Pursuit is a critical element of effective defensive play and it can be an eraser for missed tackles vs. superior skill players. Deuce recently wrote a piece on Pursuit here that is essential reading, especially regarding holding kids accountable on film. The first chapter of Ron Vanderlin's excellent book, Football's Eagle and Stack Defenses, is entirely devoted to the fundamental skill of defensive pursuit. He defines pursuit as "an intense, all-out effort that is driven by an insatiable desire to get to the football and to put the ballcarrier on the ground," and says that it is "the essence of a good defensive football team."
