Football is one of America’s passions for good reason. Many people enjoy playing the game just for the sheer fun of it, while other strive to be the best player they can be. Ultimately there are people who become professional players. But no matter your reason for playing, here are some tips to help you improve your game.
One of the best things you can do as a football player is to listen to your coach. While you may not agree with what your coach has to say, they are in charge of directing the team, not just you as an individual. Without the coach, there would be 11 guys running around in circles on the field.
A valuable football fitness training technique is shuttle runs. These help to increase speed and endurance, while also having the added benefit of developing lower body muscles. Shuttle runs increase distance gradually, by reaching specific yard lines, then returning to starting position. The next yard line is a further distance away, and the action is repeated, typically by 10-yard lines.
When you’re playing defense, you’ll need to know how to read the opposing team’s formation. You can have a good idea of the play by looking at where the opposing team’s receiver lines up. In order to learn formations, check out pro and college games; develop a playbook from the various plays.
When you practice, try playing with both feet. Most people favor one foot or the other and it takes practice to learn how to use both. If you concentrate on your weaker foot, you will notice dramatic improvements in form, stability and quickness. Kick the football repeatedly against a wall to strengthen your weaker foot.
A great tip you can use if you’re a football player is to start practicing olympic lifts in your workout routine. Olympic lifts give you a lot of functional strength which will help you a lot in any position you play. Particularly useful lifts are the power clean and deadlift.
To help you prepare to play football, it helps to pay close attention to how the professionals do it. Watch them closely to learn new moves then copy it when you go out to play. The players that are good watch what the pros do and try to do the same.
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.
Practice scoring with something that is extremely rare called 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 placekicker attempts to make a field goal by kicking a ball that is held in place by the holder. It is like a standard field goal where it’s worth three points. Downs are not timed.
As you can see, there is much to learn about football and how to be a better player. The key to being a great player has as much to do with physical skills as it does with your attitude on and off the field. Use the tips from above to become a better all around player on the field.