It’s mid-December and for a lot of the country, it’s COLD! If you are still playing football (like the NFL) you know that the cold weather affects the game in any number of ways. As a former NFL special teams coach, I can attest to its affect on the kickers, punters, long snappers and returners. These specialists must make allowances for the cold, wind, and sometimes frozen surfaces on the playing field. Another phase of special teams that is affected is the kick coverage, not only in the run down, but also in the tackling of the ball carrier.
This past week in the NFL – where there was snow and cold in a number of the stadiums – you saw some bad football. It was entertaining football but for football coaches that teach good tackling fundamentals and stress these fundamentals to their young players, it was somewhat disheartening to watch the missed tackles and the tackles that were made by players launching at an opponent, often putting both parties at risk of injury.
In addition to the cold’s impact on tackling, this is the time of the year (late in the season) when players are quite literally “beat-up.” Their shoulders are sore, bodies hurt and it is painful to hit someone. Late season practices even before the new CBA agreement limiting contact are often conducted without pads or with very little contact during the practice session. Without continued practice emphasizing fundamentals, tackling suffers.
Another hidden factor to the poor late season tackling is the roster shuffle that occurs because of injuries players from the practice squad. Often, ‘street players’ are brought on to the active roster to play on Sundays. To get these new players up to speed, more time is spent on the “game plan” and schemes than on the practice of fundamentals.
To improve the special team’s tackling in cold weather, the coach must emphasize “COLD WEATHER TACKLING.” Talk to the players about the problem, emphasize the tackling fundamentals that you worked on early in camp. Practice those fundamentals in a non-contact mode. Beating your players up this time of the year is not the answer, but renewed and continued emphasis on the fundamentals of tackling is a necessity.
COLD WEATHER TACKLING – SOME KEYS TO HELP THE PROCESS:
1. Sprint downfield and close on the ball carrier.
2. Come to balance, widen base, sink butt, continue to close on returner.
3. Knees bent, back straight, head up.
4. See what you hit.
5. Explode through the ball carrier.
6. Hit on the rise.
7. Wrap-up and pull ball carrier to you, keeping your feet moving.
8. Teach gang tackling with every man doing their job while closing to the ball.
Weather impacts our game in any number of ways. Work to ensure that cold weather doesn’t negatively impact your tackling. Super Bowl XLVIII is scheduled on February 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, NJ. Will it be cold?