If you want to play at an elite level in any sport then you need to be training hard before your season starts. Preseason training will help improve speed-strength agility balance coordination and most importantly fitness! So let’s dive deeper into the steps you need to follow for becoming a top-notch football player.
Strength & Conditioning
If your body can perform at its best during pre-season then that will only help you in training throughout the year. You need to ensure that if you’re going to play football professionally you have to work hard on building up strength and conditioning. This means getting into shape before the start of the season and being able to run around after matches without feeling tired. It also helps when trying to improve fitness levels by running faster than normal and increasing stamina through sprints.
Mental Preparation
Being mentally prepared for each match is just as important as physical preparation. Your mind needs to know exactly what you want out of the game and why you are doing certain things. When preparing for games, you should set goals that are realistic but challenging enough to push you towards success. For example, if you want to score more often, setting targets like scoring three times in one half would be too easy. However, if you wanted to win 5–0 against your local rivals, having a target like winning 7–0 might seem unrealistic, but it’ll definitely put pressure on them and force them to step their game up.
Match Fitness
As mentioned above, working on your pre-match fitness is essential. A lot of players tend to overlook this aspect because they think ‘I’m fit’ therefore don’t feel any need to train harder. But even if you’ve been training regularly over the summer months, you still need to focus on improving your endurance and speed ahead of the first few weeks of the season.
Teamwork Skills
Whether you’re playing for fun or competing in tournaments among the best college football teams of all time, teamwork skills are vital. In order to succeed you need to learn how to communicate effectively with teammates and understand where everyone else fits within the team structure. Learning these skills early on in life will give you the confidence to lead others and show leadership qualities later down the line.
Goal Setting
Before starting off the season, you need to decide who you want to beat and why. Set specific goals based on those reasons and see how far you get!
Communication Skills
Having effective communication skills is key to succeeding in both schools and in football. Knowing how to talk to different types of people is crucial to your development and understanding of other cultures. Understanding the importance of listening as well as speaking clearly can really benefit you as a person and a footballer.
Playing Style
Every coach has his own style of coaching and teaching. Some prefer to teach technical aspects, while some concentrate on tactical knowledge. Whatever way you choose to approach learning, it’ll ultimately depend on whether you enjoy the subject. So take note of which type of teacher suits you best and stick to that method.
Self Improvement
There comes a point when you realize you aren’t progressing fast enough and need to change tactics. Don’t worry about changing coaches, instead, look at ways you can improve yourself. By taking part in extra sessions outside of practice, you can gain valuable experience and develop further.
Coaching Staff
Finally, remember that not everything happens overnight. Even though you may be performing brilliantly, sometimes you won’t progress quickly enough to reach your potential. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep striving for greatness reaching your full potential anymore. That’s okay though; we all go through phases where we stop growing. Instead of focusing on the negatives, look back on everything you’ve learned and use that information to move forward.
Personality Traits
These traits include determination, patience, self-control, and motivation. All four of these characteristics are needed to achieve anything worthwhile in life. They can either hinder or aid progress depending on the situation. Therefore, developing these personality traits must come naturally to avoid putting unnecessary stress on yourself.
Hard Work
Footballers usually spend hours upon hours practicing alone. With thousands of similar players across the country, it takes dedication and commitment to stand out from the crowd. To reach your highest level, you need to dedicate 100% of your energy and effort to achieving your goal.
Commitment
Many footballers fail due to a lack of commitment. Without discipline, nothing will ever change. Even if you have talent, you won’t amount to much unless you commit yourself fully to whatever task you undertake.
