Part I of the Five Fights “Film to Field” series on USA Football’s Coach and Coordinator podcast  features Slade Calhoun, defensive coordinator at Munford High School in Tennessee.

Coach Calhoun identifies a desire to limit yards after contact citing an old notion that for every 100 yards gained by an offense, seven points are scored.

RELATED CONTENT: Film to Field Friday on Coach and Coordinator – Fight to Track

If there is a hierarchy of the Five Fights, there is an argument for the Fight to Track to be among the most critical simply because if a player cannot first get to a ball carrier, the tackle will always be some sort of grab and drag leading to massive yards after contact.  

The strength of the shared tackle report lies in the immediate prescriptive element of it. By position, the report shows coaches the positive and negative trends that exist regarding their players’ tackling performance. To say that this is a deep dive from classic “Make or Miss” grading is an understatement. In addition to identifying which of the Five Fights that most often let players down, drills are linked, and the frequencies of the needs are clearly identified within the report.

In order to grade with this level of precision, some alterations need to be made to the Hudl categories. Since these can all be edited easily, once the work is done upfront, data begins to pour in. Altering Hudl categories also highlights the importance of creating and adhering to a common language surrounding the skill of tackling. Language and culture are closely related in all walks of life and football is no different. What we say as coaches is what players hear and say, and this language should be present when we evaluate as well.

RELATED CONTENT: [PODCAST] Keith Grabowski, Andy Ryland talk with Vinny DiGaetano about the Advanced Tackling System

Fundamentals are key and the tackle report shines light on fundamental gaps. The report also provides insight as to whether a dip in fundamentals is steeper in pre- or post-contact. All of this information eventually contributes to the drill work recommended by position as coaches work to create plans that address their most glaring tackling issues. Both Shoulder Tackling drills and Advanced Tackling drills are available for coaches to see in the reports. The strength of this is that sometimes the fix is easy and going back to some of the Shoulder Tacklling basics may clean them up. This is extremely beneficial especially when scaffolding a tackling plan for players over the course of a long season

“Everyday Drills” is a buzz term that coaches hear a lot. A challenge to the notion of Everyday Drills is Everyday Skills. Drills can get old, and the skills that they mean to assess and sharpen can be left behind if drills don’t build upon one another and constantly change and evolve to challenge the athlete’s development. These changes don’t need to be sweeping. Instead, consider a slow evolution by adding a player to serve as an obstruction or rolling a tackle wheel into a tackling drill to simulate traffic in the tackler’s line of vision. The Shoulder Tackling drills and the Advanced Tackling drills offer this sort of progression, and since both are linked in the report, coaches have immediate and visual access to them.

Since the grading is broken down by each of the Five Fights, players may score a 0 in more than one aspect of the progression but still make the tackle. Conversely, a player can obtain a positive score but miss the tackle. This particular made tackle scores positively for Connect and Accelerate but negatively for Track and Prepare. As a result of this level of detail, coaches not only have both corrective as well as reinforcing items to convey to the player, but they now have the information needed to begin creating a player-specific tackling plan.

It’s important to note that the level of detail available within the Advanced Tackling System allows positives to be identified on missed tackles as well as growth areas to be identified on made tackles. A player may score a 0 on Track and Prepare but a positive score on Acceleration and Finish. This goes a long way in the psyche of the learner. Coaching commands evolve from, “You’ve got to get there faster,” to “Laser focus on the near hip will help you get to the ball carrier faster.”

Immersion into the system will inevitably change the language of players and coaches regarding the tackle. As both parties become more familiar with the Five Fights, key performance indicator (KPI) fluency begins to emerge. Dialogue during grading quickly becomes framed around KPIs and the corrective drills that will help reinforce and enhance different areas.

The language of the Shoulder Tackling System remains the foundation of the Advanced Tackling System. This is refreshing for coaches that have already delved into USA Football’s Shoulder Tackling System. Terms like “Swoop” are relevant as are the tackle types. Players need to Swoop when coming to balance and remain square just prior to contact. These elements exist near the end of the Track and into Prepare.

RELATED CONTENT: [Podcast] Analytics to Improve Tackling and Scheme with Rob Everett

The multitude of components within the system allows opportunities for players to work their way back into tackles. Even if the Track is poor, KPIs found within Prepare and Connect will work players back into a position to successfully make a tackle. This helps develop the overall mentality that the tackle isn’t complete until the whistle blows and the ball carrier is on the ground. Players can still overcome a poor Connect as a result of a poor Track, but the goal is to limit those occurrences through coaching that is informed by the assessment of each tackle.

This series specifically focuses on one of the Five Fights at a time, however, when coaches grade tackling it becomes quickly evident that each Fight within the progression connect to one another on a continuum. Focusing on Track will eventually lead to Prepare while a focus on Connect may lead back to Track. Each of the Fights rely on one another in a non-linear manner.

To summarize, the Track is the start of the Five Fight progression. In order to successfully Track, players must be able to scan for opponents, commit to laser focus, be conscious of angle-approach-leverage, change direction, alter approach height and speed, and come to balance. This is the language of the Track. KPIs that are identified as areas in need of growth can quickly be addressed by the right Shoulder Tackling and Advanced Tackling drills as evidenced in the discussion between Coach Ryland, Coach Calhoun, Coach DiGaetano and Coach Grabowski. The Track is the cornerstone of the tackle. A poor Track doesn’t mean a missed tackle, nor does a proper Track guarantee a made tackle, however, Track is the place to start and the skills can be worked on all year long.