Tackling in Soccer

I always love the look on young player's faces when I'm coaching them and tell them they have to tackle their opponent. They get a puzzled look as if I want them to wrap their arms around the person's shoulders and bring them to the ground. Tackling in soccer is very different than tackling in football!
The key to tackling in soccer is to keep your eyes set on the ball at the opponent's feet, keeping good balance, protecting yourself with your arms, and going through the ball hard with your foot. Tackling when done correctly, results in winning the ball and neither attacker nor defender getting hurt.
Believe it or not, in soccer, someone gets hurt in tackles when one person goes hard and the other person goes soft. If both people go in hard, everyone walks away fine for the most part. Tackling is not something that should be neglected when coaching young players. Being taught this technique properly at a young age can lead to the players avoiding many injuries in the future.