Football can be an all consuming passion. Football players give everything they have to score points and make goals. Practice is essential to being a great player. These tips can help you become a better football player and help your football team score those points and make the fans cheer.

You have to be able to intuitively tell what’s next by the opposition’s formation. The spot the receiver chooses for lining up should give you great insight about the play even before it starts. To figure out various formations, watch pro and college game and create a playbook with various plays.

If you’re a receiver or runningback, you should practice your stiff arm. A stiff arm strategy can buy you time and yards in a crunch, and can completely protect you from a defending player. Stick out your arm in a straight line.

Record your gameplay. Football is all about plays and patterns, so you need a way to watch how you specifically did out on the field. Was your pattern off? Was the quarterback expecting you in a different locale all together? Did you come up too short on your turn-around? When you can see it, you can change it much more easily.

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.

Build power and muscles by training with box jumps. Make sure you have a very sturdy large box with a height between 2 feet and 3 feet, determined by your own height. Jump onto the edge of the box repeatedly, straightening your back each time you reach the top of the box. Repeat up to 20 times.

If you can practice in the heat or cold, do it. You are not going to always be playing in ideal conditions so you need to practice outdoors in whatever mother nature throws at you. While you may feel more comfortable practicing in the air conditioning or heat, when it comes game time, you will regret it.

A good piece of advice if you’re a runningback or a wide receiver in football is to learn to give into a tackle and to not resist it. By this I mean it’s important not to get too tense when you’re about to get tackled because it may result in an injury.

Take up the practice of yoga. Many of the poses will help you build strength from your toes to your shoulders. The improved mind-body connection will also improve your coordination on the field. Mastering the art of conscious breathing will also give you tremendous self control over your body when on the field.

As you can see, football can be an all consuming passion. Players put everything they have into the game. They spend hours practicing and perfecting those game skills. If you are a player who is looking to become a better player, then use the tips from above to help become the player you always wanted to be.