Football Tackling Drills: Soccer Techniques For Safer Tackles And Stronger Defensive Skills

Core Football Tackling Drills

Football tackling drills help defenders learn how to stop attacks safely, win the ball with control, and build good defensive habits. Coaches use different names for these drills, but they all focus on the same skills. General drills work on footwork, jockeying, timing, and defensive positioning, while specific drills focus on the moment a player tries to win the ball. In this article, we use these terms to show how players can connect technique, footwork, body position, contact control, and game awareness.

This article focuses on soccer. When we mention contact, shoulder challenges, or physical defending, we mean controlled actions that follow the Laws of the Game. Players should not grab, wrap, pull down, or hit opponents as in American football. We will start with tackling basics, then cover youth coaching, safe contact progression, match-based defending situations, and more advanced drill examples.

What Are Tackling Drills In Football?

Tackling drills are planned exercises that teach defenders how to approach, track, challenge, and stop a ball carrier in a safe and controlled way. In soccer, tackling does not mean grabbing, pulling down, or hitting another player. The focus is on closing space, keeping good body position, timing the challenge, and winning or delaying the ball safely.

You can set up these drills in different stages:

• Non-contact drills include mirror drills, footwork exercises, and practicing jockeying and tracking movements.
• Low-contact drills work on shoulder-to-shoulder balance and exercises that help players control their body position.
• Controlled-contact drills use pad work, shield drills, and other safe exercises to practice contact control.
• Match-realistic drills include 1v1 defending, recovery defending, and playing small-sided games.

Effective tackling practice is not about hitting or diving into challenges. Good tackling drills teach players to defend with control by focusing on:

• Positioning
• Timing
• Leverage
• Balance
• Contact control
• Safety
• Scanning before, during and after the challenge
• Knowing what to do after winning or delaying the ball

What Are The Different Types Of Tackles And Tackling Skills?

Players need different tackling skills because every defensive situation is different.

For example, a centre-back in a counterattack will tackle differently from a full-back who is defending near the sideline.

Here are some common ways to tackle:

• Open-field tackle: used when you are defending one-on-one in open space.
• Angle tackle: used when you are chasing an opponent or approaching from the side.
• Sideline tackle: used to force the attacker toward the sideline.
• Block tackle: used when you and your opponent both try to win the ball at the same time.
• Poke tackle: used to quickly take the ball away without overcommitting.
• Slide tackle: used only when you cannot stay on your feet and your timing is perfect.
• Shoulder challenge: done shoulder-to-shoulder, with control and without using excessive force.
• Team tackle: one player pressures the opponent while teammates cover possible passes.

In football, any action that is careless, reckless, or uses too much force can be called a foul. According to IFAB Law 12, tackles, charges, and challenges may be penalized if they are careless, reckless, or involve excessive force. Using excessive force can even result in a sending off.

Which Tackling Fundamentals Should Every Player Learn?

Players should learn the basics well before trying to play faster or add contact.

Here’s a simple way to remember how to tackle:

Keep your eyes up, lower your hips, and step forward with your closest foot. Slow down, use your shoulder safely, win the ball, and get back into position.

From what we’ve seen, the players who improve the fastest are not always the most aggressive. It’s usually those who know when to slow down. Young defenders often rush at attackers, stop too late, and get beaten with just one touch.

At Murcia Football Academy, we teach players to defend with control. We start by helping them learn the right technique from qualified coaches before they play at full speed.

What Is The Form Tackling Drill?

The form tackling drill teaches players the right body position and how to control contact in a slow, safe way.

Begin by setting up two players, or have one player use a tackle shield. The defender stands three to five metres away. When the coach signals, the defender moves in with control, lowers their hips, keeps their eyes up, and places their shoulder on the safe target area of the pad.

Next, the player wraps their arms around the pad, squeezes, and takes two strong, controlled steps forward.

Watch for these common mistakes:

• If a player bends at the waist, remind them to lower their hips instead.
• If they stop moving their feet, encourage them to keep stepping through the contact.
• If they only reach with their arms, reset the drill and coach them again on the right body position

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Soccer players should be careful with this drill. The goal is not to learn how to bring someone down, but to build body control, balance, and safe contact skills.

Which Defensive Drills Improve Tackling The Most?

The best defensive tackling drills connect tackling with a player’s full defensive duties.

