Q&A for How to Become a Great American Football Player

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  • Question
    I want to be a wide receiver. What can I do?
    Community Answer
    Work on your hands, speed, agility, and toughness. Receivers take a lot of hits and have to be ready for contact. Also just practice throwing and catching with your friend. When you've got that down, start working on routes (quick slant, fly, hook, etc.). Work on your speed and your ability to evade defenders after the catch.
  • Question
    How can I be a great defensive tackle?
    Community Answer
    Be able to watch the ball. You have to have quick feet and hands. Be strong on the line, and be able to play hard every play for four quarters.
  • Question
    How can I become the best wide receiver ever?
    Community Answer
    Be as fast as you can and listen to the advice from your coach and your teammates.
  • Question
    How can I figure out which position I should play?
    Community Answer
    Consider what you are best at. If throwing footballs is your forte, most likely quarterback is your position.
  • Question
    What if I play defensive end? How can I get it done properly?
    Community Answer
    Work on speed, be able to jump off the line instantly and be agile enough to rip through the offensive linemen.
  • Question
    How do I get faster?
    Community Answer
    To get faster, you need to train your body. It's not all going to happen in a day. It'll take some time. Start off running long distances and track your time. Keep doing this, daily if possible. Increase your distance and keep tracking your time. You'll be able to see an improvement.
  • Question
    Is it easy playing NFL football as a receiver?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    No, it is quite difficult. Only the best players in the world play in the NFL.
  • Question
    How can I impress a coach if I know bits and pieces of football?
    Community Answer
    Show 110 percent effort. Run to get water, run in between drills, try to be the first player to everything. A good coach will see you working hard and will give you playing time.
  • Question
    How can I learn to catch a football?
    Community Answer
    Catch the football with both your eyes and your hands. Place your hand out in a position looking like a diamond. Never take your eyes off the ball. Then aim to catch it with your hands.
  • Question
    How can I show my coach I want to play quarterback and have the potential to be a star? It's especially hard, because his son is the quarterback now.
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    There may be nothing you can do. Your best chance is to show your coach in practice that the team has its best chance of winning with you starting at quarterback.
  • Question
    How can an offensive tackle get better?
    Community Answer
    Have great footwork. Be quick, and always get lower than the guy you're blocking. Also, use your hands and be physical with them. Football is mostly mental, so learn your plays and analyze your opponent.
  • Question
    What schools should I attend?
    Community Answer
    Before you even start thinking about schools, make sure that your social media is clean (no profanity or obscene images) or you will scare schools away. Also, keep up your grades and remember you have to actually be a great player to play college football.
  • Question
    How do I dive for a football without getting hurt?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    If you dive hard, there's no guarantee you won't get hurt, especially if someone else is diving, too. If you're alone, land on your side right next to the ball, and cradle it with your arms.
  • Question
    Where do I start?
    Donagan
    Top Answerer
    The place to start is with a team -- any team. You can't learn the game by yourself.
  • Question
    What do I do if the ball slips outs and bounces away?
    Community Answer
    Try to see where the ball went and recover it before anyone does (unless one of your teammates can get to it first). To recover the ball, jump on top of it or reach out and pull it underneath you. I would suggest NEVER running with the ball after you recover it unless you are very far ahead of the opponent or if your teammate is right behind you. If the other team gets the ball, run after the guy with the ball and tackle him.
  • Question
    What do I do if the player I am guarding is faster than me?
    Community Answer
    Improve your footwork and strength if you are worried about faster players. Your positioning also makes a huge difference.
  • Question
    How can I be a QB? I've tried everything but still can't throw great.
    Community Answer
    Focus on how you throw the ball. Make sure your hands are in the correct position (pointer finger closest to the tip, middle finger in front of the first lace, thumb gripping the bottom of the ball, etc.). Practice your footwork, and throw the ball around with a couple of guys. If you try throwing a ball to a receiver who is being guarded, and it is a good pass, but the receiver doesn't catch it, remember that it IS a two-man job. You won't be able to bomb deep like Aaron Rodgers at first, but if you work on your throwing motion (throwing the ball from your ear, stepping into the pass correctly, etc.) you'll be good before you know it.
  • Question
    How can I be a good cornerback?
    Community Answer
    Make sure never to bait. Baiting is when you make a guy look open so you can get the interception. In a split second baiting can go from a few feet of space to half the field if he decides to burst down the field. This will result in major consequences, so do not bait.
  • Question
    How can I make sure my competition never catches up to me at my position?
    Community Answer
    Practice as much as possible. If you can keep working hard, you are sure to maintain the position.
  • Question
    How can I be the best football player?
    Community Answer
    You need to work hard, be determined and motivated, and practice a lot. The more that you practice, the better you will become.
  • Question
    How many push-ups and sit-ups should I do per day?
    DarthGoodGuy
    Community Answer
    It depends on how much stamina you have and how strong you are. Try starting small like 7 or 12, then build up.
  • Question
    Can a girl play with the boys?
    Community Answer
    In certain leagues they can, such as in little leagues but not in college. In college, it is the LFL which is a women's football league.
  • Question
    How can I be a wide receiver if I only can throw a football 15 feet?
    Community Answer
    Wide receivers catch the ball, not throw. If you want to try to improve throwing farther, though, try to practice throwing out, not up.
  • Question
    Do you have to lift weights to play football?
    Ryan W
    Community Answer
    If you want to play better than everyone, and if you want to win, yes you must lift.
  • Question
    How can I be a good football player as a girl?
    Community Answer
    Follow the same steps listed in this article. Work hard and believe in yourself.
  • Question
    I want to be a quarterback. What should I do to reach that position
    Community Answer
    You should start by throwing and catching with you friends/ teammates. Then, gradually move on to throwing at targets and throwing farther and harder. Also, know how to play defense too. That will tell you how the defense acts. Learn all aspects of the game, and practice until you are perfect.
  • Question
    How can I become faster?
    Community Answer
    You should practice every day, even during the off season.
  • Question
    If I'm female and want to be a football player, how young should I start?
    Community Answer
    You should start as early as you can. Some leagues let girls play as early as 7 years old.
  • Question
    How can I be a great safety?
    Community Answer
    Watch the ball and watch the quarterback's eyes. Be fast and aggressive, and listen to what the coaches tell you.
  • Question
    How do I get better when my team is always better than I am and I don't have much experience?
    Community Answer
    Learn from your team! Talk to your coach and the best players to learn what you can do differently.
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