How To Improve Your Tackling In Football

Good tackling helps your team to win games! But it's one of the most under-coached skills in grassroots football...

Shooting and dribbling get most of the attention in football training (again, going purely on my experiences), whereas defending itself often gets left to players' instincts and a shout of "get stuck in" from the sideline.

No matter what environment you're playing in (or where) it matters just as much on a Saturday morning grass pitch in Bournemouth as it does on a five-a-side 3G or 4G astro in Poole - or even playing on a school field as part of school football in Christchurch and New Milton (as examples) - and the players who tackle well tend to have worked on a small set of specific habits (it's not just their natural aggression or bravery). Here's what actually improves tackling wherever you're playing across the local area (or even if you're reading this from outside of Dorset).

From getting the basics right, through to the mental side of committing to a challenge...

Timing Your Football Tackle Correctly

Mistimed football tackles are the single biggest cause of both missed challenges and needless fouls (and injuries).

Watching the ball rather than the opponent's feet or body shape is the most common reason a tackle arrives a fraction of a second too late - since the ball moves faster and less predictably than the player controlling it.

Committing to the tackle at the moment an opponent's touch takes the ball slightly away from their body (rather than while it's still glued to their feet), gives the best window to win it cleanly. My One-to-one sessions often spend quality time on exactly this method (showcasing and demonstrating it in a variety of match-realistic scenarios with players), since tackling timing is a genuinely coachable skill rather than something a player either has or doesn't.

Getting Your Body Position Right

Technique matters just as much as timing once a tackle is actually happening.

Getting the body low, with knees bent and weight balanced over both feet, gives far more stability and power than reaching in with a straight leg from an upright position.

For a standing tackle specifically, contact through the side of the foot (rather than the toe or the studs), gives more control over the ball and reduces the risk of a mistimed challenge turning into a genuine foul.

A poke tackle works differently again - and it's worth knowing as a separate tool rather than trying to force every challenge into a standing one...

Reaching out with the toe or front of the foot to poke the ball away to the side suits a moment when there isn't time or space to set up a full challenge - stretching to intercept a pass or nick the ball away from an attacker's feet at the last second.

This technique is less about winning the ball cleanly and controlling it, and more about simply knocking it away from danger (so timing and accuracy matter more here than the body strength a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge relies on).

A shoulder-to-shoulder challenge, staying side-on to an opponent rather than square, is both a fair, legal way to win the ball and far more effective than a lunging tackle from the front, since it uses body strength rather than relying purely on reaching a foot in at the right moment.

Staying On Your Feet Rather Than Diving In

A standing tackle beats a sliding one in almost every situation - since staying on your feet keeps you in the game no matter what happens next (i.e. the tackle succeeding, failing, or the ball breaking loose to someone else entirely). Diving into a challenge too early removes any chance of the player adjusting if the attacker changes direction - and it's usually the panicked, last-resort option rather than a deliberate one.

Jockeying, staying close, patient and balanced without immediately committing, buys the footballer time to read what an opponent is actually going to do before deciding if a tackle is even needed. Slide tackles still have their place (I can't stress that enough), but only ever as a last option when a standing challenge genuinely isn't possible... they shouldn't ever be used as the default approach to winning the ball back.

Improve Your Football Tackling With Purpose, Not Just Repetition

Tackling practice against a static or predictable target teaches very little, since real tackling decisions happen against a moving/live opponent who's actively trying to beat you.

1 to 1, 2 to 1 football coaching and Team/Group sessions running across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and New Milton (and surrounding areas) work particularly well for this (helping you or your young player to improve their football tackling) since practising against a live opponent under a bit of pressure builds decision-making that a cone or a stationary teammate simply can't replicate.

Working on specific elements each session such as jockeying without committing, timing a standing tackle, recovering after being beaten first time etc. builds far more than an unfocused session of general defending ever does.

Quality repetition against a genuine challenger beats mindless volume every time...

Reading The Game Before You Tackle

The best tackles often get made before the ball even arrives through positioning and anticipation rather than a last-second lunge.

Understanding an attacker's tendencies (or defaults) such as seeing and knowing which foot they favour, whether they have a habit of cutting inside or knocking it past on the outside etc. lets a defender read the situations and adapt their positioning - showing (and manipulating) the attacker into a less dangerous option before a tackle is even needed.

Cutting off the easy pass and forcing an attacker into a predictable, less comfortable direction does more defensive work than a spectacular sliding challenge ever will.

This kind of game reading develops with experience, but it's also something a football coach (such as myself) can accelerate significantly by pointing out patterns a young or newer player wouldn't naturally notice on their own yet... and (without blowing my own trumpet) check out the testimonials page as there are lots of happy and positive reviews from genuine customers who I've helped with this situation.

Recovering Quickly When A Tackle Doesn't Come Off

Every defender gets beaten sometimes, and what happens in the two or three seconds immediately afterwards (i.e. the aftermath) often matters more than the missed tackle itself! Sprinting back into a useful position rather than chasing the attacker directly from behind, gives a far better chance of recovering than a straight-line chase ever does - since cutting the angle back toward goal closes down space more effectively than simply following the ball.

Shouting out to a nearby teammate and letting them know cover is needed, turns one missed tackle into a manageable team problem rather than a straightforward chance for the opposition.

It's important to know (and I try so hard to communicate this across to football players of all ages - boys, girls, men and women) that dwelling on the mistake in the moment instead of recovering back (defensive recovery) costs far more than the tackle itself did.

A player who's still thinking about what went wrong is very rarely in the right position for what happens next!

The Mental Side Of A Confident Challenge

Hesitation causes more mistimed tackles than poor technique does.

Now, before I continue on this I'm just going to say that (whether you're a parent or a coach) that it's very important to speak to the player calmly, softly and reassuringly to ask and find out what could be causing their hesitancy.

The reason why is because I've seen and helped players who have shown hesitancy for all different reasons... some are afraid of the ball hurting them, getting knocked over, they don't know what to do or they're overwhelmed by their environment.

By discovering what the issue(s) is/are specifically to the player will help you to help them... and if you're a player reading this - please know that you're not alone in how you're feeling (genuinely, there are so many footballers that show hesitancy and have various fears and reservations when it comes to tackling).

(Now, back to the main article)...

A player who commits fully to a challenge (even one that doesn't quite come off) ends up in a far better position than one who half-commits out of fear of missing or fouling.

Confidence in football (which is another article I've written) matters just as much in defending as it does in front of goal - and a defender who's afraid of getting it wrong tends to actually cause the mistake they're trying to avoid (since a slow, tentative challenge is both more likely to miss and more likely to draw a foul than a decisive one).

By backing yourself to commit and attempt to make the tackle - and accepting that not every challenge will come off clean, tends to separate a solid defender from a nervous one over the course of a season.

These habits make a genuine difference within a few weeks of focused and gradual practice, and again this is applicable at whatever level you're playing at - from a Saturday morning youth match to adult five-a-side or 11-a-side etc. Having some 1-on-1, 2-on-1 or group/team football coaching sessions with me as your personal football trainer helps football players to build (techniques, skills and self-confidence) faster, with sessions running across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and New Milton (and surrounding areas).

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like the football shooting habits post - which covers the same ground for the other end of the pitch, and (should you wish to find out more information or to book a session) please visit the Bookings & Contact Us page via the button below...

Contact Us or Book A Session