Drill category
Football tackling drills
Tackling drills build safe, confident challenges in 1v1 and 2v2 pictures where players must time the contact.
What to coach
- Front foot low and firm
- Tackle through the ball
- Win it, then play out
All 72 football tackling drills
Every drill below has its own page with the full set-up, step-by-step instructions, coaching points and progressions.
- 1v1 Defending — defending drill, 15 min, Under 5 to Adults
- Tackling Technique — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 8 to Adults
- 1-to-1 Defending Technique — defending drill, 14 min, Under 5 to Adults
- Block & Slide Tackle Technique — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 10 to Adults
- 1v1 Defending Duels — defending drill, 15 min, Under 7 to Adults
- Cover And Balance Triangle — defending drill, 16 min, Under 10 to Adults
- Front Block Tackling — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Side-On Tackling Channel — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Poke Tackle Pressing — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Defend The Gate — tackling drill, 15 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Box Out Battle — defending drill, 12 min, Under 7 to Under 16
- Steal and Score — defending drill, 15 min, Under 7 to Under 15
- Touchline Trap — defending drill, 15 min, Under 8 to Under 16
- Mirror Step In — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 8 to Under 16
- Cone Gate Battle — tackling drill, 15 min, Under 6 to Under 14
- Tackle And Turn — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 7 to Under 16
- Shield Then Win — tackling drill, 10 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Lane Hunter — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Touch And Challenge — tackling drill, 15 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Sliding Square — tackling drill, 10 min, Under 5 to Under 14
- Corner Trap Duel — tackling drill, 18 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Knock And Win — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 6 to Under 12
- Three-Zone Scramble — tackling drill, 16 min, Under 10 to Adults
- Pressure Pair Run — tackling drill, 10 min, Under 7 to Under 15
- Rondo Rip — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- End Line Takeaway — tackling drill, 16 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Fast Feet, Firm Feet — tackling drill, 8 min, Under 6 to Under 16
- Wing Pinch Game — tackling drill, 18 min, Under 10 to Adults
- Ball Win Relay — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 7 to Under 15
- Mini Match Mine — tackling drill, 20 min, Under 11 to Adults
- Chase And Contain — tackling drill, 11 min, Under 8 to Under 16
- Bibs And Borders — tackling drill, 15 min, Under 7 to Under 14
- Stop And Step — tackling drill, 9 min, Under 5 to Under 14
- Double Gate Tackle — tackling drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Cross And Clear — tackling drill, 18 min, Under 12 to Adults
- Cone End Battle — small-sided games drill, 12 min, Under 7 to Adults
- Overload Delay and Show — defending drill, 16 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Underload Delay and Show — defending drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Two-Touch Delay and Show — defending drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Tempo Delay and Show — defending drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Transition Delay and Show — defending drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Pressure Delay and Show — defending drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Continuous Delay and Show — defending drill, 16 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Rotation Delay and Show — defending drill, 16 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Combination Delay and Show — defending drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Wide Channel Delay and Show — defending drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Counter Delay and Show — defending drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Finishing Delay and Show — defending drill, 16 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Overload Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Underload Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Two-Touch Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Tempo Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Transition Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Pressure Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Continuous Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Rotation Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Combination Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Wide Channel Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 12 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Counter Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Finishing Front Block Tackle — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Overload Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Underload Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Two-Touch Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Tempo Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Transition Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Pressure Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Continuous Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Rotation Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Combination Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Wide Channel Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Counter Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Finishing Side-On Duel — tackling drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
Drills by age group
Tackling drill questions coaches ask
How many football tackling drills are there on Football Coach Hub?
There are 72 football tackling drills in the library, each with a setup, coaching points, common mistakes, a progression and a regression so you can run it with mixed abilities.
What equipment do I need for tackling drills?
Most drills need only a ball per player, cones and bibs. You can filter the drill library by the kit you actually have, including mini goals, full goals, poles, ladders and rebound boards.
How long should a tackling practice last?
Ten to fifteen minutes on one technical practice is usually enough before players need a change of picture. Follow it with the same theme inside a small-sided game.
Go deeper on this theme
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