10 Ways to Become a Better Football Player

As an athlete, you never feel like you’ve reached your full potential, regardless of your skill level. That’s the great thing about not only American football, but all sports: you can always push yourself further than you’ve ever been. The human body and mind are capable of extraordinary feats, and sports offer us a way to channel our personal growth into something tangible and positive.

Here are the Top 10 ways to become a better football player:

1. Practice Makes Perfect

There are countless ways to improve the level of your game, but actually playing your sport is what makes the greatest impact. Malcolm Gladwell, author of the book “Outliers: The Story of Success” (Amazon: USA/UK/FR/ES/DE/IT/BR) spent years researching the common denominators among some of the world’s most successful people. According to Gladwell, the key to success in any field is a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of approximately 10,000 hours. The “10,000-Hour Rule”, as it has come to be known, can be applied directly to sports to make you a top-level athlete. With enough time spent on the football field, you can become a phenom in your league and respected by your peers for your skill and dedication to the game.

First and foremost, never miss a team practice. Showing up early to team training to get in some extra work not only gives you an advantage over your teammates and competition, it shows the coaches that you’re committed to the team and to becoming the best player you can be. Outside of scheduled practice time, you can meet up with a fellow teammate to practice skills: catching, blocking, passing, covering, and form tackling are just some of the things you can do. If you can’t find a partner, find time to train on your own. There are elements of every position that you can practice by yourself. Quarterbacks can work on their footwork, drop, and scrambling. Receivers can work on their routes and their release off the line. Linemen can work on their first move, footwork, and hands. Defensive backs can work on their backpedaling and break to the ball…and there’s much more. The question is not what can be done, but rather how committed are you to getting better?

2. Learn the Rules

It happens every time a field goal or punt is deflected. Some players simply don’t know what to do – do I pick the ball up and run with it? Do I let it go? What happens if the opposing team picks it up? Even many NFL players are unaware of some of the rules of the game, and it’s their profession. If you don’t believe it, check out Donovan McNabb’s infamous press conference after the Philadelphia Eagles’ 13-13 tie vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008 where he admitted that he had no idea a game could end in a tie. Talk about embarrassing.

Knowing the rules better than your opponent can be the difference between winning and losing. Make sure to brush up on the rules of the game so you can avoid the same thing happening to you. Most leagues in Europe play by NCAA rules, so check out the updated NCAA Rule Book to brush up on any gaps in knowledge. Remember, knowing the rules means knowing ALL the rules.

3. Lift, Lift, Lift

We all know that putting time in at the gym will get you bigger and faster. Focus on strength and mass, and less about looks. I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve played with that really looked the part, but couldn’t lay a block or make a tackle to save their lives. You’re training for football, not a swimsuit competition.

Tim Ferriss, author of “The 4-Hour Body” (Amazon: USA/UK/FR/ES/DE/IT/BR), recommends focusing on a concept called the “minimum effective dose”. Rather than putting in 4-6 sets of one exercise he suggests maxing out on one set of 8+ reps until you can’t move the weight anymore, which is the minimum you need to lift to see the results you want to achieve. This way you’re getting 80 percent of the value with only 20 percent of the time and effort.

Make sure you establish a solid plan and record all the details of your workouts. This will enable you to follow your progress and feel a sense of accomplishment every time you reach a personal best. No goal can be reached without a solid and realistic plan to get you there.

4. Diet

Many nutritionists have estimated that what you eat accounts for 80% of muscle growth, while training accounts for only 20%. If you don’t watch what you put into your body, you’re unlikely to get the results you want. Protein is vital to muscle growth, and chances are you’re not getting enough protein in your diet. Dr. James Meschino, a renowned expert on dietary health and muscle development, suggests a simple formula to calculate your ideal daily protein intake. Moderately active people that exercise 5-7 times per week, including weight training 3-4 times a week, should multiply their weight in pounds by 0.6 (for kilos, multiply by 1.3) to calculate the number of grams of protein they should eat per day. People who engage in advanced activity, which includes exercise 5-7 times per week and at least 1 hour of weight training 5+ times per week, should multiply their weight in pounds by 0.7 (for kilos, multiply by 1.5) to get their number. Lastly, elite-level athletes should multiply their weight in pounds by 0.8 (for kilos, multiply by 1.7) to maximize their muscle growth.

Stay away from processed foods, caffeine, and sugars. Eating meat is fine, but be aware that not all meat provides the same amount of protein per calorie. Lean meats such as chicken and turkey provide more protein with less calorie intake, while fatty meats such as beef and pork have a much higher calorie content. Skill positions such as receivers, defensive backs, running backs, and quarterbacks should focus on building lean mass (high protein/low calorie) while linemen and linebackers should focus on adding bulk (high protein/high calorie). Again, Tim Ferriss’ “The 4-Hour Body” (Amazon: USA/UK/FR/ES/DE/IT) is simply the best work written on the subject.

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