If football is a sport with which you have had a long love affair, you are in good company. However, it may be necessary for you to do a bit of studying in order to be the very best player you can be. The tips and advice below are here to help you do just that.
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.
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.
A great football tip is to practice your routes as much as you possibly can if you’re a receiver. Knowing your routes like the back of your hand will make things go much more smooth in an actual game. You will make fewer mistakes and the play will be more successful.
Remember that making a running play is a little different than making a receiving play. You want to take the football from the quarterback with only one hand. You don’t cover it up with both arms until you are about to be tackled. Make sure that you hold onto the ball until you hear the whistle stopping play.
Take up a dance class to improve your footwork. Before you laugh, think back to reality television dancing competitions and how many times NFL players not only competed but succeeded! Ballroom dancing and even ballet are extremely effective at helping football players get an extra edge on the field.
Work hard on your passing routes. Normally, receivers don’t run in a straight line up the field. Instead, they utilize multiple routes such as slants and crossing routes. When receivers run up and across the football field, that is called a crossing route. With a slant, the run is diagonal. Either one of these routes is used by the offense to move the ball up the field quickly.
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.
When playing, look for dehydration signs. One that is an easy one to spot is the color of your urine. If it’s a darker color then you are more than likely suffering from dehydration right then. You’ll need to take immediate action. Drink water asap, and make sure you keep hydrated from then on out.
You are not the best football player ever. You are not the best thrower, you are not the best catcher, and you aren’t the best tackler. You can’t run the fastest, and you can’t have perfect aim. In fact, you can’t be perfect at anything, so keep practicing every day.
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.
If your main goal is football is to be fast, realize that speed is only acquired by those with strong core muscles. All the movements techniques in the world will not help you if your body is not conditioned by proper weight training. Focus on the basics, including quads, glutes and hamstrings.
Learn to scan your opponents from both directions. The majority of quarterbacks just scan from the left to the right. But, if you scan the opposite way, you can surprise some defenders not expecting the early look. Plus, you may read a blitz before it comes.
Learn the proper way to get your body ready to play football. You must be sure to stretch all of your muscles prior to playing. If you are the least bit unsure about your techniques when stretching, ask a coach or an experienced player. You do not want to stretch incorrectly and not have your muscles ready for play.
Even when your team is losing, you can turn it into a victory by keeping a positive attitude. Remaining positive, even during the roughest moments, can help to inspire teammates to perform at their best. You might even pull out the victory at the last minute; you never know what’s going to happen.
Consider engaging in other sports to better your football play. For example, wrestling can speed up your foot work, build your mental strength and even allow you to take impacts with less of a shock. From hand-eye coordination to better explosive movements, wrestling can do the trick to improve your game.
Learning how to stiff arm effectively can help you gain an extra five yards on each play. It basically involves sticking out your hand in front when the defense in heading toward you, then powering right through it when the tackle occurs. Do not grasp the defender’s face mask or you may be hit with a penalty.
If you are trying to run down the football game clock, choose to decline penalties. This allows you to shave 10 seconds off the clock instead, getting you closer to your win. You don’t want to try to get your opponent to commit penalties through taunting, though. Just allow them to take place without your help.
If becoming a better football player is a priority in your life, there really are things you can do to accomplish that goal. By applying the guidance found above, you will have what it takes to be a true standout on the gridiron. Best wishes as you pursue football greatness.
