What is football to you? Do you enjoy playing it as a hobby? Do you look forward to Sunday games, watching with others? Are you a young player who dreams of being a star in the NFL? Whatever your motives, this article will help you learn all there is to know about the great sport of football.

Listen to your teammates. Even when you disagree with fellow players, remember that you are all there to win. Even the smallest idea from a player can be the thing that tips the scales in the team’s favor.

TIP! Pay attention to your team mates. Even if you disagree, when the day ends, they’re still your team and you all want to win.

Always wear protective equipment when playing football. The chances of getting seriously hurt is just too much. Don’t play if you don’t have the proper gear. Possible injuries include broken bones as well as paralysis. These types of injuries can affect your entire life.

By keeping your body healthy and in shape, this will lead to your being able to continue playing for quite some time. Carefully warm up when practicing when playing or going to the gym. You also have to have good hygiene and eat right to fuel your body and protect your immune system. Make sure that you constantly practice, too.

You must learn to read the different formations of opposing teams. The location of the receiver can give you lots of information about which play is going to be run. If you want to learn all the varying formations, watch both games at the professional and collegiate levels. Put together a playbook from the plays that you see.

TIP! Wearing your safety equipment is vital in football. Football can cause serious risk to anyone.

When you try out for some team, being in shape is crucial due to each player’s demands. To get into shape, stretch and then do cardio. Use these along with lifting weights followed by a routine to cool down.

Shuttle runs can give a boost to your endurance and stamina and can even help you learn to stop quickly. Begin at the goal line, then run forward and tap the 10-yard line. Go back to the line, then tap it. Do as many as you can each day and keep track to see how you get better as time passes.

Make a touchdown. The main goal of the offensive team is to score as many touchdowns as possible. To get a touchdown, a single player must bring the ball over the opposition goal line, or catch a pass thrown to them as they are inside the end zone. When the ball goes over the goal line’s plane while in the player’s possession, it is a touchdown. Your team receives six points for scoring a touchdown.

TIP! Each play should be made as if it is the one to win the game. Although the football season can be trying at times, you never want to give less than your best.

Working on developing passing routes that succeed. Receivers rarely run up-field in a straight direction or pattern. Instead, they utilize many different routes, including crosses and slanted routes too. If a receiver dashes forward and then runs across the field, it is known as a crossing route. On a diagonal, it’s a slant route. Either one of these routes is used to quickly move the ball up the field.

Improve the flexibility of your hips by using five cones, placed about five yards apart and in a line. Start down by one side of your cones and make a zigzag pattern, running between each set at maximum speed. Let your body lean in the direction where you are going, and always keep your head straight up while looking down field.

Your quickness and speed is essential if you play receiver. You can increase your speed by setting up a well-defined running area. Do this by positioning two cones at around ten yard from each other. Sprint as quickly as possible from a cone to the next and look at your time. Work hard to beat whatever your best time was. This will build your explosive action.

TIP! Weight training is important in the game of football. Stick to the same regimen for a great game.

When trying to decide where you should play football, be cognizant of your capabilities. When you play to high of a level, you are likely to make mistakes. You don’t want to play with a team that’s below your level either.

Work on being agile. Work with a jump rope or an obstacle course. This will allow you to improve your agility and makes you a better player. Integrate agility routines into your overall fitness regime, as well as into your football practice sessions.

Whether you play for fun or dream of something bigger, football is a passion you have which shouldn’t be forgotten. Reading all about the game and how it’s played better will improve your game day by day. Keep practicing and using these tips to improve your game.