Many people develop a love of football from a young age. Football is their life and they are always looking for ways to improve their game and score points. If you are one of those players, then here are some ways to help you score points and help your team score.
Keep in mind that you are are on a team. Support your teammates and be sure they support other teammates. Don’t act like a stuck-up star and hog the ball. Your job is to support your team and defeat the other team.
When working on improving yourself as a football player, keep in mind that the only thing you really can’t change is your height. You can change your diet to lose or gain weight, and train to build your muscles up. You can also work with a trainer to increase your speed and skill. If anything, height should be your only handicap.
Work on your agility. To boost agility, run through tires, jump over cones and jump rope. Your reflexes have to be quick and so do your thinking abilities. All those exercises involve quick coordination, thinking and speed. Train hard using these exercises, and agility will quickly follow.
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.
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.
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.
Eat a healthy diet when you play football. When your body is fueled correctly it can perform a lot better. Eating healthy proteins, whole grains and fruits and vegetables can help you feel better and play better. Try your best to eat a healthy diet and you’ll find it can enhance your play.
Keep your knees bent as you practice and play. When you straighten your knees, you could injury your hips and lose your maneuverability. Use squats to build your leg muscles and try to get to the point you can lift twice as much as you weigh as you do ten reps.
If you are just getting started in football training, or are returning after a period of abstinence, stick with exercises that strengthen a wide variety of muscles at the same time. This will give you the overall body strength you need to later progress into isolation exercises for specific strengths.
Consider teaching others about all you know in regards to football. If you can give back to the community by coaching a team of six year olds, you will get an amazing feeling in your heart. You could also hold charity football games to raise money for local organizations as well.
Remember to train your mind as well. Try to imagine yourself in the midst of game play. Studies have proven that meditation and visualization of success leads to success. Watch yourself over and over again tackling your opponent or making the catch and you will end up doing it in a real game.
Football is a competitive sport that is often compared to fighting a battle in a war. Obviously you aren’t trying to kill your opponent, rather you are trying to devise a strategy and game plan to score more points than them. Coaches must come up with new tactics and devise a scheme that throws off the other team, all while you try to stop them, too.
Practice leaping into the air. This may sound like a basketball skill; however, vertical leaps are essential to football. There are times that the ball will be thrown outside of your reach and leaping is required to reach it. Or you may have to leap over your opponents to get to the end zone. Either way, leaping higher and further can help you to be a star player, improving your game.
Flexibility is the key to increasing speed. If you are very flexible, you can run faster. As you work out, build your flexibility and you will become faster as a result. The more you work on your body itself, the more speed you will get and the better you will play.
To prevent the ball from bouncing off your body, catch the ball away from your body. The rule of thumb is that if you can touch the football, you should be able to catch it. After making a successful catch, pull the ball close to your body and run to gain more yardage.
Listen for the whistle. Oftentimes, when a player does not hear the whistle or does not give it the attention it deserves, someone will end up hurt. Play when it is time to play, but stop as soon as the whistle is blown. You do not want to get hurt, nor do you want to help anyone else.
As you already know, many people develop a love of football from a young age and continue to work on their skills to be the best player that they can be. All football players strive to be their best. Use the tips from above to help you improve your skills and practice all you can.
