If you play football, you know it is a lot like chess. It is not a simple game, but it is a lot of fun and there is a lot to it. That’s why you need to keep learning as much as you can about football, and this article contains some great tips to help you.

Stay healthy to stay on the field. This means you need to warm up before your practices, your gym workouts and before you play. Do not forget to eat a proper diet and take care of your body to give your immune system a boost. Practice to ensure you do techniques correctly as well.

Football players must weight train. You have to keep to this around the year in order to play your best during the season. You should be using basic lifts as well as heavy weights to build both strength and speed. You must have both skills to become the best player.

Keep a positive attitude at all times when playing football. Even if you feel down about your performance, keep things up beat and focus on the game at hand. A negative attitude will not only pull your play down, but it will also become contagious and infect the attitude of the entire team.

Know what kind of equipment you need to play a football game properly. Each player that plays needs shoulder pads, a helmet, cleats, a mouth guard, and football pants. The ball should be spheroid and leather. A standard football is about 11 inches long and 22 inches in circumference around the middle.

If you are a receiver or running back, work on your stiff arm. The stiff arm is great because it buys you some time and yards, and can even fend off a defending player completely. It is a simple trick that involves holding the arm out in the straight line.

Don’t panic! Football can be a little scary when you first try it. People are rushing at you, and quite often they’re bigger than you too. It’s not a comfortable feeling. But with practice, you’ll learn how to be more agile and avoid tackles. You’ll learn how to fake-out those rushing at you. It all becomes much easier. So stay calm and learn all that you can.

Never forget teamwork. It’s sometimes easy to forget, but keep it close to heart. Wins are achieved by teams, not individual players. You’re not a good player if you cannot recognize the contributions from your team and accept the fact that teamwork produces better results.

A great football tip for everybody is to always make sure you have a solid meal before any game. You need to give yourself plenty of energy for the game, or else you’re going to be sluggish and unfocused. A generous amount of carbs and protein would be a good idea.

Now that you have taken the time to read this article, you know a bit more than you did before about what will help you improve your football game. Make sure that you take each tip and work on it a bit each day, so that your game can be great. Keep practicing!