ball contact does not hurt
she will be fine. Once she sees that she can win the ball she will be
like the terminator on her tackles :-)

Good luck practice and have fun with it.
--------------
Steal the bacon drill to do when tackling

Play steal the bacon, and on each end play with goals. It starts with a
50/50 ball situation. One of the players wins the ball then the
defender again must win the ball not just knock it away. Who ever wins ball
can then attack his goal to score. You dribble the ball into the goal or
make a short push pass no shooting or long passes to score want to see
battles for possession. The defender can chase the dribbler and try to
win the ball back and then tries to score on his goal. You get 1 v 1
tacling practice, you get making recovery efforts to win the ball back,
and you get scoring practice with a defender on you.
---------------------------------
combat soccer Is practicing playing a physical defense

1.. Pull Combat
· Players divide up. One ball between Two players.

· You can pull anything you want, as long as you want, with ONE
hand
although don't stop the exercise if players use two hands.

· The person who gets possession of the ball tries to maintain
possession by shielding without dribbling away or being controlled by
the
aggressor.

· Either player can possess the ball. When one player has the
ball
the other tries to get it.


2.. Push Combat
· Same game except players can push with one hand instead of
pulling.

· Fair combat requires a lot of aggressive clean battling for
the
ball like you would see in a game.

· If you have possession of the ball you cannot dribble away.

· Using the hands and shoulders to shield or get possession is
legal

[rca2]

...The only problem is we are coming up against teams who are physically alot bigger and stronger than our boys...

1. Our boys tackling technique. (They just can't get it right seeming there practicing with kids who are small)

2. Teaching them to win physically.

3. Getting to the ball first without getting pushed off.

My thoughts--

1. The ball is the same size regardless of how big the opponent is. Its the ball you tackle! The technique is the same. The larger, stronger boys are probably going to be quicker than your team is used to. It may take awhile to get used to the faster pace and longer strides, but they need to concentrate on the ball and the center of mass of the opponent. Nothing else really matters if the ball is on the ground.

2. You don't "win" physically. You win mentally. They need to ignore the fact that they are smaller and play their game. Focus. Some of the best defensive midfielders are small players. The tall defenders are usually the centerbacks and keepers who have to deal with the high crosses.

3. Pushing is foul play. They need to learn to position their body to shield the ball. Referees are quick to protect small players against bigger ones playing physically. When a bigger stronger opponent shoulder charges (the only legal way for a bigger opponent to push a smaller opponent off the ball), they should not try to stand their ground. They will only be pushed off the ball. Instead, they should turn away from the charging opponent. Or reverse direction. Any move that refuses the shoulder charge. So the key skill here is dribbling (and vision and communication to a lesser extent). When you turn, you are no longer shoulder to shoulder so further contact is an illegal charge unless the opponent turns with you. Being on the outside, the opponent has farther to go and eventually won't be able to keep up (well that's the plan anyway).

Good luck.

[ALEX408]

Well make sure when they are dribbling they have their hands and their sides and space it out a bit. So it shields the balls. Plus tell your players to step on the opponents shoes when the ref isn't looking, pull/tug on shirts, poke the opponent...throw off the oppponent's game!