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Successful Tackling  x6
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| Planet Field Hockey |
January 18, 2000 
Peter D'Cruz
> Page Views 12525
Off The Crossbar Coaching Series
Tackling must only be thought of as a skill in the context of a game situation. Successful tackling is about getting the ball away from the other team. There are many ways of getting the ball back from the other team:
They pass the ball over the side-line or over the end-line.
They pass the ball and it is intercepted by one of your players.
A player loses control of the ball when receiving or running with the ball.
A player commits a foul when receiving or running with the ball.
You take the ball away from an opposing player.
Therefore, a successful tackle is not just about ?you? getting the ball from an opposing player. On most occasions you will pressure and channel an opposing player and force her into one of the five items listed above.
The keys to successful tackling:
You must immediately move laterally to ensure that you can channel the opposing player to your right side.
Keep the head of the stick on the ground, hold it with the left hand and keep it on the left side of your body.
Pressure the player by stepping up to her as quickly as possible.
When you are close to her, reach out the head of the stick and try to pull the ball back towards you by flicking your wrist. This action will cause your whole body to move backwards and you will not lunge forward which means you will not be beaten easily.
If you don?t get the ball, you now channel the player as she runs on your right side.
Be patient and try to tackle the ball when the other player?s stick is not in contact with the ball, e.g. when she tries to pass, hit or loses control
Applying Pressure
Cutting down the amount of time an opposing player has with the ball is very important to successful tackling. The more time a player has with the ball, the more options she has to pass or run with the ball. The best analogy is in NFL football. In football, whether the defensive team plays man-to-man or zone defence, they always rush the quarterback because they know that if the quarterback has time to throw, his team will usually be successful in completing a pass.
Therefore, you must always step up and cut down the space between the player with the ball and yourself. You must hurry them so that they must execute their skill in a short amount of time. This becomes more and more important as they get closer to your circle and inside your circle.
The Jab Tackle must be avoided because of the following:
When you jab, your whole body moves forward and if you miss the ball, you cannot recover to channel and pressure the player with the ball. You will be beaten completely and now their player will have lots of time to make a great pass or shoot on goal.
If you jab and connect with the ball, the ball will go away from you which means it could still end up with the other team which allows them to continue the attack.
Therefore, always pull the ball back towards you when tackling. You won?t lunge forward and you will always be in a position to pressure and tackle successfully.
The above article is the copyright of Peter D?Cruz. The author has given permission that the article can be copied and used in whole, or in part, as long the information is presented accurately, reflects its intention and theme, and the author is credited for the information.
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Comments on this article
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jeff Harding(jharding@comcat.com)
01-05-2001 8:58 am
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The flicking of the wrist...is this done with one hand? What name do you give this tackle? If it is only done with two hands...wouldn't it be advantageous to utilize a balanced jab because one hand would extend the tackling distance? I would like to hear more.
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Dane
06-20-2004 5:01 am
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It is one thing saying do not jab tackle as the other team may gain control of the ball, but if you are under pressure then a break in the flow of an attack may be exactly what a team needs. A skilled player can easily control the direction of the ball when jabbing, which is generally off the side of the pitch or behind the attacking player, who must then turn a full circle to regain possession, whereas you can run forward and collect the ball. However, i do agree that tackles should be made by a flat stick wherever possible.
Furthermore, the use of 'dummy jabs' is something which has been neglected. Faking jab tackles on a player, where you stop comfortably short of your opponent's stick, while biding your time for a proper tackle, adds a dimension of uncertainty - they don't know when you are going to make your tackle, and it will force them to keep their eyes down, increasing th likelihood of channeling them into another player or forcing a mistake as they are unaware of what is happening around them. Making a pass is much harder.
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Sloth
07-22-2004 1:46 pm
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Tackling
Have to agree with Dane on the Jab tackle
There are times to use it and times not to.
Generally do not use the jab tackle in midfield space for the reasons descibed in the article.
However it is very useful when running with the player on your left (ie right wing v left defense) to knock the ball over the sideline. you don't have the same balance problems and if the player pulls the ball back inside you usually cause an infringement which slows down play.
The dummy is particularly useful in forcing the dribbler to "show their hand" allowing you to make a good flat stick tackle.
Sloth
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H
10-05-2004 4:39 pm
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Channeling attackers to your right
I theory it is great to channel your player to your right to make a strong tackle, however you are assuming the the attacker is passive in this situation and will move where you want them to.
The modern game has seen an explosion of skills, shooting of the back hand etc. However the use of inventive types of tackles has been over looked. In some case umpires will penalise tackles because they 'look' wrong, not because there has been any foul committed.
All coachers and hockey practitioners should seek to develope new skills in all there players. The reverse tackle is not new, but it is still not taught to many young players, how can somebody improve a skill if they haven't been taught how to do it safely in the first place
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steggers88
10-05-2004 11:21 pm
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Like jeff im not too sure what the author means by flicking the wrist to pull the back towards you. if anyone could explain it that would be helpful.
As for avoiding the jab tackle i completely disagree. if done well it is easy to control were the ball goes and ofen you can force a free hit or a mistake by the attacker when using it.
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