Those who follow football are passionate fans. If you are looking to discover why football has such an avid fan base, then this article can help you. Continue reading to learn why so many people love football.

Don’t every play without your safety equipment. The risk of serious injury is far too high. If you don’t have your safety gear, don’t play. Some injuries are broken bones, concussions and paralysis. These types of injuries can affect your entire life.

TIP! Pay attention to your team mates. Regardless of any conflicts, remember that these team mates have the same goal as you, and that is to win.

Good football players are light on their feet. To help improve flexibility, try several exercises such as jumping rope, jumping over cones and running through tires. Power, speed and quick reflexes are requirements for strong players. All of those exercises incorporate quick thinking, coordination and speed. These exercises will increase your agility and make you a valuable member of the team.

Work with your coach to develop new plays and techniques. 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.

It is nearly impossible to know all of the strategies, schemes and techniques involved in football. When you are mentally strong in football, you don’t necessarily have to be physically strong. Look to beat the opposition through mental strength over physical.

TIP! Wearing your safety equipment is vital in football. Football is a contact sport that can result in serious injuries.

Always lend support to your teammates. Few sports require conscious teamwork more than football. Your team wins and loses together. There is no “I” in “team”! When you support your teammates, and they support you, all your team members will play with confidence. Group confidence will inevitably result in more wins.

Try practicing dance as a way to improve your football skills. It works on your footwork and your stamina, too. This can enhance your playing style and really help your team out.

If you are a kicker, you should strive to be able to kick a fifty yard field goal. Build your leg strength with weight lifting exercises. Kicking the ball long also requires flexibility. Stretch yourself a few times a day to keep your muscles limber.

TIP! Practice kicking a football. Kicking isn’t the primary skill you think of in football, however it still has its importance.

Stamina is just as important as physical strength while playing football. You can achieve better stamina by choosing a cardio exercise to do for an hour every day. Choices include cycling, running or even climbing stairs. Believe it or not, your goal is to make this exercise become easy so you can maintain doing it longer.

Do shuttle runs to build your endurance, stamina and to learn to stop quickly. Begin at the goal line, then run to the 10 yard line and then tap that line. Reverse your direction back towards the goal, and tap that as well. Do this over and over again daily, and document the results to monitor your progress.

Five cones placed in a line about five yards apart will create an obstacle course for you to run to increase the flexibility of your hips. Begin by starting at one cone, then while running fast, cross between each of the cones. Lean into your turns, remembering to keep your head up with your eyes on the far field.

TIP! If you want to keep playing, you have to maintain a healthy body. That means carefully warming up when you practice, go to the gym or play.

The amount of effort you put into playing football will return the same amount of reward. Not putting enough efforts into a play could cause your team to lose the game and your teammates will be disappointed. To help your team be successful, play hard.

Take care of the body and feed yourself well if you want to play well. Signs of restricted movement or pain must be reported to the team’s physician immediately.

Football shoulder pads really stand out! It is crucial that they fit correctly. They need to remain in place, and they must be in sound condition. Don’t end up breaking your shoulder because they aren’t high quality.

TIP! Watch the pros to learn from their techniques. Watch their moves and try to do them yourself.

Work on footwork if you are a quarterback. A quarterback with good footwork can elude the oncoming rush of the opposing team, and also put you in a much better position to throw the ball. As a quarterback, you should practice twisting and back pedaling whenever possible.

Understanding the complexities of football will help you enjoy game time even more. You’ve just been given some great advice, so now you can enjoy the game a lot more. Apply these tips, and see how your game improves!