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Click here to see the video: Soccer Defense: Slide Tackles on the Run

Jonathan Bornstein: Slide tackling on the run is a great defensive still to have. Some key ideas for slide tackling are timing. First of all timing, you don't want to slide tackle too early because you might miss the ball and you may get the player. If you get the player, you risk getting a yellow card or a foul in the run of play. Also, you might hurt the player and you never want to hurt anybody. So timing, and the other thing is getting on the ground in the right manner. You don't want to just jump on the gun at the player, you want to let yourself down smoothly so you don't injure yourself.

So (to) demonstrate this, we'll just do it in slow time. Basically the timing of it, if he is in front of me, we're running, I'm going to time it so I get on the ground and then I can kick the ball away from him and then I'm winning the ball going the other way. So I'm going to tackle him, slide, come around and get up and now I have the ball.

So slide tackling on the run, as you can see from the demonstration, is a very important defensive skill. Not only does it allow you to win the ball from the attacker while you are on the run, but it also allows you to get the ball in an attacking position for yourself.