Posts Tagged high school
Football Scholarships – 5 Common Mistakes
There is a proven system that will help get you recruited to play college football. Season after season the high school athletes that sign scholarships made the right decisions that placed them above the competition. There is also a wrong way to go through this process and it is the main reason you see talented football players sitting at home in the fall after they graduate.
Here are 5 common mistakes football players make when getting recruited:
- Only wanting to play big-time DI football. Some athletes let their ego get in the way of evaluating their true talent. There is nothing wrong with wanting to play at a top level school but these athletes are very few, less than 1 in 100. If you are not one of these, don’t limit your choices and shut the door on other opportunities.
- Believing everything a college coach says. Football recruiting is a game. The competitive nature of the sport makes for a live or die situation for coaches because their job often depends on it. They will string athletes along until a better player shows up right up until signing day. You as an athlete need to play the game on the coaches level and determine the true level of interest from a college coach.
- Getting a recruiting letter and thinking schools are interested. Thousands of letters are sent out by each college. These letters do not initially mean anything. What you choose to do with them from there is up to you. Some athletes will receive dozens of letters from a football program but never receive so much as a phone call from a coach. The process needs to be initiated by you to increase success.
- Not willing to play other positions. Coaches often look less at what position your currently play and look at you more as an athlete that can fit into their system of play. Too many athletes think they are only a receiver, not a defensive back, or only want to be a tight end and not an offensive tackle. You must be willing to play wherever and whenever to increase your opportunities.
- Giving up during the recruiting process. The recruiting season can be tedious, stressful and hard on your confidence. Those athletes who make it are not afraid to get turned down by colleges. They keep on searching and fighting for recognition from colleges even if they have not yet been rewarded with an offer.
You can play football in college and earn a scholarship. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes and take a no-holds-barred approach to your recruiting. You have worked too hard up to this point to let it slip away because of mistakes you make off the field towards recruiting.
Tags: coaches, college, college football, football, football player, football players, football recruit, football recruiting, football scholarship, football scholarships, high school, play college football, recruited, recruiting, scholarship, scholarshipsRelated posts
Football Scholarships in America – What You Should Be Doing Now to Get a Scholarship
There is no doubt that America loves football. Football scholarships in America are sought after by thousands of football players from around the country and even from foreign players hoping to make it to the United States. To make sure you give yourself an edge over your competition, here are a few things you should be doing.
1. Keep A Journal
Start keeping a record of all your accomplishments in football. You should write everything down as it happens. Believe it or not, you may simply forget about that night you ran for 150 yards when you are writing your athletic resume three years later. Football scholarships in America are very competitive, you need to track all the times you rose above your competition on the field.
2. Get Video Footage
If you have a great game, talk to your coaches about getting a copy of the game on film. Most likely a member of the coaching staff is responsible for game footage.
3. Get Evaluated
There are evaluation camps available in most parts of the country. Try to get to one and get evaluated. These evaluations are very nice to have when you start contacting college coaches.
4. Know Your Vitals
It’s important to know you key athletic measurements. What is your maximum bench press, squat, 40 yard dash, vertical jump, etc. It’s better to have these vitals before a coach actually asks you about them.
As I mentioned earlier, thousands of high school players are your direct competition for football scholarships in America. Once you the four items mentioned above accomplished, it’s time to start contacting college coaches. Most coaches don’t have huge recruiting budgets, so hearing from prospective players is a welcomed event for most college coaches.
Don’t let the football scholarships in America opportunity pass you by. Take control of your own recruiting process now and make it happen for you.
Tags: coaches, college, college coaches, football, football player, football players, football scholarship, football scholarships, high school, recruiting, scholarship, scholarshipsRelated posts
Enhancing High School Football Team Routines
Catching the ball high
As a receiver, or any player that is going to catch a pass, you know that not all passes are going to go right to the chest. Here are some simple steps when making a high catch: Make a diamond with their forefingers and thumbs. When you try to catch the ball with your body there is a greater chance that it is going to bounce off and cause an incomplete pass. Important Tip: never, ever, under any circumstances, for any reason, take your eyes off the ball; even after you have caught it watch the ball until you know that it is safely in your grips. Some receivers fear an oncoming tackle and want to check out the field as soon as possible, those receivers that follow the catch with their eyes are going to catch more and receive more playing time.
Points on tackling safely and effectively
It has been stated many times that a defensive teams win games, and the most fundamental part of a defensive team is performing a great tackle. Tackling can be fun and exhilarating, but done improperly and it can be dangerous. When you tackle your opponent remember three important steps:
First, you need to stop the opponent quickly so make sure to place yourself directly in front of the opponent’s path. Plant your cleats in the grass squarely in front and in the middle, bisecting the player in half. At the same time you want to bring your arms back in anticipation for the next phase.
Second you want to bring your other foot into the mix, and at the same time throw your arms up and around your opponent. As your feet plants your head should be making its first contact. Never, ever, ever tackle with the top of your head down, keep it up and square against your opponent. Tell yourself, or your players to imagine that they are biting the football.
The third and last step is to bring your hips up and drive the opponent backwards and towards the ground. The squarer you are in the first step the easier it will be to perform the third step.
Up Downs Conditioning Drill
Out of all of the football conditioning drills up downs is one of the most popular. This drill consists of having players run in place as fast and as hard as they can. Then at random a coach will yell, “down” or blow a whistle at which the players must dive to the ground do a push up and then jump back into running in place. Because this drill can be very taxing, it is important to increase the time spent at this slowly over time as the player’s strength increases.
Ball security: The Gauntlet Drill
Ball security, preventing fumbles and turnovers is perhaps the most important skill the offensive team can have. Quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers should work on this skill constantly. One drill that has been used several times to improve ball security is called the gauntlet drill. This drill is set up with one ball carrier, there objective is to run through a group of opponents that try to knock the ball out. Each of the defenders can line up in any way making the ball carrier run any sort of patterns with the ball, the point is to pose a challenge to hold onto the ball. Make sure to take the drill slow at first, and to also have the ball carrier hold the ball in several differing positions.
Tags: football, football conditioning, football conditioning drills, football team, high school, high school football, quarterback, quarterbacksRelated posts