Learn Proper Soccer Tackling

Turn Your Youth Soccer Players Into Top-Notch Tacklers

Taking the ball from an offensive player is called tackling and it’s one of the most important soccer skills a young player can learn.

The goal of tackling is for the tackler to gain possession of the ball or disrupt an opponent’s progress by kicking the ball away from him. To simply kick the ball away from the dribbler does not gain possession for the tackler. Good tackling is all about timing. Timing is something that’s difficult in soccer coaching and this is something youth players catch on to gradually.

Your players should step in whenever the attacker temporarily loses control of the ball. Players should not be afraid to attempt to take the ball when they have a good opportunity, such as when the dribbler pushes the ball too far ahead or when a player does not receive a pass well.

Diving in, or throwing the leg, as it’s known, is a poor way to try to gain possession and a good dribbler can easily go around a defender that does this. Also, soccer rules require the tackler to contact the ball before the opponent. Even if a player’s objective is to go for the ball, by diving in the player is risking making contact with an opponent which could result in a foul.

When setting up to make a tackle, the defender should approach the dribbler from the side and go for the ball first. If the defender follows this technique, the attacker can’t push the ball between the defender’s legs. Defenders should also be prepared, after a tackle that doesn’t go well, to get up off of the ground or quickly recover to defend again. A youth player should realize that a player he’s marking is his responsibility and shouldn’t rely on teammates to cover for his mistakes.

Your players can use two types of tackles depending on the situation they’re in. These include the block tackle and the poke tackle. Your players will want to use a block tackle when an opponent is dribbling directly at them. This block is the most common type of tackle in soccer and this technique is the foundation of skillful defending. When block tackling, players should close the distance between themselves and the defenders, assume a slightly crouched position in order to easily react to the dribbler’s next move, and make the tackle by positioning the foot sideways making contact with the inside surface of the foot.

Poke tackling is best used when players are approaching an opponent from the side or slightly behind. This type of tackle is simply to dispossess the dribbler of the ball rather than try to gain possession of it. When poke tackling, players should move near the dribbler and then with the toes use a short kick near the center of the ball to knock it away from an opponent.