A defender must know:

• Where the nearest teammate is.
• Which way to show the attacker.
• When to delay instead of tackling.
• What space is dangerous.
• How to recover if the first challenge fails.

A useful drill is the press-cover-tackle game. One defender pressures the player with the ball, another stays back to cover, and a third protects the center. The first defender should focus on slowing the attacker and steering them toward support, not just winning the ball immediately.

This drill gives players a more realistic experience than simply lining up and tackling one by one.

How Should Coaches Introduce Hitting And Contact Drills?

Coaches should only add contact to tackling drills after players have learned how to keep a safe body position, stay balanced, time their moves, and challenge for the ball within the rules. In football, tackling is not about “hitting” someone. It is about teaching players to defend with control, use their bodies fairly, keep their balance, and avoid careless, reckless, or overly forceful challenges. Tackles and challenges can be penalised if they are careless, reckless, or use too much force.

Here is one way to introduce contact in training:

• Begin with no-contact drills that focus on footwork, jockeying, mirroring, and body shape.
• Next, move on to low-contact practice, like shoulder-to-shoulder balance work and learning how to handle controlled contact.
• Then, add controlled-contact drills, such as 1v1 defending, where the coach sets the speed, space, or pressure.
• After that, use opposed practice, where attackers and defenders compete with clear rules and a safe level of intensity.
• Finally, set up match-like practice using small-sided games. In these games, players choose when to tackle, delay, block, or force play wide.

Contact drills should never reward unsafe techniques. Players should not be praised for charging into others, lowering their heads, using too much force, or ignoring the ball. The aim is to teach controlled defending, not to encourage physical collisions.

What Is Shoulder Tackling And How Should It Be Coached?

In soccer, a shoulder tackle is allowed when both players are next to each other and close enough to reach the ball.

This does not mean hitting someone in the back, neck, or head.

A safe shoulder challenge includes these key points:

• Keep your body turned to the side.
• Keep your arm close to your body.
• Watch the ball and the space around you.
• Make contact with your opponent from the side, not from behind.
• Do not use too much force.

When teaching this skill, we start by practicing at a walking pace, then move to jogging, and finally try it in real game situations. If a player cannot control the move slowly, they should not try it at full speed.

How Does The Angle Tackling Drill Work?

The angle-tackling drill teaches defenders how to approach from the correct angle.

Set up a channel using cones. The attacker begins with the ball and tries to dribble through the end gate. The defender starts a bit behind or inside. Their goal is to recover, take the right angle, and prevent the cutback.

Here are the main coaching points:

• Avoid running straight at the attacker.
• Curve your run to protect the inside lane.
• Slow down as you get ready to tackle.
• Keep your closest foot ready.
• Go for the ball when the attacker takes a heavy touch.

Begin with slow jog-through repetitions. Increase the speed, and finally, run the drill live.

How Does The Sideline Tackling Drill Work?

The sideline tackling drill teaches defenders to use the touchline as an extra defender.

Set up a wide channel next to the touchline. The attacker tries to dribble inside or along the line. The defender needs to stay between the attacker and the field and guide them toward the sideline.

A common mistake is chasing too hard. If the defender runs past the attacker, it leaves space inside and allows the winger to cut back in.

A helpful reminder is this:

Don’t chase the ball. Focus on steering the attacker where you want them to go.

If the attacker tries to go outside, keep them there. If they try to cut inside, that’s your moment to make the tackle.

How Does The Mirror Drill Improve Tracking?

The mirror drill helps players improve their tracking skills by encouraging patience.

Two players stand facing each other inside a small square. One player moves from side to side while the defender follows, making sure not to reach, cross their feet, or lunge.

This drill may look simple, but it quickly reveals bad habits. Players who rush often jump at the attacker. Standing too straight can make it easy to lose balance. Weak footwork can lead to crossing feet and getting beaten.

Keep each round short, around 10 to 15 seconds. At first, don’t worry about winning the ball. Focus on staying balanced and ready instead.

How Can Coaches Build Tackling Confidence?

Players gain confidence in tackling when they are well prepared, not when they are shouted at.

If a player is afraid of contact, they usually need clearer instructions rather than more pressure. Most young players are not scared because they are weak, but because they are unsure where to put their head, feet, and body.

Good coaches build players’ confidence by noticing and celebrating:

• Proper body positioning.
• Well-timed tackles.
• Quick recovery after losing a challenge.
• Making smart choices about when not to tackle.
• Making safe, controlled contact.

