--- title: "Youth Tackling Drills: A 4-Stage Safe Progression" description: "A youth tackling drill progression: breakdown, near foot and near shoulder, shoulder tackle, then hip-level wrap and roll on dummies before live reps." url: "https://www.coachboard.app/library/american-football/tackling-drill" sport: "American Football" category: "Drill" level: "beginner" dateModified: "2026-09-24" --- # Tackling Drill — American Football Drill This tackling drill is a four-stage American football progression (breakdown, near-foot fit, shoulder tackle, wrap and roll) taught on pads and dummies before any live contact. Most missed tackles are not a lack of toughness. They come from a player arriving too high, with his feet stopped, his head in front of the ball carrier or his arms reaching instead of wrapping. A tackling progression fixes that by teaching each piece separately, on dummies and pads, until the full motion is automatic. This progression follows the shoulder-led, head-up approach now taught across youth and high school American football, including the rugby-style tackle many programs borrowed from rugby union. Each stage builds on the one before, so a nine-year-old and a varsity linebacker can run the same drill at different speeds. Move to the next stage only when the group performs the current one cleanly. ## Objective Build a safe, repeatable tackle with the head up and out of contact, leading with the shoulder, wrapping at the hips and finishing on the ground under control. ## Setup - **Area:** A 10 x 10 yard grid per group, flat and soft ground or turf - **Players:** Groups of 4–6 working in pairs - **Equipment:** Tackling rings or tube dummies, Stand-up dummies or hand shields, Soft mats if available, Cones for the grid - **Duration:** 12–15 minutes, about 3 minutes per stage - **Level:** beginner (U8+ (dummies only at the youngest ages)) ## How it works 1. **Stage 1: breakdown** — Players sprint 5 yards toward a cone and chop their feet into a breakdown: feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, hips low, chest over the knees, eyes up and hands ready. Hold it for two seconds on the coach's call. This is the athletic position every tackle starts from. 2. **Stage 2: near foot, near shoulder** — From a breakdown 2 yards from a partner holding a hand shield at his hip, the tackler steps with his near foot to the side the ball carrier is on and fits his near shoulder into the pad. The head goes across the front and to the side, never into the pad. Walk it, then jog it. 3. **Stage 3: shoulder tackle on the dummy** — Against a stand-up dummy 3 yards away, the tackler closes, breaks down, drives the near shoulder into the thigh-to-hip area, wraps both arms around the back of the dummy and squeezes. The feet keep running through contact for three steps. No one leaves his feet. 4. **Stage 4: hip-level wrap and roll** — On a tackling ring or tube dummy, the tackler fits at hip level, wraps, and rolls to the ball carrier's side, turning the fall so the tackler lands on the far hip and the dummy goes down with him. On mats this teaches a controlled finish without a player ever landing on his head or neck. 5. **Controlled live finish** — Older groups only: the ball carrier jogs straight at half speed between two cones 5 yards apart and the tackler finishes with a thud (full fit and wrap, no one taken to the ground). Add speed and angle only after the group shows the technique consistently. ## Coaching points - Eyes up through contact: a player who can see the ball carrier's numbers cannot have his head down. - Aim the shoulder at the thigh or hip area, not the chest; lower contact means less upper-body collision and a better grip. - Keep the feet moving until the whistle; most failed wraps happen when the tackler stops and reaches. - Shorten the distance before adding speed: closing 2–3 yards with control beats sprinting 10 yards into a collision. ## Variations - **Angle tackle** — Put the ball carrier on a 45-degree path toward a cone. The tackler takes a pursuit angle, keeps his head behind the runner's hip (on the back side), and makes a near-shoulder tackle with the far arm wrapping. - **Tackle circuit** — Set the four stages as four stations and rotate groups every 3 minutes. It keeps every player moving, gives each coach one technique to teach, and fits well into a youth practice plan. ## Build it in Coach Board Lay out the four stations on a Coach Board field with cones, dummies and player positions, then animate the rotation arrows so each group knows where to go next. Duplicate the station board for the angle tackle, slow the animation to show the head going behind the runner's hip, and share the link with parents and assistant coaches before the first padded practice. [American Football coaching app](https://www.coachboard.app/sports/american-football) · [Start 14-day free trial, no card](https://my.coachboard.app) ## FAQ ### How do you teach tackling safely to youth players? Teach it in stages on pads and dummies before any live contact. Start with the breakdown, then the near-foot and near-shoulder fit, then a wrap on a dummy, and only then a controlled thud with matched partners. Keep the head up and out of contact, the distances short and the reps limited. ### What is a rugby-style tackle in American football? A rugby-style tackle is a shoulder-led tackle where the head moves to the side of the ball carrier, the near shoulder hits the thigh or hip, and the arms wrap and pull the legs in. Programs adopted it because it keeps the head out of contact and is easier to teach consistently. ### How often should youth players practice tackling? Short, frequent tackling work is better than long live sessions. Most youth coaches run a few minutes of tackling technique in almost every practice, mostly on dummies, while full-contact live reps stay limited. Check your league's rules, since many organizations cap how much full contact is allowed each week. ## Related - https://www.coachboard.app/library/american-football/oklahoma-drill.md - https://www.coachboard.app/library/american-football/linebacker-drill.md - https://www.coachboard.app/library/american-football/youth-practice-plan.md --- [American Football coaching app](https://www.coachboard.app/sports/american-football) · Animate and share this drill with your team: https://my.coachboard.app