Football players put a lot into their game. They spend countless hours and days practicing their moves. If you are a football player who is looking for new ways to improve your game, then this article is for you. Keep reading and put these tips in action to improve your game playing.
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 if you don’t like someone on your team, you have to get along with everyone on your team for the sake of your team’s success. If you are found to be argumentative or a trouble starter, you are the one who is going to be kicked off the team. Play nice and get along.
If you learn a new technique that works well on the football field, don’t overuse it. You opponent will learn your next move rendering the play ineffective if you use it often.
Take every chance you can to study football footage, but when you can, study footage of yourself. Try and see yourself through an opponent’s eyes. Look for tells or signs of what you are about to do, as well as habits you have that are predictable. Always have a way to keep your opponent guessing.
Follow through on the kick must be given extra attention. The kicker’s head must be down with eyes focused on the foot actually make contact with the ball. The foot should make contact with the bottom third of the ball. This motion must be followed with a direct follow-through directed at the location that the ball is desired to go.
Increase your speed. A good football player needs to be quick on his feet, not only in sprints, but in reaction time and reflexes too. Try adding in some track exercises into your workout regimen and before you know it you will be leaving your opponents behind in the dust.
Use interval sprint training to really boost your stamina. Sprint for 30 seconds, then rest for 1 minute. Sprint and rest again. Keep repeating this until you can not physically spring anymore that day. Record your total number of sprints for that day, and aim to beat it by one the next day. Most days you won’t, but you will slowly edge that number up.
Get used to playing off of your weaker foot. If you’re like many athletes, you’ll favor one foot over another. It’ll tend to be the foot that you pivot on and use for running fakes. If you want to confuse the opponent covering you, surprise them with some moves using your weaker side. It’ll give you some real advantage.
Watch how the pros play, and learn their best practices. You can learn a lot just from sitting down in front of the television one Sunday. Make sure you record the games too. Then you can rewind to plays that you want to learn and repeat them over and over. That repetition will help you get it down.
If you aren’t mentally in the game, don’t play. Let your coach know if you are not feeling well because of a loss, a fight, a break up, a bad grade or anything else which might be getting you down. He can talk you out of it, or allow someone else to play for you.
Play with friends and family to practice without any pressure. You won’t have a coach yelling at you to give him 2 laps and you won’t have team mates judging your form. You’ll just have a good time enjoying a great game and getting some exercise while you are at it.
If you are running with the football, cradle it close to your body. Players on the other team will try to strip the football away from you to force a fumble. If the ball is away from your body, it is much easier for the opposing team to make a play on the ball.
Continually make your work outs harder. Don’t just run, but run carrying weights. Don’t just do squats, do them while holding a barbell. Do these work outs under the guidance of your coach or a trainer so that you don’t end up injuring yourself, but do push yourself to your limits.
Nutrition plays a large role in a successful football players life. Football players exert tremendous amounts of energy during practice and games; therefore, it is important to eat enough calories to keep your energy levels at peak performance. Eating a variety of lean proteins and complex carbohydrates help give you the energy you need.
Remember that whenever you grab a football or spring across the field, it’s your mind that tells you to perform that action. Psychology is important in football. Mental preparedness and toughness leads you to success and optimal performance when you play football.
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.
Many professional sports nutritionists believe that 80 percent of performance on the football field is directly related to the quality of the player’s diet. The most common recommendation is to stick with whole foods, rather than processed ones. For example, eat whole grain wheat bread instead of white, and choose steel-cut oats rather than processed oatmeal with all the fiber removed.
As you know,football players put so much into their game. They devote so many hours and days practicing and perfecting their plays and moves. If you are a football player who wants to keep improving, then use the football tips from above to help you bring your game to a whole new level.
