American football · Tackling

Shoulder tackling progression

Build a shoulder-led tackle with the head up and out of contact, from a bag fit to a thud on a jogging ball carrier.

Lane 1: bagsLane 2: thudB1T1BCT2CO
Start / 4
Time
15 min
Players
4–12
Age
U12+
Area
30 × 25 yd
Equipment
12 helmets and shoulder pads2 stand-up tackling dummies or big hand shields8 cones2 footballs

Setup

  1. Contact level: air, then bags, then thud. No one goes to the ground. Full helmet and shoulder pads, and a coach watches every rep.
  2. Make two lanes 5 yards wide and 10 yards long. Lane 1 has a held dummy; lane 2 has a ball carrier.
  3. Count this drill towards the team's weekly limit on full-contact time.

How it runs

  1. Air: on the coach's call, tacklers walk through breakdown, step in, shoulder, wrap and squeeze, five times.
  2. Bags, lane 1: the tackler closes from 5 yards, buzzes the feet, fits the near shoulder into the dummy, wraps and drives it 2 yards.
  3. Thud, lane 2: the ball carrier jogs straight ahead at half speed. The tackler fits, wraps and drives 2 yards, and both stay on their feet.
  4. Three reps in each lane, then rotate. Build to three-quarter speed only when the technique is clean.

Coaching points

  • Eyes up and on the target the whole way in: the near thigh or hip.
  • Buzz the feet and sink the hips 2 yards out, with the chest over the knees.
  • Step in close, so the near foot lands beside the carrier's feet.
  • Contact with the near shoulder. The head goes to the side and behind the carrier, never across the front of the ball.
  • Wrap both arms and squeeze, then drive the legs with short steps.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping the eyes or the head at contact; the coach stops the rep straight away.
  • Lunging or diving from too far out instead of stepping in close.
  • Arm tackling with no shoulder contact or leg drive.
  • Putting the head in front of the ball carrier.

Say it: “Eyes up, step in, shoulder, wrap, drive.”

Make it harder

  • Start the carrier on an angle, so the tackler has to choose the near shoulder.
  • The carrier may make one jab step before the thud.

Make it easier

  • Stay on the dummy and add more fit reps at walking pace.
  • Shorten the approach to 3 yards.

Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.