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Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill football drill
Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill visual

What is Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill?

Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill is a free football drill on FantasyHQ’s Football Coaching hub for football coaching work. Use the setup notes and coaching cues below to add it to this week’s practice plan.

  • Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill is part of FantasyHQ’s free football drills library.
  • Focus: Football Coaching.

How to run this drill

Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill is built for youth, high-school, and volunteer coaches who need clear drill language — not a random cone circuit. Beginners can install the first progression; experienced staffs can layer competition.

  1. Read the purpose once, then walk the setup on air before live tempo.
  2. Demonstrate one clean rep so players see landmarks, pad level, and finish.
  3. Run short competitive periods — quality reps beat long lines.
  4. Close with one coaching cue players can repeat in the huddle next period.

Full drill

This is one of the [tag]football tackling drills[/tag] that has proven to be a BLAST with the players. We   call it: The Circle Drill.
Football Tackling Drills
The way it works is as follows:
Have your entire team stand in a complete circle at double arm intervals (max) Single intervals (Min). Once all players are in the circle, the [tag]football coach[/tag] starts at a player with 1, the next player is 2, and so on until you have given every player EXCEPT one a number.

The player with NO number is in the middle of the circle with the ball. On the coach’s command the player in the middle with the [tag]football[/tag] starts to run inside the perimeter of the circle. The football coach will then call out a number of one of the outside circle’s numbers. That player is to come out running towards the ball carrier. He is to chase down the player and tackle him. After the ball carrier has been tackled they take the place of the player called out and now the tackler is the ball carrier. This goes on until all players have had a chance to run as the ball carrier.

Rules:
Ball carrier MUST run the perimeter of the circle; tackler can “CUT OFF” the circle to hit the ball carrier.

This [tag]football drill[/tag] helps both ball carriers and defensive players as well as the rest of the team. This is one drill that the players ask for EVERY day. They just love it.

They learn the basics of how to tackle, run, and not to quit on a play. And most of all they have FUN. They are screaming and motivating the players and have fun cheering on the player of their choice. (Which seems to always be the tackler). Try it out at any level.

Coaching tips

  • Keep one cue per rep so kids hear the same language every time.
  • Film the first live set; pause on footwork and finish, not just the ball.
  • Pair this drill with a matching play install so practice transfers to game day.
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Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill FAQ

What is the Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill drill?
Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill is a free football drill on FantasyHQ’s Football Coaching hub for football coaching work. Use the setup notes and coaching cues below to add it to this week’s practice plan.
Who should use this football drill?
Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill is built for youth, high-school, and volunteer coaches who need clear drill language — not a random cone circuit. Beginners can install the first progression; experienced staffs can layer competition.
How do I run Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill in practice?
Read the purpose once, then walk the setup on air before live tempo. Demonstrate one clean rep so players see landmarks, pad level, and finish. Run short competitive periods — quality reps beat long lines.
Is this drill free?
Yes. Browse FantasyHQ football drills, youth plays, and coaching guides free on Football Coaching.

Guide · Football Coaching

Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill

Football Tackling Drills – The Circle Drill is a free football drill on FantasyHQ’s Football Coaching hub for football coaching work. Use the setup notes and coaching cues below to add it to this week’s practice plan.

This is one of the [tag]football tackling drills[/tag] that has proven to be a BLAST with the players. We call it: The Circle Drill.

What you get

Practice drills with setup notes, youth play diagrams ranked easy to hard, FLAG and tackle coaching guides, and a path into live NFL coaching staffs.

Categories

Football Coaching Football Drills