Seahawks Tackling for Youth Football

More and more football coaches I know are employing the Seattle Seahawks tackling approach (aka “Hawk Tackle”). As a defensive coordinator for 8th grade players last season I used this teaching approach and drills throughout the season. We were able to start installing the approach without pads, and maintain very controlled levels of contact throughout the season.

I know this is only anecdotal evidence, but this past season was the first one I’ve had in several years without head injuries. Your mileage may vary, but take a look at the updated Pete Carroll video for 2015 and give it some thought.

Key teaching points include:

• Tracking the near hip of the ball carrier
• Near foot swoop position (new teaching point for 2015)
• Maintain leverage with your own hip position
• Hawk tackles are shoulder tackles where we attack the thigh and drive for 5 yards
• Hawk lift tackle (new teaching point for 2015) with an off-hand lift, e.g. “left shoulder hit, right hook”
• Profile tackling targeting the near pec, which is what we work on most often with our defensive linemen
• Drive for 5, running feet through the contact

I had a hard time translating directly from the video into practice preparation (especially preparing the other coaches for consistent teaching), so I created this handy drill guide that you might also find useful.