Menu
What's new
By:
Filters
AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!

Seahawks leading an evolution in tackling - rugby style

Buffnik

Buffnik

Real name isn't Nik
Club Member
Junta Member
With changes to the rules eliminating helmet-to-helmet hits, penalizing horse collars, and not allowing hits below the thigh on a QB, adjustments had to be made.

Beyond that, the NFL paid out millions upon millions to former players suffering from the lifelong side effects of head trauma from playing the game. There have also been deaths and suicides linked to this.

So, what is the answer to make this sport we love safer while also being able to play great defense despite the rule changes?

Rugby style tackling. Which is very similar to a wrestling take down.

Basically, you don't lead with your head. In fact, you come in eyes up and try to avoid making contact with your head. In rugby, you naturally avoid that because you'd break your nose. It's all about getting your upper body onto the runner's core/center of gravity and power (thighs), wrapping your arms strongly, and then pulling up on the upper legs while driving through. "Shoulder leverage tackling."

There are also a lot of great concepts on tracking & pursuit.

Seattle implemented last year and won a Superbowl with one of the greatest defensive seasons in NFL history.

Carroll also used this at USC.

Here's the instructional video (a little over 20 minutes): http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Seahawks-Tackling/af5b80dd-7e39-4519-8b80-ad558292b1a6

CU needs to implement this system.
 
Makes a lot of sense, In addition to fewer injuries seems like you may give up a little more yards after contact but have fewer missed tackles, also more chances to strip the ball and force turnovers which has a huge correlation to winning football games.
 
MtnBuff said:
Makes a lot of sense, In addition to fewer injuries seems like you may give up a little more yards after contact but have fewer missed tackles, also more chances to strip the ball and force turnovers which has a huge correlation to winning football games.
Click to expand...

Not really.

"Eyes to the thighs"
"Wrap"
"Drive for 5" or "Roll"

Probably reduces the opponent's yac.

One of the techniques is also "Strike Near Pec", so it's not all just leg takedowns. There's a method for laying out a guy with a high hit while avoiding head trauma.
 
Kids these days tackle so stupid. I see a safety running and curl up his arms in an x and turning to hit a guy with his body. That's so ****ing stupid. I was always taught to ALWAYS wrap up. Not to throw yourself against another player. Wrap the **** up, it's honestly not that hard.
 
FLounder said:
Kids these days tackle so stupid. I see a safety running and curl up his arms in an x and turning to hit a guy with his body. That's so ****ing stupid. I was always taught to ALWAYS wrap up. Not to throw yourself against another player. Wrap the **** up, it's honestly not that hard.
Click to expand...

One of the issues is that with the fear of injuries (especially head injuries), teams don't practice tackling like they used to. This goes for all levels.

A really great thing about what Carroll is teaching is that it can be practiced without pads on.
 
This is how I learned tackling, anyway. I've never been a fan of the "lead with the head" style. I agree that you will give a little more ground, but your success rate for getting the ball carrier on the ground goes up. I think the NFL is also looking at making sure the ball carrier keeps his head up as well, so he can't spear defenders out of his way, but I'm not sure on where the current ruling for that is.
 
I was taught see what you hit and lead with the screws, if u were squaring someone up. If it was more of pursuit type play, get your head across. Didn't see the video, this won't play it, check it when I get home.
 
Goes back to my old idea that we should consider bringing back the leather helmets. It could be a disaster or it could force defenders to rethink how they lead with the helmet
 
TimmyDUBs said:
Goes back to my old idea that we should consider bringing back the leather helmets. It could be a disaster or it could force defenders to rethink how they lead with the helmet
Click to expand...

May be that the answer in the long term is to go back to a soft helmet, no face mask and also eliminate the gladiator style shoulder pads. The effect of these is to allow a player to turn himself into a human battering ram, putting all his force into direct contact with this intended victim. Take off this protection and suddenly those direct shots hurt for both players, and for a change in technique from hitting to controlling.

You are never going to eliminate injuries in football but you can influence the frequency, the type, and the intensity of the injuries.
 
This is something I've talked about for a while (not on this board). I'm a long time rugby player and I can tell you first hand that tackling like this will not only lead to better production but will also lead to less injuries.

I'm 6'2 and 190 pounds and have been playing rugby for 10 years. I've never had a concussion and have been able to take down some monstrous guys and I credit it all to having learned proper tackling technique. It seems that in football these days, guys have gotten the idea that to make big hits and big plays they need to lead with their helmets and try to lay the opposing player out on initial contact. I don't care how big someone is, if you hit them with your shoulder in the lower gut/upper thighs with your shoulder, drive through them and wrap up, that guy isn't going anywhere. It may not be as flashy but it is 10x as effective.

It's not rocket science but it seems to be lost across football these days.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
With that being said, it's understandable how football players, NFL players in particular, have gotten away from this technique. Pads and helmets allow these guys to attack faster an hit harder than rugby players can. Football players seem to be all about flash these days and they want to make big, spectacular hits. They want to do as much damage as possible but often they inflict damage on themselves.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Remember when Hawkins said he didn't spend any time working on tackling? Yeah, I remember that, too.
 
This all came about because of 7s rugby legend Waisale Serevi moved to Seattle a few years back and started a rugby company (mostly high performance camps and some training) there. He and Carroll apparently developed some type of friendship and clearly this is what came from it. Mac could have a similar resource here in Colorado in Andre Snyman, former South Africa Springboks player and head coach of the Glendale Raptors or frankly a number of people at the national office of USA Rugby which is actually in Boulder.
 
MtnBuff said:
Makes a lot of sense, In addition to fewer injuries seems like you may give up a little more yards after contact but have fewer missed tackles, also more chances to strip the ball and force turnovers which has a huge correlation to winning football games.
Click to expand...
So, it is safe to say CU did not employ this technique against Cal? I think we tried the "flag football" technique.
 
Yung Buffalo said:
With that being said, it's understandable how football players, NFL players in particular, have gotten away from this technique. Pads and helmets allow these guys to attack faster an hit harder than rugby players can. Football players seem to be all about flash these days and they want to make big, spectacular hits. They want to do as much damage as possible but often they inflict damage on themselves.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

How often have we watched replays of an injury on a play which was the result of a defender striking his own teammate because his head was down? First guy makes the tackle and the second man in, with head down, smashes his own guy.

Nik's proposition isn't "evolution," its devolution : merely a return to what all players were taught about tackling 50 years ago, when any use of the helmet meant a 15 yd. penalty for "spearing". Back then, if you didn't tackle with your head up and wrap a player up, you ran extra sprints. I can't recall a player ever leaving a game from a concussion.
 
DBT said:
So, it is safe to say CU did not employ this technique against Cal? I think we tried the "flag football" technique.
Click to expand...

After Tedric got injured, there were too many "vicinity plays": a Buff DB was in the vicinity of the WR, but not close enough to actually tackle him. Happens when you go the wrong way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top