I was listening to a Manny Diaz interview where he said it’s hard to practice tackling because of possible injuries and depth at rb. Which made me think of an old wrasslin reference that kinda connects with tackling. Growing up I was a big wrestling fan, I was a smart mark before that was a term.
I listen to a lot of podcast’s by former wrestlers that talk about their days on the road. they always mention that taking a bump isn’t natural to your body , kinda like tackling They also say the less bumps you take the worse your body reacts when do take them. Your body eventually gets used to the contact with the mat , the more reps the better your can handle it , It’s like your body gets callused / hardened by the constant bumping and the reps become second nature with how you fall.
Which brings me back to tackling . Tackling is like anything else , you need reps. Just like a jump shot or taking swings in the batting cage. Using a tire , a sled or thud isn’t tackling another man. Injuries are part of the game but you have to take that chance with something as big as tackling. It’s the most important part of the game. I mean it’s called “tackle “ football.
Back when I started playing ball I was very tentative and intimidated by tackling and tackling drills. But one thing our coaches did was have multiple tackling days , different drills that challenged you from different angles and different positions to help with reaction. I ended up one of our better tacklers and tbh we were a really good tackling team. Thats a far lower level but I know for a fact it’s necessary, practice makes perfect.
I also believe like taking a bump tackling and being tackled trains both parties on how to handle the contact and how to go to the ground. I don’t recall one injury in our tackling drills in the three years I played. I’m not saying you should have physical war daily but the results match what I’ve always heard about our practices , they lack physicality versus other programs.
The proof is in the pudding , Miami is the worst tackling team in the country. We have a minimum of 20 every game and 30 last game. If that doesn’t tell Manny about his practice habits nothing will.
This is why I’m so pro Mario and Alonzo. Smart people that are competitive , believe in physicality , toughness and knows what Miami is supposed to look like.