My goodness, you love football! You’ve taken the time out to work on your skills by learning from expert advice. This shows what a strong, amazing player you already are, so imagine how great you will become once you amalgamate all of the tips below into your current football strategy!
Discover your best talent in football and focus on that, rather than trying too hard to be a superstar player. Coaches need specific plays and players, not fancy show-offs. Practice and perfect your best drills and make sure you can participate with those exact moves when the coach and team needs you most.
Does your kicker know the proper placement of the plant foot? The plant foot must be placed alongside the football. It should not be ahead of it or behind it. When the ball is kicked, the show must be parallel to the field. Practice often to perfect kicking technique.
If you want to become a great football player, you have to stick to your routine and training. This can be one of the most difficult parts of the game because you are not playing the game while training. Yet, without the routine and training when you are not playing, you will suffer come game time.
You must support your fellow teammates. Football requires teamwork perhaps more than any other sport. Your team is going to enjoy wins and suffer losses together. Remember, it should always be “we”, not “I”. With that in mind, being a supportive teammate is essential to building confidence in those around you. When your team is confident, you’ll have many more wins!
When tackling, decrease the risks of a traumatic injury to the neck or head by practicing the correct form. When you make a tackle, maintain your head up and do not lead with your helmet’s top. Not only is this illegal, but it greatly increases the chances of an injury.
If you want more field time, then take a close look at the work ethic you have developed. Natural talent definitely plays a role in your development as a player, but without a solid work ethic you will never be great. A coach would rather have a player who is willing to work hard and learn over a lazy player with natural abilities.
Be sure to drink lots of water or a sports drink as you play. Being in the hot and heavy equipment you have to wear to play football safely will leave you sweating buckets. Replace that water by drinking so that you don’t end up with a cramp or an injury.
Your 40 yard dash speed is something that you need to work on improving if you want to be a great football player. In order to increase your speed, practice proper foot and shoulder placement at the start. Practice getting out of the blocks quicker and keeping your focus. This will help you increase your speed.
Make sure all your gear is in good shape, it fits well and is comfortable. Do not play a game of football with a broken helmet or worn out sneakers. You put yourself at risk for injury when you wear inappropriate gear. Keep your self in the game by wearing the appropriate gear at all time.
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.
Work on agility. Jumping rope, jumping over cones, and running through tires are good practice exercises. This will allow you to improve your agility and makes you a better player. Include exercises which will enhance your agility into your regular workout sessions.
It is important that you set goals when it comes to your game. Set daily goals such as working out every single day. Set weekly goals for your stamina or strength. Then set long-term goals for your game play and how great your strategies turn out on the field.
Football players need to take care to hydrate themselves adequately. You’re working so hard, you will sweat out your water quickly. Many football players avoid drinks full of sugar like soda. It’s important to drink water and sports drinks.
Don’t become complacent by just learning a single position. Learn about each position so you can help the other members of the team during each game. This boosts your team’s strength and helps you work better together, which is essential to winning games.
Do not practice or play a game if there is no first aid on site. It is much too easy to get injured during a game like football. This means that you should not only have a first aid kit on hand, but a professional that knows how to utilize the equipment and treat minor injuries.
Want to run faster? Build your arm strength! Pumping your arms as you run has a significant impact on your speed. Build your upper body through exercise, strength training and even cardio fitness and you’ll find that you begin to run faster as your arms pump faster and you work harder.
Work on your hand strength. This will help your control and power when you are throwing or catching the football. There are a number of tools you can use to help you build the strength in your hands and fingers. Taking up the guitar as a hobby is one fun way to achieve this.
To give you an edge when playing football, it is important to improve your endurance. A good endurance training program should include jogging or long-distance running. You can also improve your endurance by doing interval training. To achieve the desired results, make sure you take the nutrients your body requires by increasing your carbohydrate and protein intake.
Now, with all of these tips at the ready, start using them as you play. Change your lifestyle as necessary and start to work towards your goals. You already invested your time into reading this article, now make that investment a wise one by using what you’ve learned as often as possible.