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Six Tips Of Football Training

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

If you’re thinking that this ‘great’ football player sounds almost super-human, you’re not very far off the mark. Especially when you consider that he must be able to think and make quick decisions even while he’s performing all this magic on the field. But don’t dismay, if you have a goal to become a better football player, you can hone your athletic skill to be this diverse. Here are a few football training tips for a great, all-around on field performance.

Top 6 Football Training Tips: Football Training Tip #1

Your first football training tip is to head to the gym for some weight training sooner rather than later. If you already have some basic weight training under your belt for balance and stability, you can go ahead and move on to more intense training that is very specific to football. If you don’t, you’ll want to ease into it and start off with a few weeks of lighter training. Start with about three to four weeks of circuit training to strengthen your larger and smaller muscle groups. You can do this at home or in the gym with free weights or machines. Check your local weight room as it may already have a circuit set up and ready to go.

Top 6 Football Training Tips: Football Training Tip #2

Once you’ve completed your prep-training, you can move onto the second football training tip – more intense strength training to build muscle mass, strength and power. This football training tip focuses on targeting your larger muscles and start lifting some serious weight, about 65% of your maximum strength. Rest for several minutes between sets and you really only need to perform this training three or four times each week, so long as you’re working each major muscle group 1-2 times each week. After four weeks of more intense strength training, you’re ready to move into about four weeks of maximal strength training, in which you’ll be lifting almost 80%-100% of what you can physically lift for as many reps as you can. Don’t get discouraged if you can only do one rep per “set”. Again, rest for several minutes between and only follow this football training tip three or four times each week. There’s no need to overdo it here. Also, get into the habit of stretching after each workout. Stretching increases flexibility and can help achieve your speed goals. Most importantly, stretching can help you fend off an injury which is key to completing a great season.

Top 6 Football Training Tips: Football Training Tip #3
This football training tip is more about what not to do than what to do. One of the most common mistakes in training for football is overtraining. For this reason, follow the football training tip I just described for off-season training. During the season, this program would be overkill and likely lead to fatigue and decreased performance. It is, however, a great football training tip to build you up before the season starts. For your training during the season, tone it way down and do the minimum amount to maintain the progress you made during the off season.

Top 6 Football Training Tips: Football Training Tip #4

This football training tip is also a warning against overtraining when performing drills and endurance training. While endurance is very important in football (you don’t want to peter out half way through the first quarter), training as if for a marathon is not necessary when training for football. Interval training is a great way to achieve the kind of endurance that is ideal for the game of football but without inducing fatigue due to over training. When you think about it, football is played in bursts of intensity which are then followed by a pause. Interval training recreates the same kind of activity in that there are short bursts of intensity followed by recovery. How you perform during the bursts is the most crucial part of the training.

Top 6 Football Training Tips: Football Training Tip #5

Running and speed is an integral part of the football game being that the combination often means that making a touchdown is more likely. In terms of speed training, you must refer back the previous statements about the importance of not overtraining. For the sake of getting faster, many athletes run farther and harder, and then on game day they are worn out and can’t perform the way they’d like. Speed training is often pursued on the field. However, strength training done properly is a sure-fire way to gain ground in terms of speed. If you’ve already done serious weight training for gaining strength and power, your speed is already being influenced by the strength of the major muscles of your body. The chances are good that you are already moving over the ground with some substantial power. However, power combined with stride speed can generate a serious shift in speed.

Top 6 Football Training Tips: Football Training Tip #6

To improve stride speed, spend some time working your thigh flexor muscles during your weight training sessions. Find a resistance band and fix one end to a stationary object about ankle height from the ground. Fix the other end of the resistance band to your ankle. Standing with your feet about hip’s width apart, move your foot with the band attached about 12 inches off the ground in front of you while slightly bending the knee. Hold this position approximately 15 seconds and then return to the original position. Perform this exercise for one set on each leg a few times a week to see improved muscle speed as well as strength.

The key to great football training tips is to aim for well-roundedness of skill: solid with speed, power with agility, strength with endurance. For a football player, it’s not enough to be just fast or tough. He’s got to be fast and tough. However, striking the perfect balance is very achievable with proper training and taking care not to over train while in pursuit of your goals. What we’ve covered in this article is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of football training tips, but it is a step in the right direction toward becoming a more powerful and confident football player on the field.

How To ChooseThe Best Equipment & Apparel For Your Football Team

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

Sport has been in existence for countless of years and has been an essential part of the lives of many people all over the world. There are plenty of sports which are gaining in popularity nowadays. One of the most renowned sports worldwide is football. Football equipment is an essential aspect in the life of a football player. It is very vital that you choose the football equipment that would best suit your standing in the game.

A football team is usually composed of eleven players. These players should have some training and personal equipment, as well as the necessary apparel, in order to perform well during each game. Such pieces of equipment are made up of various items, all of which are meant for football. These items include football jerseys and socks. The apparel truly does add to the great performance of each player in a team. After all, no one wants to play with dull pieces of equipment or apparel. Thus, we can safely say that the excitement and thrill of each football game can sometimes depend on the kind of equipment, as well as the apparel that the players are wearing. This is also the reason why almost all football players look great.

The most important thing out of the equipment and apparel that football players use are the uniforms. These are composed mainly of jerseys and shorts. However, there are things which should be considered when purchasing the uniforms needed by a certain football team. One of the most vital things to consider is the color of the uniform. The football players’ uniforms should be stylish and sporty. There are actually many different combinations of uniform designs on the market nowadays. Also, uniforms should have the logo of the team and the names of each particular player on the backs.

Another thing to consider when purchasing uniforms for a team is the durability. This is due to the fact that football is the kind of sport which is full of action. Thus, jerseys can tend to get ripped and damaged by other players. For this reason, uniforms should be durable when it comes to quality. Furthermore, hygiene is an important thing to take into account when buying uniforms for football players. This is important because players of all sports tend to sweat excessively, which then can result in an offensive body odor. Hence, uniforms should be a type of material which can minimize this odor. In point of fact, antimicrobial and wick moisture fabrics are the most popular when it comes to material. Moreover, it is also important to consider size. This is due to the fact that not all people are the same in terms of size. Also, football uniforms should fit well in order to obtain a good performance in the course of the many games.

The pieces of equipment and apparel, especially the uniforms of the players in a certain football team, are important. Thus, you should consider these essential things before going to the market and purchasing these items. However, you should really take into account the quality of the equipment and apparel so that the players can play very well in their games. Choosing the right and the best football equipment that fits properly with the position you stand for can help prevent or decrease the frequency and severity of the injuries. When you evaluate your self as the best player of the team, most probably you are the one who is always on the field, thus you take long and hard hits. Make sure that before you go out on the field, you are equipped with the right protection that allows you to perform your best.