You may find yourself stepping onto the football field to observe your star linebacker take a break to hit the tackle bag. However, the tackle bag might not provide much resistance for the linebacker’s practice of his skill. The lack of resistance from the tackle bag make the linebacker, and the entire line of players, lose there rhythm.
Tackle bags may seem as simple equipment as the football players have to train with. Still, they can cause a loss of repetitions, loss of tempo, and loss of confidence in their skills. On the other hand, a high-quality tackle bag will improve a players skills with the tackle bag.
However, a low-quality tackle bag will make players frustratedly and at risk of getting injured during their practice with these tackle bags. Coaches and players alike treat tackle bags as items that can be purchase and used until there is a problem with these tackle bags. Then, the problems caused by the tackle bags accumulate rapidly.
The tackle bag may slide when the players hit on the grass, the foam within the tackle bag may have worn out after one football season, or the stitch on the tackle bag may have unravelled. However, if players can recognize the problems that may occur with tackle bags, they can purchase better tackle bags and maintain them appropriately for the players benefit. The following list will explain the problems with tackle bags, why these problems occur, and how to fix these problems with tackle bags.
Common Problems With Football Tackle Bags
1. Lack of Stability
The first problem with tackle bags is the lack of stability of the tackle bags during football drills. If the players drive into the tackle bag, but the tackle bag moves, then the player is not providing resistance. This can cause bad habit in the players.
If the tackle bags do not have a wide enough base or if they do not have enough weight in them, then they will not remain stable on the grass or the turf. Some tackle bag manufacturers use cheap plastic bottoms for the tackle bags, which may crack after a few week of exposure to the sun. However, better tackle bag manufacturers will use rubber or heavy weighted tackle bags that maintain their stability when players of 200 pounds or more hit them.
If the tackle bag moves more than a few inches when players hit the tackle bag, then they are not training with a tackle bag but are learning to drive into the air.
2. Rapid Foam Breakdown
The second problem with tackle bags is the rapid breakdown of the foam within the tackle bags. When players first purchase a tackle bag, the foam within it will feel firm to the players.
However, after players have hit the tackle bag hundreds of times, the foam will break down. The result will be mushy foam within the tackle bag. When players drive into this soft foam, their sensation of the impact will change from being firm to feeling as if they are hitting a wet pillow.
This reduces the training effect that the players get from the tackle bags. Additionally, this can cause strain in the neck of the players because they have to tense their muscles when they hit the tackle bag to feel any resistance. High-density foam will last longer in the tackle bags than the budget foam manufactured by the tackle bag companies.
To improve the lifespan of the tackle bags, players can rotate the tackle bags every football season or replace the foam inside them. Players should take note of the condition of the foam so that they can replace the tackle bags before every player in the team notice that the tacky bags have worn out.
3. Vinyl Tearing
The third problem with tackle bags is the vinyl on the tackle bags eventually tearing due to the exposure to the players’ cleats, sweat, and sunlight.
If the players continually hit the tackle bag, the vinyl will eventually tear. The more players use the tackle bags, the wider these tear will become until the padding comes out of the tackle bags. The result will be a mess on the field while players must stop their practice to tape the tear in the tackle bag.
A tackle bag with a heavy-duty canvas or vinyl will last longer than one with cheap vinyl. Some tackle bag manufacturers even place patches of leather on the areas of the tackle bags that get the most wear from the players’ helmets. Investing in tackle bags with durable vinyl will save the players and coaches the time and effort to constantly repair tackle bags.
4. Handle Issues and Poor Placement
The fourth problem with tackle tackle bags is that the handles come off or dig into the players hands. Manufacturers make the handles on tackle bags of the cheapest materials to reduce the cost of the tackle bags. These handles will come apart after only one month of use of the tackle bags.
Additionally, the handles are placed on the tackle bags in a way that players must lift the tackle bags with awkward angles to their back. These angles will result in injuries to the players’ backs and result in them dropping the tackle bags when they perform their drills. Look for tackle bags with double-stitched nylon handles that go from the bottom of the tackle bag to the top.
Additionally, the best tackle bags has handles that are angled so that coaches dont have to bend to lift the tackle bags. This will prevent injuries to coaches’ backs during the football season.
5. Inconsistent Sizing
The fifth problem with tackle bags is the inconsistency in the sizing of tackle bags within a team.
Each tackle bag does not come to the same size as the others. For example, one tackle bag might be 42 inches high while another is 54 inches high. When players of different skill levels adjust their pads to accommodate the height of the tackle bags, it defeats the purpose of buying a tackle bag for practice.
When all tackle bags within a team match in size, players will focus on their drills instead of the height of the tackle bags. For youth football teams, it is even more important that all tackle bags are the same height so that young football players of all skill levels can focus on learning how to properly use their football skills. Additionally, if tackle bags of varying heights, players cannot complete drills that involve each player using a tackle bag.
To avoid this problem, invest in a set of tackle bags of the same size and height.
6. Trapped Moisture and Mold
The sixth problem with tackle bags is the moisture trapped within the tackle bags. The players and the field get wet during football drills or during the summer football season.
The moisture enters the tackle bags and has no place to go. Inside the tackle bags, mold grows, the foam breaks down, and the tackle bags emit a sour smell. Tackle bags with drainage holes at the bottom and breathable mesh panels on the top of the tackle bags will allow the moisture to escape so that mold does not grow within them.
Alternatively, coaches can stand the tackle bags on their sides to allow the moisture to drain from the tackle bags. By allowing the tackle bags to dry out, the life of the foam will be extended, and the smell of the tackle bags will be avoided.
7. Weight Loss Over Time
The seventh problem with tackle bags is that they lose their weight over the football season.
The materials within the tackle bags settle and absorb moisture from the air. For example, a tackle bag that weighs 40 pounds when newly filled might weigh 32 pounds in the middle of the football season. This change in the weight of the tackle bags will alter the way that the players hit them.
Additionally, it will force the players to change the way that they approach the tackle bag. Tackle bags with closed-cell foam or rubber material will retain their stated weight. To maintain an accurate count of the weight of the tackle bags, coaches have to place them on a scale every few months.
While the coaches might find it tedious to weigh the tackle bags, doing so will ensure the players are always using tackle bags of the same weight as those that were used to plan their drills.
8. Transport and Storage Difficulties
Finally, the problem with transport and storage of the tackle bags consumes the players’ time during football practice. Bulky tackle bags take up space in the shed where the players store their equipment.
Additionally, when transporting their equipment to other football fields, the players will have to carry the tackle bags in pair. The tackle bags that have handles and can stand on their own will save the players time and effort when transporting them to other football fields. The best tackle bags will have a moderate weight with handles and enough space for the tackle bags to stand on their own in a row along the sideline.
When players have tackle bags that store in compact spaces and they can easily transport them from place to place, coaches and players will spend more time coaching and playing football. While the problems with tackle bags will not win any football games, the corrections of these problems will remove the frustrations of the players and coaches during the long season of training. The next time a player notices one of the problems with the tackle bags, they should remember that each problem with tackle bags has a fix.
If players pay attention to the stability, the materials used for the tackle bags, and how to maintain their tackle bags, they will ensure that their tackle bags are functioning appropriately to perform the role for which they were create.