TRICKS & TIPS TO PLAY BETTER FOOTBALL
Video: Defensive Back Drills & Techniques of Football.
2. Be consistent! Pick a plan and stick to it.
Once you do decide on a plan or at least an outline of a plan, stick to the damn thing. Rotating exercises is one thing. Completely changing your entire philosophy every other week is another.
This might be the biggest mistake I see young football players and lifters make. They read an article and say, “Yes! This is exactly what I need!” Then two weeks later a new article comes out preaching the exact opposite of what the first said and again it’s “just what I needed!” And on and on and on until a year goes by and you realize you’ve been training for 12 months without any progress.
3. Hard work trumps a plan.
Building on number one and two, finding a plan and sticking to it is key. But what if you picked out a bad program? What if it’s a real turkey? Well, hopefully you have some guidance and can see that the program isn’t very good. However, know this—extreme effort on a bad program is much better than a half-assed effort on the greatest program ever. So if you’re in search of the “perfect training program,” stop. Stick to your current plan, tweak it, and work as hard as humanly possible…then a little harder.
4. You need to improve athleticism, not just your bench.
The bench is great. So is the squat, the deadlift, and the clean, But remember, we are after not only big lifts but big hits, big runs, and big plays. We need to get stronger. Always. You also need to make sure your strength increases are coupled with increases in your “athleticism” for lack of a better term. If you focus only on the bench, you aren’t going to improve a whole lot on the football field. You need to work those lifts hard and get stronger while also using movements that will make you a better athlete.
5. To become an all-star, improve football skills all year.
Let’s say you’re an offensive lineman. If you start every session off with five minutes of going through your steps and fire outs (perfectly—don’t do them if you aren’t going to do them correctly), you will have taken, over the course of a year, over 1000 reps on those movements that directly improve footwork. Think over 1000 perfect reps will help much? The same goes for wide receivers, linebackers, and running backs. Use that time as a way to improve rather than just take an absolutely worthless “warm-up lap.”
6. Go fast and then heavy.
This one is so simple. Most of you are fascinated with plyometrics. You want to know when, how many, and what to do. Well the answer is simple—jump before you lift heavy. This doesn’t have to be complicated. If you aren’t ready for box jumps or don’t have plyo boxes, do standing long jumps, vertical jumps, side straddle hops, or one leg long jump. Do 5–10 jumps before you move into your heavy bench, squat, or deadlift.
7. Pump up the volume.
If you need to get bigger, you need to add some reps and eat right. The easiest way to do this is to combine heavy, low rep sets on your big main exercises like squats, box front squats, or incline followed by higher rep sets on your assistance exercises.
8. If you need to get bigger, time your sets.
This one is for you skinny guys who eat like you just got out of jail but just can’t seem to gain muscle. First, keep eating and eat more. Add liquid calories as much as possible. A tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil added to your protein shake is an extra 135 calories. Do that twice a day and add extra oils to your regular food and you’re well on your way.
9. Nutrition is as important as training.
Younger guys hate to hear this ’cause ya know they’re 15 years old and immune to things like eating properly. But the truth is what you eat directly relates to how you perform. Nutrition is as important to your football training as lifting weights, conditioning, or speed training. If you put crap fuel in, you body will return the favor by giving you a crap effort.
10. Plan your recovery or fail.
We’ve talked about how important it is to work hard. How much effort you put into your strength and speed training program determines what you get out of it. No work, no results. But you can’t just keep working your ass off day after day without paying attention to your recovery. I don’t care if you’re in high school and feel you’re invincible. You need to plan and execute your recovery methods the same way you plan your training sessions and meals. The harder your work, the more you need to work on recovery.
11. To get coaches’ attention, set the tone all the time.
Don’t skip workouts or practices unless you’re dead. Even then, try to get there. Don’t be the guy who missed twelve training sessions and then wonders why the coach is “hatin yo.” Over the years, I’ve seen this happen countless times. The young player who is unproven starts to jump out and make himself get noticed and he gets the starting job. Why? Because he got the attention of the coaches in a positive way and then, once he had it, took the starting job. It’s a beautiful thing.
12. Choose your friends wisely.
In business, they say you tend to earn the average of the five people you hang out with most. Well, in football, if your top five have a great work ethic, you will too. If they’re non-athletes but kill it in school, then you’ve got a good one. Ditch the dummies and keep the rest and your football, training, and life will improve almost instantly.
13. Focus on the biggest exercises.
As great as all the information on the internet is, it can be a real curse, too. Between weirdo websites, bodybuilding mags, Men’s Health, and the like, the number of odd ball exercises has exploded. Variety is great, but if you’re trying to replace box squats with one leg front squat swings on a Swiss ball, you’re going to lose every time.
14. To get faster, get stronger (in the right areas).
Forget parachutes, fancy cone layouts, “strength shoes,” and complex track peaking programs. When it comes to getting faster for football, it all comes down to getting stronger in the right areas.
Strengthen the entire body with special attention to your hamstrings, glutes, and quads. Along with learning proper running form, you will literally transform yourself into a faster, more explosive football player.
15. Stretch or be slow.
Stretching is boring. Even I hate it. But if you want to perform at your highest level, you won’t do it if you’re tight. Plus, tight hamstrings and hip flexors will put the brakes on your speed big time.
16. Train on one leg sometimes.
Train on one leg to make sure that both legs are progressing equally and that you’re building strength and speed in each leg independently. Remember, when you run, you’re on one foot. Even a small imbalance can lead to injury.
17. Get your mind right to become a great football player (and lifter).
If you want to be a great football player, great lifter, and, maybe in the future, a great coach, you need to invest some time, effort, and money into learning about your sport. Buy books, DVDs, and audio programs about football training. Buy books about football itself—the game, history, theory. You should do the same with your actual education. Learn to become a better student in the classroom so you can become a better student of the game.
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