Things You'll Need:
- Football
- People to practice with
- Time to practice
- A boy which can take stress
-
Step 1
Make practice simple. First, you need to do exactly what Hershel Walker did. You run up hills. You do a minimum of three sets of push-ups and sit-ups. And you do it all for months, not weeks or days. This builds up your strength. The next step in getting down the basics is teaming up with a more experienced football player. He need not be an expert, just someone who has played it before. Ask him about his strategies in practicing for the game, which can help yours.
-
Step 2
Use the Oklahoma. One practice drill you may not have heard about is the Oklahoma, a perfect way to experience the physical stress of football. Most of the time an Oklahoma is done in pads, as it is safer to do it so. It’s safest for most football drills to wear some kind of pads and helmet. The Oklahoma works like this: You have one football. Two players get down on the ground; one has a football in his hand. Both players get up—often in regular practice a whistle is used—and it comes down to who is stronger from the outset. The player without the football tries to tackle the one who does. The one with the football runs in a straight line towards the tackler. You alternate: different players hold the ball each time, but you need only two people. It’s for getting used to the pads, getting ready for the physical contact involved in tackling, and finding ways to break tackles.
-
Step 3
Stay flexible. Following an Oklahoma, you should do sprints and push-ups to stay flexible. The Oklahoma isn’t the end, however, because you need something you have probably been doing for a while—playing catch. Playing catch is a good wind down after a good workout. Even if you are a defensive linemen, it can be important for hand-eye coordination to get used to handling the ball. If you are a receiver, don’t just stand around playing catch—instead, run routes. If you are a quarterback you probably know what to do.
-
Step 4
Practicing heavy duty weightlifting. So you have been working out for a month or two, regularly practicing Oklahoma’s, and playing catch. The next step is heavy duty strength building. Strength is the one thing that will make you a starter on any football team. Start with a light exercise routine, one using smaller weights instead of heavy weights. Use 2 to 3 lb. weights for long periods doing continuous motions. For example, pick up two 3 lb. weights and make the same motion, like a curl, for several minutes using a clock. This is far better in building muscles than going right to the bench press. Real football strength is built over time.
-
Step 5
Understand football isn’t for everyone. As an endnote, football isn’t for everyone, but the challenge makes it more than worthwhile. It can teach the average athlete the basics in staying in shape and staying motivated. No other American sport is quite as physical—even hockey—and few are loved more.
