Did you know there are north of 240 million registered football players around the globe and that fan participation numbers in the billions?
It goes without saying that football–the beautiful game North Americans call soccer–is the most popular sport worldwide. While many kids grow up hoping to play in one of the premier leagues someday, only the most elite get the chance to sign pro contracts and play the game they love.
But if you’re interested in becoming a better footballer, whether to boost your odds of going pro or for fitness reasons, there are things you can do to improve your football skill set. You’ll want to train and do things like pro football players do.
Here’s a look at things to keep in mind.
Practice, Practice, and More Practice
Have you ever heard the saying that practice makes perfect? It’s true. According to one source, it takes 10,000 hours to master something, whether it relates to becoming good enough to become a professional football player or excelling at the highest level in the world of business.
Do you have the drive and the patience to put in that time and effort? If you work on your football skills for 10,000 hours over an eight-year period, that will work out to about 3.5 hours per day, seven days a week.
So, you can appreciate how dedicated you’ll have to be if you want to put in the amount of time needed to reach the upper echelon of the football universe. There are no shortcuts. Practice is mandatory if you want to build your skillset and make it to the big leagues.
Your best bet is to take football lessons and play in leagues that allow you to challenge yourself, work on drills, learn the game, and become a better player.
Of course, if you want to improve your skills for recreational matches with friends, you won’t have to spend nearly as much time going through drills and working on technique.
Take Physical Fitness Seriously
You’ll also want to take physical fitness seriously. Speed, stamina, and endurance are essential for sports, so working on your cardio and doing strength training is critical. But, if you go about things wrong, you could do more harm than good. You might be surprised at how many people suffer injuries while exercising or doing other physical activities. If you want to get in peak physical form safely, one option is to hire a personal trainer. Once you share your goals, the personal trainer will develop a training program tailor-made for you. You’ll get to do the cardio, weight training, and other things to build a strong and healthy body.
Eat Right
It’s also important that you eat right. If you train hard, you’ll need the right fuel in the right quantities. Depending on the personal trainer you choose, you might be able to get meal plan recommendations that will ensure you’re getting the right amount of calories per day. Eating a balanced diet and drinking enough water will help you become a better footballer.
Boost Your Football IQ
Training your mind is also essential. That means increasing your football IQ. You need to know the rules and nuances of football, and you also need to have a firm grasp of tactical information.
How do you relate to your teammates? What are the requirements of the different positions on the pitch? How can you tell where you should maneuver yourself on the pitch at various points in the game? Soak up this information and leverage it to improve your skills. It’s also a good idea to watch a lot of professional football to learn how the game is played.
As you can see, a lot goes into increasing your football skills. Whether you want to play professionally or simply want to improve your skills and stay fit, the above recommendations will help you.
Football is the world’s most popular sport for a reason. If you want to improve, emulate what the pros do to elevate their abilities on the pitch.