How can you improve your football game? How can you improve your prowess and become a star player? How can you lead your team to victory time and time again? Research can help do these things, so keep reading.

Always listen to the other players on your team. Regardless of any conflicts, remember that these team mates have the same goal as you, and that is to win. You never know what they might have to add!

Always practice your kicking skills. Kicking is important even though it is not the most used skill in football. Many people play football but very few work on the kicking part of the game. The ball won’t likely get high enough without you practicing.

The tips, techniques, schemes and strategies associated with football are ever growing and improving, so there’s always something to learn. You can make up for lack of speed or strength with agility or quick reflexes. You may not always have what it physically takes so you need to be mentally prepared as well.

You have to be able to intuitively tell what’s next by the opposition’s formation. You can have a good idea of the play by looking at where the opposing team’s receiver lines up. Learn different formations by watching pro and college games.

Stiff Arm

An important tip for a receiver or runningback is to develop the strategy of using a stiff arm. Not only does the stiff arm keep defensive players at a distance, it also increases your yards. The stiff arm is fairly simple to employ; you just stick out a straightened arm.

Football is a demanding game on a physical level, so you have to be in top condition when trying out. To get into good shape, start your workout with stretching, then perform both anaerobic and aerobic exercises. Use these along with lifting weights followed by a routine to cool down.

Your work ethic will factor into how much field time you get. While natural talent can play a large role, work ethic is a larger part of being successful as a football player. A coach would much rather have a hard-working player who needs to hone skills than a lazy one with all the ability in the world.

One of the best ways to learn is to watch how professional players play their position. Study the moves of top athletes, and imitate them while playing. It may seem obvious, however, the greatest players study the games of others and use their actions in their own game.

Use shuttle runs to boost your stamina, endurance and even develop your ability to stop on a dime. Start at a goal line and then run ten yards. Tap the line. Turn around and return to that goal line, touching it. Reach your maximum in these each day and track your results over time to monitor improvement.

To be a good player, you’ll have to eat right and pay attention to the signals you body gives you. Any sign that you are in pain must be reported quickly to your team doctor.

Keep in mind that your height is the only thing that you cannot change. You can always become faster, stronger, or even more talented with enough practice. If you are totally committed, you can change.

Knowing the positions of the defensive team is vital information. There are eight different ones. Each player has a different job. Some games, called 4-3, will have two outside linebackers and one inside, and a 3-4 game will have two inside and two outside. There are always two safety positions, and those are free safety and strong safety.

Practice your agility. Some things that can increase your agility are using a jump rope and running through a tire obstacle course. This makes it so you’re more agile on the field. Always work on your agility at practice and when working out.

The best players in the game had to work hard for their success. He trained hard, built his stamina, learned the game rules and knew which strategies were best. To be a great player, you need to learn as much as possible about the game of football.