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Posted by GaelicPerformance on 1st Jul 2014

The Tackle Trade Off

Tackling, by its very nature, is a risky business. The majority of frees in every game are as a result of tackles that are not executed correctly. 

Take the Monaghan v Armagh game this year. Armagh tackled monaghan around 50 metres from goal 6 times, where the end result was a Free Kick. Monaghan Goal Keeper, Rory Beggan expertly punished 5 of these fouls, by kicking the ball over the bar.

Coaches and Supporters will shout "Tackle" "Tackle" "Tackle" when an attacking player is approaching anywhere near a scoring area. But is it actually worth tackling and taking the risk associated.

Players need to be aware of the three types of tackle. One where you will give away a free (Black Card). One where there is a chance you will give away a free, this is not much different from the tackle where you will force a turnover by striping the ball, what we will call "on the verge of fouling". The second tackle is where there is no chance that you will give away a free i.e. minimal contact, and keeping your body between attacker and goal,directing them to where you want, until the attacker attempts the shot or pass, where pressure is applied.( you need to be close enough to get this pressure on)

The next thing is to know how, where and when to execute each tackle.