1. Drills
  2. Football
  3. Safe Tackling

Control Angle Tackle

Team practice at the Control level: fit and wrap a partner at the speed the coach sets, staying on your feet.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

The coach sets a narrow lane and a walking or half speed.

Core: Jogs. Beat your own run of balanced stances.

Ages
14 and up
Time
12 min
Space
Gym or court
Bring
Full gear, cones, coach
Level · skill
Advanced · Safe Tackling

The steps

How it works

  1. The coach sets a narrow lane and a walking or half speed.
  2. Close with near foot, near shoulder, head up and to the side.
  3. Fit, wrap and drive 2 steps, then stop; nobody goes to the ground.
  4. Do 6 each shoulder.

Coaching point

Near foot, near shoulder, eyes through.

Safety: For ages 14 and up (or your league's tackle age, whichever is later), only with a coach, in full gear, with a partner of similar size, at the speed the coach sets. No take-downs and no head contact. Never practice tackling a person at home.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Shadow-form game: practice the stance and footwork on a partner’s walking line with no contact at all. Swap, and share one thing you liked.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (partner walks), Core (jogs), More (changes direction). Beat your own run of balanced stances.

Story

You are a shadow that stays right in front of its owner.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own run of balanced stances. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free football week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

Start free training for your child Coach? Set up your team free

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.