In our experience, when a player wins two or three clean challenges in a controlled drill, their confidence grows. They stop guessing and start trusting their technique.

What Tackling Progression Should Soccer Coaches Follow?

A good tackling progression begins with basic drills and slowly moves toward more realistic situations.

Start by focusing on movement and control instead of jumping straight into full-speed contact.

Here is a step-by-step approach to help develop tackling skills:

• Mirror movement means following your opponent closely without actually making a tackle.
• Approach and delay involves getting closer to the attacker and working to slow them down.
• Pad contact is about practicing safe body positioning when making contact.
• Angle tackling means using your position to stop the attacker from changing direction and cutting back.
• Controlled one-on-one drills help players practice making decisions during tackles.
• Small-sided games connect tackling practice to real game situations.

England Football’s recover-and-stop session uses similar steps. It helps players learn how to approach attackers, delay them, block options, control direction, slow down, and know when to make a challenge.

Preventing injuries is also important. A review of six randomized trials with 6,344 players found that the FIFA 11+ warm-up reduced injury risk in soccer players by 30%. This highlights the value of structured preparation rather than starting with intense contact.

How Do Tackling Sessions And Coaching Plans Work?

A good tackling session starts with a clear goal. Many effective sessions focus on a main idea, like “recover and stop.” Here, defenders work on getting back into position, slowing down the attacker, staying balanced, and choosing the right time to try to win the ball.

Here’s one way to organize a basic tackling session:

• Session goal: help defenders recover their position and stop attackers from moving forward.
• Number of players: 8 to 16, depending on your group.
• Set up a 20 by 25 meter area for technical drills, then use a bigger space for 1v1, 2v2, or small games.
• You’ll need footballs, cones, bibs, and either mini goals or marked target zones.
• Start with a warm-up that includes dynamic movements, balance work, quick sprints, slowing down, and changing direction.
• For the technical part, use mirror drills, practice jockeying, work on approach angles, and focus on good body positioning.
• In the defensive part, practice 1v1 recovery defending. Start with the defender a bit behind or to the side of the attacker.
• For tactics, work on defending at an angle, staying close to the touchline, and stopping the attacker from cutting inside.
• In small-sided games, defenders can earn points for clean tackles, pushing attackers wide, or holding them up until help comes.
• Give players quick feedback on their timing, body position, distance, patience, and decisions.

Start with simple drills and make them more realistic as you go. Begin with unopposed exercises, then add an attacker, use directional play, bring in goals, and finally use these skills in a game. This shows that good tackling is about more than just winning the ball. It also means recovering quickly, controlling space, stopping the attacker’s progress, and making smart defensive choices.

What Should Players Not Do When Tackling?

Players should stay calm when tackling. Poor tackles often happen when defenders rush, lose balance, or try to win the ball from a bad position. The best defenders know when to tackle, when to hold back, and when to guide the attacker into a weaker spot.

Common tackling mistakes include:

• Diving in too early.
• Going to ground when staying on feet is possible.
• Reaching for the ball instead of moving the feet.
• Tackling from the wrong side or from behind.
• Losing sight of the ball.
• Using the arms to hold, pull or push the opponent.
• Charging into the attacker instead of making a controlled challenge.
• Stopping after the tackle instead of recovering quickly.
• Challenging without a realistic chance of winning the ball.
• Using careless, reckless or excessive force.

In soccer, the safest tackles are usually made with patience. Slow the attacker down, stay sideways, protect the dangerous space, and wait for a heavy touch before challenging for the ball with control. Good tackling is about timing, balance, body position, and making smart decisions not panicking.

How Can Technology Improve Tackling Practice?

Technology can help make tackling practice easier to understand.

For most players, video is the most helpful tool. Watching slow-motion clips lets defenders check if they are standing too tall, crossing their feet, turning the wrong way, or lunging before the attacker makes a big move.

Wearable data can also help coaches track things like speed, slowing down, and workload. FIFA’s EPTS Quality Programme was set up to test and approve electronic performance and tracking systems, making sure wearable and optical devices are safe and work well.

Some useful tools are:

• Using a phone to record video from behind the defender.
• Watching slow-motion replays.
• Collecting GPS or wearable data to track workload.
• Practicing with tackle shields and dummies.
• Using apps to plan practices.
• Sharing short video clips to give players feedback.

However, technology should not replace coaching. It is meant to help players notice what the coach has already seen.