Train to Be a Professional Football Player
You may have heard adults tell you not to try to become a professional football player because it's too hard. While it is true that the path to becoming a professional football player is hard, you will never know what's going to happen without training. Here is a quick insight on how to train to be a professional football player.
Contents
Steps
Selecting a Position
- You have to know what position you want to be. Each position requires a different amount of skill and strength. If you're unsure, below are some common things that you will want to know about popular positions.
- Goalkeepers need to be able to move around freely and catch very well. They need to dive and take risks, have very quick reactions and be very reliable. They are the last line of defense when everything else fails, so they need to be cool under pressure too.
- Defenders try to stop the other team from getting into their third. Defenders need to be very quick so they can keep up with fast strikers and need to exhibit good stamina. It helps if the defenders are tall so they can clear crosses and prevent scoring opportunities. Also, defenders need to be very strong so they can stop the charging opposition.
- Midfielders carry the ball forward. They will need to be very fast and have good passing skills. Also, they will need to be strong so they won't get pulled down by the opposition. Sometimes, midfielders get a chance on goal, so good shooting skills are a benefit.
- The strikers wrap everything up by (hopefully) scoring an awesome goal at the other end of the pitch. They need to be quick so they can lose their markers, they need to be strong to stay on their feet and they also need to have very good shooting and heading skills.
Understanding the Rules and Tactics
- Learn the rules. The rules of football are fairly simple. The only one that is difficult to grasp is the Understand Offside in Soccer (Football). Otherwise, the rules are very basic. Here's a quick list of them:
- You can't touch the ball with your hands. That's a handball.
- If you commit a handball in your own penalty box, you will give away a penalty to the other team. If the handball was on purpose, you can even get sent off.
- No reckless tackles. That's a foul.
- If you commit a foul outside of your own penalty box, you will give away a Score Free Kicks.
- If you commit a foul inside of your own penalty box, you will give away a Score a Penalty.
- If the foul wasn't too bad but was notable, you may receive a yellow card. Think of it as a strict warning. Two yellow cards means you get a red card.
- If the foul was very dangerous, you may receive a red card. Even with just one red card, you will be sent off of the pitch and not be allowed back on until the end of the game. The same rule applies if you get two yellow cards.
- You must take a throw in with both feet on the ground and both hands above your head.
- Click the link to learn the Understand Offside in Soccer (Football).
- You can't touch the ball with your hands. That's a handball.
- Watch a lot of games. If you have a channel like ESPN or Sky Sports on your television, take full advantage of it. Don't only watch your favourite team play, watch lower and higher leagues play too. This will allow you to notice what the better team did that the lower team didn't do and how it affected the game. For example, one team might have passed really well, leading to a lot of scoring opportunities, leading to a lot of goals. Try to incorporate these kind of tactics into your games. Make sure you take note of every position, but especially the one you hope to become proficient in.
Training
- Train daily. You will need to be very dedicated if you've set your sights on turning professional. This means keeping fit, eating the right foods and always getting enough sleep. You must train daily but be sure not to train too hard and tear a muscle as this can set you back far. When you feel your muscles starting to burn, do some stretches and take a break. Whatever position you play, you need to stretch your muscles, arms and legs a lot. Here are some stretches.
- Run. Find a route in your local area. This could be a park that you can run through/around or just a few streets/blocks near your house. Where you go doesn't quite matter but be sure to run everyday and try to run faster and further each day. The key to football is small bursts of speed. To practice this, jog for a few meters and then sprint for the same amount of time. Go back to jogging and then sprinting, etc. Try not to stop.
Becoming Part of a Team
- Join a club. This will give you a sense of what being part of a team is like and how to play a real game. It will also give you a chance to interact with other footballers, coaches and teams. Sharing your tips to playing better or running faster never hurts, and someone might even share theirs with you. When you play in a club or team, your chances of Get Noticed in a Soccer Match by a team are much higher.
- Be fearless. In football you have to take risks, so go for it! You will make silly mistakes sometimes, you will get Fake an Injury While Playing Soccer, but that's all part of the learning process. See you on the pitch...
Tips
- 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.
- Hard work equals success. Never slack, give it 100 percent.
- Keep at it, don't give up. If you give up on one part, it will lead to giving up on the whole thing.
- 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.
- Jump rope. This helps with your foot speed and reaction time.
Warnings
- Don't show your anger if you don't make it the first time. Angry players are a big problem with coaches.
- 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 somebody. You will not play.
