When you step onto the field, your heart swells up. Your head is filled with the sounds of the crowd and your body begins to heat up. It is the passion of the game which overwhelms you, and your drive to win carries you forward. Read on to find out how to become a better football player.
Condition yourself more for practice, then for the game of football itself. While you need to be ready for game day, practice will take the most out of you physically. Therefore, it’s vital that your conditioning keep you up to par in practice and making a good impression there, to avoid much bench time.
Put on safety equipment before playing football. The odds are very high that you could be injured. If you are not equipped properly you risk serious injury. Some injuries are broken bones, concussions and paralysis. These could end your career abruptly.
When selecting which position you will play, consider your strengths. If you’re great at catching the ball and you are a fast runner, then you should fill such a position. If you are large, nimble and strong, then maybe you should be playing defense. If you have a great arm, go for quarterback!
Even when your team isn’t practicing, you should be. Practice constantly, and practice the skills of your specific position the most. On top of that, you should also build your strength and stamina through other athletic pursuits, such as running, working out at the gym and even other sports.
Get in shape for your next football game by practicing vertical power jumps. These are achieved by thrusting yourself in the air vertically as high as you possibly can. The goal is to build muscles in your legs. Bend slowly at your knees, then project your body into the air repeatedly, up to 20 times in a row.
If you are playing as the receiver or runningback, use the stiff arm technique. The stiff arm technique is advantageous in allowing you to get precious time and yardage, as well as the occasional chance to ward off defenders entirely. Just hold your arm out in front of you!
Work ethics will affect the amount of time you spend on the field. Even though natural talent helps, work ethic is more important to be a true success. Your coach will appreciate a player that learns and works hard over a player that has natural abilities but is lazy.
Develop great passing routes. Receivers can’t run in a straight line down the field. They put a number of different types of routes to work for them, such as slants and crossing patterns. An explanation of crossing route is that the receiver first runs forward and then crosses the field. A slant route has a diagonal line straight to the ball. Either one of these routes is used by the offense to move the ball up the field quickly.
Try scoring with the rare fair-catch kick. If you catch the punt, you can kick a goal from there. A holder positions the ball while the kicker kicks the ball into action. It’s similar to a field goal that’s standard and scoring three points. The other thing is that there is no timing during the down.
Keep your knees bent as you practice and play. When you straighten your knees, you could injury your hips and lose your maneuverability. Use squats to build your leg muscles and try to get to the point you can lift twice as much as you weigh as you do ten reps.
The best attribute a player can have is speed. That means that bigger players aren’t always better. If you are working on creating more muscle mass, also work hard to build your speed and agility. If you can be fast and large, you can really lead your team to wins.
If you want to play college football, make a video of yourself playing. Get footage that highlights your speed, agility, strength, dexterity and accuracy. Highlight all your special skills so that a coach can see why you would be a valuable member of the team.
Stretch properly before practices and before every game and practice. This will ensure that your body is ready to go when game time comes. Warming up reduces your risk for injuries during drills and games. It also keep your muscles in good health and is a great way to slowly increase your heart rate.
To help protect yourself when playing football it requires a full uniform with the proper equipment. Referees will not let you on the field if you aren’t wearing a helmet, pads for your shoulders, knees and a cup to protect the groin area. Be safe, and always wear the necessary equipment, otherwise you might find yourself carried off the field on a stretcher.
Improve your vertical leaping ability. This is a useful skill in basketball, but it also comes in handy in football. Sometimes the football is thrown just slightly out of your normal reach, and a leap is needed. If your opponent goes low, you might be able to jump over them. Working on your leaps will make you more efficient on the field.
If you want to play like a pro, watch the pros. This means watching them on TV, whether they are playing or talking about playing. You can also look for videos of them on websites like Youtube or ESPN. This will help you figure out what you can do differently.
Wear the proper gear at all times. You may think you are just practicing and you don’t need those shoulder pads and helmet, but that can lead to serious issues. This is a physically demanding sport that needs protective gear at all times. Don’t take it for granted, or you could end up with extensive injuries.
Once the game is over, all that matters is that you had a great time playing. If you won or if you lost, the fun of playing will get you to your next game. The more research you do in the meantime, the better your next game will be, so keep reading and learning all you can.
