Soccer Tips - How to Tackle Explained

For every goal kicker who thinks he is the new Maradona, there are even more whose sole job is to kill your dreams of scoring that match winning goal.

A defender who can who can tackle and start a counter attack is every way as valuable as a match winning striker.

There are general rules that apply to tackling. One of the most important is timing. How to tackle and when to do it. Many a young defender has found it difficult to hold themselves back when confronted with an opponent screaming into goal. And a smart forward knows this is the case and will exploit this to the full, by just dribbling around easily, whilst the tackler falls down in a heap.

The next time you watch the professionals play, watch and learn how the top defenders respond once a forward is in there space.In a lot of cases they will move backwards to give themselves space between there opponent. And you will see them move slightly side on as they move backwards. This gives them the chance to spin around and sprint back if the forward tries to go around them with speed.

This side on stace allows a defender to turn much quicker than if they are face to face with there opponent. Something else that is very important with this technique or called 'standing off' is that allows you to stay on your feet. Nothing excites are goal striker than to see a flat footed defender that has fallen to the ground helpless! Especially in junior football, 'standing off' is a great technique to use against inexperienced players.

By letting your opponent see that you are ready to take them on is sometimes enough to pressure them into error. Again it all comes down to practice makes perfect. Practice this with your friends or at training and it will all become second nature to any up and coming young player.