Becoming a great football player takes a lot of practice. It takes time to develop the speed, strength and stamina that a great player needs for the game. Below are some tips to help your practice sessions more productive and to help you develop the game skills that you need to score those winning points.
Listen to what your teammates have to say. Even if you don’t agree with them, you know that they also want to win. Their insight might be the thing that puts your team over the top.
Stay healthy to stay on the field. Carefully warm up when practicing when playing or going to the gym. Additionally, it is important to eat healthy if you are playing football. You also need to practice and practice on top of all of that.
Treat all of your fellow players, even your opposition, with the respect they deserve. Football is a taxing sport on body and mind. Everyone that plays is a warrior in his own right. It shows great courage and teamwork. Keep that in mind, and don’t react poorly to misplays and losing. Treat your fellow players the way you’d want to be treated.
Never be the stereotype. Often people see football players as jocks with few brain cells. You all know that’s far from the truth. Football works all aspects of who you are. Your mind needs to be as agile as your feet. So don’t play to this silly stereotype. Show people that athletes excel in all aspects of life.
If you are playing as the receiver or runningback, use the stiff arm technique. You can fend off defenders and gain some yards and time just by using the stiff arm. You just straightly stick out your arm.
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.
Try learning some tricks of the trade by watching professionals play the game. Watch film online and then take it to the practice field for 10 minutes a day. Practice it and learn how to perfect this trick so that when you need it, you have it. Don’t overuse tricks because your opponents will learn from you and figure it out.
Don’t be afraid to be intimidating as a football player, because this can really help your game. When opponents think you’re bad and know you’re going to hit them hard, it can change the way they play and cause them to make mistakes. Be known as somebody they really don’t want to face, and you have an advantage before you even show off your real playing ability.
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.
Consume adequate amounts of protein to give you the strength and body mass you need as a football player. Avoid getting your proteins through junk food, as this will contribute to an unhealthy body that does not function well for you. Get protein from meat, eggs, fish and protein powder shakes.
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.
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.
A useful football tip for quarterback is to improve your footwork. As a quarterback, great footwork allows you to avoid tacklers and gain precious seconds in the pocket. Backpedaling and twisting are two moves to practice as much as possible.
Don’t forget to mentally train yourself. Try to imagine yourself in the midst of game play. Studies show that practicing in your mind provides a great deal of improvement to your game play. Imagine yourself tackling your opponents, or making a great catch. You may find yourself doing it in the real game.
Reach out to help your teammates. You may play a different position than they do, but you can still offer support. If you see someone having trouble, offer to run drills with him, for example. It may be that they need help off the field. Look for ways to be helpful and that will build teamwork.
In order to play quarterback in the pro’s you must have a few great qualities. The first attribute you must have is a strong arm. Another essential tool is having a quick release, because the faster you get rid of the football the better. Another is toughness, you have to be able to take a hit.
The best thing you can do to teach your players how to become better football players is to teach the fundamentals. Keep things simple and teach. As players get older and more experienced, you can teach them more difficult plays. Even then going over the fundamentals will keep even the most experienced player on track.
As you know, Becoming a great football player doesn’t happen overnight. It will take many hours and days of practice to get you to where you want to be as a player. It takes determination and motivation. Use the hints from above to help you make your practice sessions more productive and become a better player.