Football is a game full of strong players. Not just physical giants, but mental giants as well. You need to be ready for whatever your opponents dish out. The following tips teach you great strategy on how to win at football.

Remember that you are part of a team when you play football. If your team members are supportive of you, you should also support them. Don’t be a ball hog trying to pretend you’re some great “football star.” Work together to obtain the victory that everyone desires.

Always listen to your teammates. You must respect teammates, as they have the same goals as you. Their idea can really make your team better.

Don’t ever step onto the field without your protective gear. The odds are very high that you could be injured. If you aren’t wearing the correct gear, then you shouldn’t be playing. Some injuries are broken bones, concussions and paralysis. This will end your game forever.

Keep practicing kicking. Kicking is not the most important skill to have, but it is certainly up there. Too many football players don’t spend enough time improving their kicking game. A poor kick can be the critical deciding factor between a win and a loss.

Weight Training

A crucial part to playing football well enough is weight training. Year round weight training helps you optimize your skills. Utilize basic compound lifts to improve your strength, power and speed. Don’t scrimp and do only one. You’ll need to do both to become better.

Learn to play football with both of your feet, in order to improve your speed and over all play. Most people have a lead-off foot that they rely on, and usually preform better with. If you are able to master using your non-dominant foot though, you can really get some good speed and get around opponents better.

When a new football trick is successful, do not overuse it in your game. Although you might think it’s wise to keep using something that brings you success, it will only help your opponents figure out what you will do next.

The best football players are supportive. Football is all about teamwork. You’ll win and lose together. You say “we” instead of “I”. Your teammates will have more confidence in you when you are a supportive player. A confident team is one that wins more often than not.

If you want to be a great football player, incorporate dancing into your training. It works on your footwork and your stamina, too. A little fancy footwork will increase your abilities on the playing field when it counts.

Ladder drills are an excellent way to improve agility and increase coordination. These are critical to effective training for football. Imagine a ladder laying down in front of you; then, step inside and outside of the ladder. This techniques requires practice, so watch several videos to learn how it’s done.

Create strategies that include good passing routes. Receivers rarely run up-field in a straight direction or pattern. They have to use all sorts of routes instead. For example, a receiver who runs forward and then horizontally across the field is running a crossing route. Slant routes involve using a kind of diagonal line to reach the ball. Both of these routes will help move the ball up the field fast.

Never forget teamwork. Being a star player sometimes puts you ahead of the team, but you must realize that team always comes first. Winning is accomplished by the entire team. To be a good professional player you must rely on your teammates to help elevate your game to a common goal, which is winning.

Do good warm ups before playing, practicing, and working out. Otherwise, you could injure yourself and lose game-time. Build strength by doing exercises which create muscles but remember to stretch before you start playing

Shoulder Pads

One of the things you should already know is that you need shoulder pads. Be sure yours fit well before you play in a game. They ought to be in decent condition, and they ought to stay in place. You could be injured more seriously if your shoulder pads break upon impact.

Avoid playing football in extreme weather. Football is played under almost any conditions. There’s been rain, slow, and sleet that’s hit the field during playing time without a pause. If it is not safe, they will return later. You should make sure that you do the same thing. If you play in very bad weather, you could end up with a serious injury.

You cannot change your height, but you can work on every other aspect of becoming a better football player. You can work on your confidence, agility, strength and more. If you dedicate yourself to a healthy diet and plenty of exercise and practice drills, you can alter almost anything.

Outside Linebackers

It’s essential to learn basic positions of a defensive football team. There are eight of them. The positions are defensive tackles, defensive ends, outside linebackers, nose tackles, corners and safeties. There can be two outside linebackers and tow inside linebackers in a 3-4 game while a 4-3 game may have two outside linebackers with only one inside linebacker. Strong and free safety are the safety positions.

If a person wishes to better themselves on any subject, they can read everything they can find online. They can also learn from the competition and through practice. Use what you learned and improve your game.