Why are you interested in improving your football abilities? Are you looking to be a better player for friendly family pick-up games? Do you want to be the star player on the varsity team? The information here only matters if you can apply it.

If you want to continue playing football, you must work on keeping your body healthy. That requires careful warm ups not just for games, but also for practices and sessions in the gym. Do not forget to eat a proper diet and take care of your body to give your immune system a boost. You will also need to practice as often as you can.

TIP! Always wear safety equipment when playing football. You can get injuries if you don’t wear it.

When you have one workout that works for you, keep doing it. It is not to your advantage to switch fitness routines once you have implemented one. Exercise only benefits you if you choose an effective routine and stick with it multiple times per week over many months. Don’t quit and start new routines all the time.

Agility is one of the most important factors in being a great football player. Spend some time each day running drills and practicing skills that will improve your agility. Quick thinking and reflexes are required in football. And these exercises practice both. The more these exercises are incorporated into your training, the more agility you will have.

Learn to play football with both of your feet, in order to improve your speed and over all play. You may have one good foot, and it’s likely the one you use most. If you work on using both feet to start your moves, you can quickly get by your opponent.

TIP! If you want to keep playing, you have to maintain a healthy body. This includes warming up properly before practice, at the gym or playing the game.

Don’t overuse any tricks in your playbook. While you may think it would be wise to continue something you know is successful, this will only make it easier for your opponents to figure out your next move.

There are so many techniques, strategies and schemes involved in football that it is almost impossible to know them all. You might not be the fastest, or the strongest, but if you are the smartest and most knowledgeable, you might just succeed. When you cannot beat them physically, beat them mentally.

When you are playing on defense, you should be able to read the opponent’s formation. When you take a look at the offensive lineup, you can learn a lot about what their intentions are as far as the upcoming play. Watch professional and college games to help understand the formations used, and create your own playbook with the different plays.

TIP! Practice drills for increasing agility. Many people are surprised to learn that the most agile athletes are often football players.

Your work ethic will factor into how much field time you get. Although natural talent does play a role, work ethics play an even bigger part of being a successful player. A football coach prefers a hard working player who wants to learn over someone who has natural talents but who is lazy.

If you want to be able to play harder and longer, try using shuttle runs. This exercise requires you to run ten yards then tap the ground. Then you need to run in reverse and tap it again. Try doing your maximum number of these daily and record your results to see how you’ve improved over time.

While other athletes may strive to be leaner, football players require bulk and muscle mass for the game. You can gain bulk by eating lots of food, but in a smart way. Find ways to up caloric intake without upping fat content. Healthy and natural ingredients, like olive oil, can be mixed into pasta recipes, vegetable sides and even shakes.

TIP! When a new football trick is successful, do not overuse it in your game. If you use the play too often, you opponents will be prepared to defend the play.

If you do not give football your full effort, you will not achieve full success. You’ll end up sorry that you contributed to your team’s loss. Make sure you keep that passion burning so you can win.

Receivers, perhaps more than any other players, are dependent on excellent speed and agility. To work on your speed, create a running area. That can be as simple as using two cones 10 yards from each other. Sprint as quickly as you are able from the first cone to the second and record your time. Always try to go faster than your best time. These sprints can help improve takeoff speed.

A great football tip is to always pay attention to how much time there is left on the clock, and to use that to your team’s advantage. When the game’s almost over, if you are down and have the ball, don’t allow your time to run out.

TIP! There are various techniques, schemes, and strategies in football that it’s nearly impossible to learn them all. You may not be faster or stronger than everyone else on the field, but outsmarting your opponents through knowledge can make the difference.

Do you know the basic defensive positions? There are eight different positions. They are the following: defensive tackle, defensive end, nose tackle, 2 outside linebackers, 2 safety players and cornerback. Each players position is crucial for a well played game. The safety positions are free safety and strong safety.

Agility is an important part of a football player’s repertoire. Jump rope, run through tires, and jump over cones to become more agile. By improving your agility, you will become a much better player. Make sure you keep doing these agility exercises in your workouts.

You’re read this and have now gained wisdom from it. Apply the expert advice liberally. Your teammates and coach will be impressed when you apply these tips to your game.