Its not like its just this year, the last time I remember we tackled with any sort of meaning or looked like we knew what it was, was the 1988 season, with Rabold, Edeen etc...its almost like the players are so afraid so they can perform for their girlfriends tonite. It is pathetic but it not going to fix itself esp when the fundamentals in practice aren't taught anymore.
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Tackling
- Thread starter Vapoke
- Start date
kansasCowboy
Well-known member
Slow Hand said:
Well I currently coach HS. But have coached in college. But I've been told it doesn't mean anything cause it wasn't D1. But then I have to be told how wrong I am from a bunch of arm chair QBs and tv coaches.
kansasCowboy said:
I currently coach at the high school level as well and I can tell you that teaching tackling is not an easy undertaking. I have found through my 20 years of coaching football that they either have it or they don't. It isn't something that is easily developed. It is more a state of mind than anything else. Once they are convinced that it isn't going to hurt they can be taught technique. However it is difficult to get kids to take that first step and actually run through someone instead of "catching" them. Typical thought process is as follows......" let me get this right, you are telling me that if I run faster and harder than the guy I am going to hit it won't hurt? This, after I am still seeing stars from being run over trying to tackle the same dude?" My son, who played for me and is currently on the Cowboy roster, is a terrible tackler. A testament to the fact that some people just have it. Thank God he is a receiver LOL !
What I find comical however is people who have never tried to teach the skill telling others how to do it.
Asmodeanreborn
Well-known member
jarhead said:
So - I just wanted to take the time to say that I appreciate input from people "in the know," both you and kansasCowboy (and obviously others as well). In everything I post on these boards, my experience is purely that of an observer who never played any football but the occasional flag football game (plenty of ice hockey, though, but you're not allowed to wrap up when you hit there
).
fromolwyoming
Well-known member
Never played football (aside form playground type of stuff), but doing wrestling, judo/jiu jitsu, and some MMA stuff, I guess I take it for granted. Because in those styles, your taught to hold on and with a bigger guy, to hit lower than the center of gravity (the hips) to take someone down, be it a throw, takedown, or tackle, that's what I was taught and thats what I taught others as I grew more experienced and taught a few classes when none of the blackbelts could make it.
So I guess I look at it from a wrestler's mentality rather than something else. And in wrestling and other grappling sports, you do not let go, period.
So I guess I look at it from a wrestler's mentality rather than something else. And in wrestling and other grappling sports, you do not let go, period.
kansasCowboy
Well-known member
jarhead said:
I completely agree. Teaching technique on a dummy is all well and good, until that dummy is running away from you or putting a move on you or ready to run your butt over. I've seen quite a few WYO players try to tackle with actual technique this year where they did not compensate for the ball carrier to make a move on them and the ball carrier just spun right out of the tackle. I've seen our defenders run to the ball and try to hit low with force only to lose their grip on the ball carrier and he just shrug them off. If you look at college football today, or any football for that matter, you will find far more agile players then you did even clear up through the 90's. Barry Sanders was so good in the late 80's because the majority of your RBs at the time were mow you down and run over you type backs. Technique played a huge role in stopping an RB like that. No one had an answer for a shifty Sanders. Now days you can have a power back who is almost as shifty as Sanders was. It makes it very hard to just put your helmet in the numbers and wrap up. I will give you one thing. I am not a fan of our CBs and safeties doing these stupid arm and shoulder check tackles. I do teach even my smallest defenders to take on the ball carrier.
Kansas is "stupid" good with RBs this year! It has made it a nightmare to try and stop teams this year. We have the fourth best rushing D this year. And a one win team with a little shifty back just made us look silly last week. I was grateful we still got the win.
fromolwyoming
Well-known member
Hey KansasPoke, just a question, where do you coach at? Just curious as I have a cousin who plays for Pike Valley.
kansasCowboy
Well-known member
fromolwyoming said:
Great Bend. We're 4-2 currently, just won a shootout that shouldn't have been 42-36. Pike Valley is 8man D2 I think. Looks like their struggling this year. Hope they can pick it up in the second half of the season. I've hopped around a few times since being down here. I was an OC at Dodge City about three years ago. Gave them a great pistol option package and we had one of the best offenses ever to come out of Dodge and we were top three in the state. Finished 10-2. The last two years I coached OC and Assist HC at Hodgeman Co. It was 8 man. I formed an 8 man pistol package and had the best rushing offense in the state my first year ( one 2,000 yard RB two 1,000 yard RB/QB). Went 10-1. Last year we had a lot of young guys and struggled a bit, also a key injury to our QB. (Still managed three RBs at 800 yards) finished 7-3. Now an OC in Great Bend. I will settle down when I can get the HC job at Larned or Hodgeman Co. They are the closest to where I live.
fromolwyoming
Well-known member
Yeah, their coach is old school. He was there when my aunt, my cousin's mom, went to school there. He likes the old "run up the middle!" style that you see so prevalent in the Big 10. And it seems not adapting to the player's strengths or putting the best guys on the field (likes to keep upperclassmen on the field, even if underclassmen out perform them) is costing him games. Though they did blow out a school to finally get a win. They seem to find the forward pass something that should only be used sparingly, from what I've seen.kansasCowboy said:
This goes way back, but I have to tell the story of my first tackling practice as a very green freshman in HS. The first day in full pads, the coach told us to line up for tackling practice. When it came my turn, I was to tackle the senior starter on a championship team who outweighed my by at least 50 pounds. He said "let's see what you can do". I was scared stiff, but I didn't want my teammates to see that. So I thought "what the hell" and I tried to do everything right and hit him as hard as I could. The next thing I remember was a cloud of dust and everyone yelling. I got up and walked (staggered) back over to the line and I remember thinking if I can tackle him, I can tackle anybody. From then on it was easier.
BackHarlowRoad
Well-known member
WYCowboy said:
You couldn't remember the actual hit and staggered away from it? You just described a concussion and probably isn't how people should be tackling. :lol:
BackHarlowRoad said:
You are probably right, but it was way before they talked or even knew the dangers of concussions - I'm talking waaaay back. It's probably why I am not quite all there today - lol. That's not even a bump on the log compared to the rest of the injuries I wound up getting before I was done.
