After one has ended, getting ready for the football season requires more than just submitting not to gain weight. Your body is in its best shape during the season, and the off-season requires athletes to keep their bodies in great shape and push themselves further.
For football players, some training strategies and tips to try this summer that will help you improve as a player are:
Get plenty of sleep
Late nights and sleeping late are the norms for a lot of people during the summer. However, sleep is essential for athletes’ physical and mental health. First, it allows your heart to rest and cells to repair. Second, sleep allows your body to produce certain hormones that help your immune system fight infections.
Perform agility drills
Agility isn’t simply about improving your blood flow; it also helps you control the direction of your movement and have better control of your body. Two agility drills to add to your summer workout routine are ladder drills to improve your coordination and footwork. It keeps you on the balls of your feet and moves fast while maintaining form. The Cone drill will help you in keeping both your body awareness and coordination up to par.
Cut bad habits
If you have developed bad habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, or eating junk food over time, summer is the time to cut those bad habits. There is nothing good to be gained from them, and they stop you from being your best on the field.
Learn the game fundamentals
If you are a young player and only understand passing, blocking, and tackling, summer is the perfect time to learn the fundamentals of football. There is a lot that goes into the game. Watch game films, professional competitions, and college games. Understanding that the 22 people on the field all have different jobs is essential if you love this game.
Consume a nutritious diet
Research shows that nutrition is the foundation for the health and wellness of athletes. Therefore, summer is a great time to start if you haven’t been consuming a nutritious diet. In addition to fueling the body, eating a healthy diet is crucial for athletes because:
- Nutrition is the path to speedier recovery times.
- Proper nutrition will help with endurance.
- Water and fluids cannot be overlooked.
Work on speed drills
Whether you play offense or defense, speed is essential to your team’s success. Therefore, when you can work on your speed without many distractions in the summer, adding speed drills is helpful. They will increase your running efficiency and help strengthen certain muscle fibers in your legs.
Wear proper gear
Athletic gear is about more than looking good and representing a team in a custom football jersey. Wearing the proper gear includes the off-season too. The benefits of wearing the appropriate gear during your summer workouts are:
- Comfort
- Improved mobility
- Safety
Improve leadership skills
If you believe that you are a born leader and want to be a leader on your football team, summer is a great time to work on your leadership skills. Coaches or mentors often look for players to pour into, and many believe that leadership is learned. Use the summer to find a mentor to give you tips on leadership.
Study the playbook
There is a lot more happening during the season to distract you from the playbook. Therefore, summer is a great time to comprehend everything on the pages of the playbook. It will lead to your success on the field in the fall.
Set goals for yourself
Make goals that measure your growth and where you want to be. Write your goals down and look at them every few weeks to ensure that you stay focused and on the right track.
There are many tips for football players to improve over the summer. Some of those tips are getting plenty of sleep, doing agility drills, cutting bad habits, learning the game fundamentals, consuming a nutritious diet, practicing speed drills, wearing proper gear, developing leadership skills, and studying the playbook, and set goals for yourself.
