Train for Football
Playing American football is a great way to toughen up and get in shape. However if you are weak or out of shape, playing football is not for you. There are simple and easy ways to train to play football, and this guide will cover some of them.
Steps
- Know what position you want to be. Each position requires a different amount of skill and strength. Below are some common things you will want to know about popular positions.
- Quarter Backs: Quarter Backs need to have excellent arm strength, an ability to run (at least a decent run), and the ability to take a hit. You can train for all these by lifting weights and practicing your passes (arm strength), running ladders or taking short runs (speed), and exercises focused around the chest (ability to take a hit.)
- Running Backs: Running Backs need to rely on a number of things. Speed, agility, carrying the ball, awareness, and the knowledge they are tackled frequently. Common activities such as running, practice dodging objects, and playing against friends will help build all these key strong points.
- Wide Receivers: Wide Receivers need to have speed, agility, and the ability to catch and be tackled. General exercises can build strength, such as pulls ups or weightlifting. Catching is a skill that you can learn by yourself or in a group (groups work best.)
- Defenders: Defenders, especially lineman, need to be all muscles and very large. As a lineman, you will get pushed around a lot, and have to tackle people a lot as well. Getting muscular and large is easy.
- Kickers and Punters: Leg strength is about it. You will get pushed down sometimes, but not often. Doing leg exercises and practicing your kicking is all you need to do.
- "Tight End": arm strength is important. You need to be fast incase you have to catch the ball, you can run ladders to develop speed.You need arm strength in case you have to be on the defensive side.Lifting weights is easy.
- Offensive Linemen: Lots of leg strength is needed. When you block someone, you not only are aggressive with your arms, but you need to be able to fire into the defensive lineman and drive your legs to move him back. You should be big and able to throw your weight around. Muscles are a plus. You also need quick and fast feet for blocking.
- Practice hard and daily. If you want to be good and ready, you need to be above all your competition. Only a few people can make that position, and there can only be one starter. If you want it to be you, you have to be the best in your group.
- Exercise hard, but take breaks. Exercising too hard could hurt you and hurt your chances of making the team. Work hard, but know your limits.
- Join groups or organizations to get a feel for what a team is like. This will also give you hands on experience and a feel of a what a game situation is like.
- Listen carefully to what your coach says. Believe it or not, there is a lot of strategy involved in football. It's not just grunts throwing each other around. If by the time you start playing games you don't know how to run a "Fake 24 Double Reverse," football is not for you.
- Watch football games or re-runs. Observe how the players in your position line up and execute the plays. See what you need to do, but look for tricks you can use as well.
- Finally, be fearless. Go and try-out with confidence. You will need it when you play.
Tips
- When it comes to football you always have to absolutely have to go to your max, always give more than 100%.
- Hard work equals success. Never slack, give it 100 percent.
- For kickers and punters, practice at least one other position. In most middle and high school, coaches will make you play two or more positions.
- Jump rope. This helps with your foot speed and reaction time.
- The weeks prior to your season, go out and run a mile or two a day. This builds up your stamina and you will go into the season ready to go.
- Practice even in the off season. If you can't make it outside, practice some of the exercises you did during the year. This keeps you in shape even if the season is over.
- Always stay low. This goes for all positions. It's general physics that the lower player always prevails. Remember this little phrase to remind you to stay low, "low you go, high you die."
- Also remember to practice sprinting, starting from whatever position you normally line up in, as this will help you in firing off the line faster.
Warnings
- The one thing all coaches hate is a cocky, overconfident player. Nobody on the football field is better than another player. It's called a team for a reason; you can't play by yourself. Do not by any means model yourself after Terrell Owens. You will not play.
- When you go on the field always keep your head up to avoid neck injury.
- Don't show your anger if you don't make it the first time. Angry players are a big problem with coaches.
- Don't over practice or exercise, this will hurt you.
Things You'll Need
- You'll need a good sized fit football pads. Make sure they are tightly secure when getting ready to play.
- You need to always wear your mouth guard when the play is about to start.
- If you play wide out then you need to have a good stance for a good release off the ball.
- You'll need to always work hard in practice even if it's tiring and/or not fun.
- Make sure you have good cleats so you don't fall on the ground when running.
- Finally, make sure you have the physical and mental toughness to play the sport. You can't just be a kid who has never really done anything really physical or tough for sports. You have to be man enough to take a hit from a 250 pound LB and you need to know how to hit those 250 pound guys hard too.
- So really if you do all this and you have all these things then you are just one step closer to playing football.
Related Articles
- Play the Lineman Position in American Football
- Train at Home
