Physical Skills Needed to Play Football

Football players have an assortment of physical skills that enable them to compete in a very tough sport. Due to the nature of football, the skills that allow a player to excel at one position may not serve him well at another. Coaches look for certain physical skills in players when trying to determine where a player has the best chance to be successful and help the football team.

While every player on a football team must have some degree of strength, the position that absolutely requires superior strength is the interior lines, on both offense and defense. The offensive line is charged with opening holes in the defense for running backs to exploit and with protecting the passer when he drops back to throw the football. The defensive line is fighting through blocks to tackle the runner, taking on two blockers at once in some situations, and trying to put pressure on the quarterback on passing downs. These players must have both upper body and lower body strength. Linebackers also need to be strong as defenses are often set up so that these players make the majority of the tackles, meaning offensive schemes will try to have them blocked on every running play.

The players that carry the ball and catch it are almost always the fastest runners on a football team with the exceptions of the defensive backs. All of these positions need to have foot speed, especially at the higher levels of football such as the National Football League and NCAA Division I. Speed is such an important factor in a running back, wide receiver, or cornerback that the NFL places a huge emphasis on the 40-yard dash time of these players. Receivers need to be able to get themselves open and then run once they have caught the football while running backs can use explosive speed to outrun the pursuing defenders once they break into the clear. Defensive backs need speed just so that they won't be caught in mismatches with the receivers they must cover and running backs they must tackle.

Football players as a rule are extremely agile, even the lineman that weigh in excess of 300 pounds. This agility can be translated for example into quick feet for offensive lineman that must drop back rapidly to protect the passer or pull from their normal spot on the field to lead running plays. The most agile players on a team will usually be the running backs, who use this physical skill to avoid being tackled or taking direct hits from players much larger than themselves. An agile quarterback is a huge asset since he can scramble around and buy time for his receivers to get open down the field. Receivers must have agility, with situations such as leaping along the sidelines, catching the ball and coming down with both feet inbounds call for such a skill.

The quarterbacks and the kickers need to have a strong arm and strong legs respectively. Frequently at the high school level the quarterback will also be his school's best baseball pitcher, as he will possess an arm capable of throwing a football on a line or a fastball past a hitter. The higher the level of football the more important arm strength becomes as passing games are predicated on a delivery to a certain spot that does not stay up in the air long enough for a defender to react to it. Punters, place kickers and the men that kick off in football all have great leg strength that can drive their foot through the football and send it great distances.

Often a football game will come down to which team's athletes can make plays in the passing game. This will invariably involve a receiver out-jumping a defensive back to make a crucial reception or the defensive player leaping up at the last instance to break up or intercept the pass. Jumping on the football field also comes into play when a defensive unit is trying to block a field goal or an extra point at the line of scrimmage.