Be a Great Football Player
American football is one of America's greatest games. It's also a tough game, if you're not particularly good at a few things. This will help you get really good at the game everybody loves.
Steps
- Know that you can achieve your goal. The very first thing you should do is get into the mindset of, "I can be a great football player!" This will help you stay on track later on, when the physical work becomes too much or you're not catching on to the techniques as fast and you feel like giving up. Well don't give up.
- Be in great shape. If you are out of shape, you won't do well. Being physically active means being physically fit; here are some factors to consider:
- Practice the basics of football. Obviously, you need to know how to throw and catch a football. You don't need to be exceptionally well at these, depending on what position you'd like to play, but it allows you to play more positions.
- Find a position you like to play. To achieve the best results, you should consider what you have the most potential to do well in, and then practice to become the best in what you do. Some things you may want to consider are:
- Your ability to catch.
- Your ability to throw.
- Your speed is key.
- Your body structure (I.E. Guys with a lot of muscles often play different positions than those who have less. Consider how your body is built.)
- Practice the skills for your position. Even off the field, you should be practicing often. Not only does it help you become more fit, but it also allows you to excel at what you do.
- Be aware of your competition. There a plenty of other people who want the same position as you, and if you want to start, you have to be the best. Daily practice of the skills you need is critical. Having an exercise routine is also important.
- Be tough. If you can't take a hit (or multiple hits) without getting hurt or sad, then football is not for you. You have to be strong.
- Get along with your team members. This doesn't effect your physical talent, but it can effect the game. A team is nothing without teamwork, and teamwork is hard to achieve when you can't get along with your team mates.
- Get Ready for a Game to win. Prepare well to play, and never think negatively about yourself or your team. Don't just think you're good enough to beat the opposition, know you're good enough to destroy the opposition.
- Understand that anything less than your absolute maximum 100% effort on every play is a recipe for mediocrity, if you want to be great, you must attack every play with all you physical and mental skills operating at their absolute maximum. There is no half speed, no rest period, no "taking plays off". You have to be a "nuclear explosion" once the ball is snapped and until the whistle blows, if you're not prepared to give that type of maximal effort, you will never be great.
- When you're off the field, listen to the coaches or coordinators. Follow their advice once you start playing and it will make a big difference in how confidently you play.
- Watch some of the games to look for new skills! This is an ideal way to develop your skills, as your perspective of the game and tactics are very different when you are an observer rather than a player.
Tips
- Work hard to achieve your dream - you don't get anywhere by slacking off.
- When getting into shape, make sure you're taking steps towards having a permanent lifestyle of good health so that you can continue to be healthy well into the future.
- Get low and use all your power in your hip down. To become an explosive hitter you need to strengthen your legs. Especially for running backs, line, and line-backers.
- Play football with your knees bent, you need to keep your joints bent to use your bodies muscular power, straight knees and hips risks injury and is ineffective, focus your training on developing powerful, explosive legs. Get to the point where you can squat double your body weight for 10 reps; if you can do that, you have very powerful legs for your size, and your ability to execute in football will be vastly improved
- Always know that you have room for improvement. You can't always be perfect.
- Go to good camps that offer well known coaches. Make sure the camp has both team and individual training.
- Always have a fantastic attitude. A bad attitude is depressing to the team. Be a good sport.
- Execute everything at practice like a scout from your dream college is looking right at you. Be so aggressive that your coaches yell at you to calm down.
- Also if defensive lineman, linebacker, corner-back, or safety, pretend that it is your last hit or last block and you want to leave knowing you put all your strength in that hit or block like it was your last.
- The only physical attribute you cannot change is your height. Your size, musculature, speed, strength, explosiveness can all be improved by a year-round commitment to strength and conditioning, never allow anyone to talk you out of a position or playing football as a result of your current physical stature, you can make yourself into what you need to be (NO STEROIDS, no sport is worth an early death!)
- Speed is the most important physical attribute, many believe that bigger means better, bigger is only valuable if it is attached to great speed. Big and slow is a waste of a uniform; concentrate on becoming the fastest player you can be, then focus on increasing size as you increase speed, this will keep your body weight optimized for football. No decent football player should be slower than a 5.0 in the 40, including lineman (if you are 2 meters tall and over 300, maybe a 5.2). Skilled players should be faster than 4.7.
- Playing football with friends at a park is good practice. You're not pressured to do your best (though you should anyway), it's fun, and you're still getting exercise and practice.
- Always listen to your coach (or trainer) and make sure you always obey the coach or trainers commands .
