Slide Tackle In Football

What is slide tackle in Football?

A slide tackle is a type of tackle in Football used by a player to get possession of the ball for their team. The player performing the tackle will slide into the ball while it is possessed by an opposing player, but they must be careful not to do so from behind or they risk getting a yellow card. They could even risk a red card if they make contact with anything other than the ball first or make an especially reckless tackle.

Slide Tackle Pros and Cons

A slide tackle is when a player goes into a feet-first slide toward the ball, with the goal of completing a successful tackle. The benefits of this over a regular tackle are that:

• The tackler, if successful, is able to tackle even if the attacker is larger than the defender.
• The tackler, if successful, is able to tackle without making contact with the other player.

However, any slide tackle is risky as any contact with their cleats on something other than the ball can be called a foul and often results in a card. The punishment for poorly timed or malicious slide tackles is often a card because it puts the attacking player at risk for injury.