Improve your game

Do you love playing football and want to improve your game? Or maybe you just want to get in better shape or improve your overall level of health. Well, whatever your physical aim may be, here are some different fitness techniques that can help you get fitter or improve your skill in football.

Note: Warming up is a vital part of any work out. If you plan to use any of the following exercises, make sure you warm up properly first.

Specific Exercises

Football is a sport that requires a variety of different strengths and different levels of endurance and stamina. Some of the most important areas of fitness include: fast sprinting speed, good muscle flexibility and good coordination between your eyes, body, and brain.

1. The following is a good exercise to increase your acceleration and speed for sprinting. First, set up three markers, the second being fifteen meters from the first and the third placed six meters from the second. Start by laying flat on your stomach at the first marker, push off as you stand up and begin running to the second. When you get to the second marker turn back and return to the first running as fast as possible the entire way. After returning to the first marker use a football and dribble as you sprint to the third marker and return once more.

Repeat this exercise after a three minute break and then again after an additional seven minute break. Be careful not to overdo it though, this exercise should only be used once every three days at most since it takes a lot out of you and never do it the day before a match.

2. As with most sports a lot of people forget to stretch their muscles prior to a game. Ignoring this vital step is what causes a lot of needless injuries. After a light warm up stretch by yourself or with a partner focusing on your upper-rear leg muscles (hamstrings), your upper-front leg muscles (quadriceps) and your lower-rear leg muscles (calves). However, while focusing on the legs don't neglect to stretch the rest of your body since football requires extremely fast bursts of muscle use during a game which can make any part of your body vulnerable.

Stretching before a game is not the only important opportunity to protect your muscles though. Anytime you are standing still, such as when you're discussing game plans with other teammates or during time-outs, try to continue stretching your arms, legs and back while standing. Last but not least, after the game, even though you're going to be extremely tired try to do some final stretching before you go to the after game party to celebrate.

3. In the game of football, coordination between the eyes, body and brain can be one of the most influential factors on a person's game. Many times our eyes see a ball passing us on the field but before our body has time to react it has already passed us by. The next sets of exercises are designed to improve your coordination, especially with that of your legs, and help avoid unnecessary interceptions. To perform the next routines you need to use rope or chalk to make six half-meter squares on the ground like the following diagrams.

Doing these leg patterns a few times a week should really improve and maintain your coordination on the field.

Using the above techniques will not only help your football skills but also keep you fit and full of energy. But remember, staying in good physical condition and maintaining the fine art of football expertise requires, above all, good self-discipline. So if you're serious about keeping up and improving your skills then stick to a weekly fitness schedule. Good luck to you and your fitness future.

Fans treated to classic game
Edited by Kent



Doug Gilmour (right) and Nick Kypreos (left) joke around during the Hockey Legends Classic game, Saturday.

In Toronto on Saturday three stars of the NHL, Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy accepted their Hockey Hall of Fame blazers and then played what may be the only hockey game of this year held at the Air Canada Center featuring NHL stars. The three defensemen were inducted into the Hall of Fame on Monday night. But first they took part in the Hockey Hall of Fame Legends Classic game, a lighthearted competition between former greats of the National Hockey League.

More than 15,000 fans showed up to observe the Expansion stars (a team consisting of Hall of Fame members) go head to head with the Original Six (another team made up of Hall of Fame members) in a sort of silly game that seemed to stress humor more than hard hitting. The three newest editions to the Hall of Fame joined the fun during the second period to help defeat the Original Six team 9-7.

With a little history on the new members of the Hockey hall of Fame, in case you aren't familiar with them, Bourque played 23 seasons for the Boston and Colorado teams. He holds a variety of different impressive career records, such as for defensemen in goals scored (410), assisted goals scored (1,169) and total points (1,579). Also, he was ranked eighth for the overall choice in the 1979 player draft, he won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie and won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman- five times!

Next is Coffey, who places second behind Bourque in goals scored (396), assist goals scored (1,135) and total points (1,531) by a defenseman. He won the Norris Trophy three times as the league's best defenseman. Also he was a key player on three championship teams in Edmonton and one team in Pittsburgh.

Last and least, in this case, comes Murphy who ranks second "all-time", for games played by a defenseman (1,615) and fifth "all-time" for points scored (1,216). Another look at his previous records show that he won two Stanley Cups when he was playing with Pittsburgh and two more when he was with the Detroit Red Wings.

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