At-Risk Tackling Techniques and Effectiveness in NCAA Division I Collegiate Football.

Background: Head-down tackling has been associated with injuries to the brachial plexus, cervical spine, and head in high school and collegiate American football. Head-down tackling has also been associated with decreased effectiveness in successful tackles compared with head-up tackling. Purpose: To assess tackling techniques used during National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football games and to evaluate the successful tackling rates according to technique. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Three reviewers analyzed 1000 consecutive solo defensive tackling attempts made in the 2021 season (October to December) by 8 universities within the NCAA Southeastern Conference. Slow-motion replays were used to analyze the success of the tackling attempt, the tackling method, and the initial point of contact with respect to the offensive player's waist. The chi-square or Fisher exact test was used to analyze categorical data, and the 2-tailed Student Results: Head-up and head-down tackling occurred in 902 (90.2%) and 98 (9.8%) tackle attempts, respectively. Head-up tackles were successful in 76.2% of the attempts compared with 55.1% for head-down tackles ( Conclusion: Head-up tackles, tackles made at or above the offensive player's waist, and inside-shoulder tackles had the highest success rates. Head-down tackling and tackling below the waist were associated with poor tackling methods, including head-across-the-bow and helmet-to-helmet tackles, which had lower success rates.