Whether you are a beginner or a professional, you always have much to learn about being the best you can be on the football field. There are always new techniques and skills that you have to learn and perfect. Take advantage of the useful information below to increase your skills and be the best you can be on the field.
Have a plan in place whenever you get ready to practice. You need to know your schedule, including how long you will spend on each drill. Have a list of drills you can use and then choose which you’ll do each day. Don’t forget to warm up before you begin!
Listen to your teammates. Even if you disagree with them, they are part of your team, and everyone has the same goal of winning. You never know when they might say something that can improve your ability to help the team win.
The position of your body when receiving will help determine the success level you achieve. Your shoulders should be angled from the passer. Stay on your toes and be ready to adjust your position to the pass. The better your body positioning, the more likely you will be to see the ball and catch it.
The greatest football players are extremely agile. Jumping rope, jumping over cones and running through tires are wonderful exercises to better agility. It’s necessary to work on having fast reflexes and making fast decisions to play well. Do exercise that incorporate mental quickness, speed and coordination. Your agility will increase rapidly if you do these exercises on a consistent basis.
To play football, you need to know what a down is. Downs are the four attempts that the team with the ball gets. They use these downs to advance the ball 10 yards. When the offense is successful with gaining 10 yards, they will get another set of downs. If they fail to get 10 yards after the four plays, the opposing team gets the ball.
Always take the time to stretch all of your muscles before you begin to practice or play football. If you do not stretch you are risking hurting yourself, which can then lead to you not being able to play for a long time. Do the right thing and stretch before you start.
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.
Work on exercises that’ll boost your overall speed. During a football game, you’ll be asked to sprint a lot. This will definitely tax your body. You’ll be pushed during every game. To get ready for it, build sprints into practice sessions. It’ll help you perform the best that you can come game time.
Try to score with the fair-catch kick. If one of the teams fair catches a punt from the opposing team, they’ve got an opportunity to try for a field goal using a free kick on the next play from where the punt was fielded. A holder helps to stabilize the ball while the player kicks it. It earns the team three points just like the standard field goal. Additionally, the clock doesn’t stop until the ball is kicked.
If you only provide half of your efforts when playing football, you’ll just get half the rewards. You and whole team will be very disappointed if the game is lost because you did not make your best effort. Put your passion to the front and work hard to get a win.
A great attitude wins games. Even the best players will fail if they are negative or unfocused. If you stay positive, targeting your goals as you play and practice, you will achieve them. Do what it takes to remember why you play in the first place to stay on top of your game.
Play the position that works to your personal strengths. If you strong, fast and good at catching a football thrown from different angles, play safety or wide receiver. If your body is bulky and you have a lot of strength, play defensive or offensive tackle. If your good at kicking the ball with accuracy, you may be the perfect field goal kicker or punter.
A great football tip if you’re a receiver is to hug the sidelines when running down the field. Hugging the sidelines makes it so that you can only be hit from one side and usually all that ends up happening is they’ll push you out of bounds instead of tackling you.
Learn the league rules for shoes. Cleats may be required for some and not allowed for others. Check to learn if you need shoes that have detachable or non- detachable cleats. Also, learn if there is a size limit for the cleats. You do not want to buy shoes and not be allowed to wear them.
Learn the proper way to hold a football when throwing. When you throw the football, your pinkie and ring fingers should cross the laces and your thumb should be underneath the ball. The palm of your hand should not make contact with the ball. Hold the ball loosely and point your feet towards your intended target.
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.
As you can see, there is always more to learn about being a great football player. No matter how confident you are in your skills, there is always room for improvement. Take advantage of the helpful advice listed above. Don’t forget to share what you learn with your team mates so you can win more games.
