Defensive Tackle Football Drills – Variation on the Oklahoman Drill

I’m a big believer in a “back to basics” approach to coaching. These defensive tackle football drills helps with practicing lateral motion and tackling technique.

They also helps players to understand the importance of going to meet the ball carrier in a tackle instead of waiting for the ball carrier to come to him.

Variation on the Oklahoman Drill

• Place two cones about thirty feet apart.
• On the whistle the defensive player, usually a linebacker or DB, will shadow a ball carrier coming towards the imaginary line between the two cones.
• The defender must make a technically proficient tackle as the ball carrier breaks the plane between the cones. (Obviously the ball carrier does NOT go full speed to avoid injury.)
• I then run the same drill with the same players, this time the defender must make a technically proficient tackle as far forward as possible from the imaginary line between the cones.

During this drill both players should start about ten yards deep; this causes the defender to move quickly to meet the ball carrier at the imaginary line and even more so to beat the ball carrier to the imaginary line on the second part of the drill.

“Oklahomans” as they are sometimes called, are similar except I find the non-ball carrier getting up and waiting for the ball carrier instead of meeting the ball carrier.

With the above drill defenders getting “run over” with their feet planted and the ball carrier’s momentum, is more obvious and makes them want to avoid that in the future.