4 Habits that PROVE You're an Amateur Footballer

In this video I show you 4 of the most common habits players develop and how to fix them to improve your overall game. I hope you enjoy!

We all have blindspots we can't see. And by sharing some of the most common areas holding players back, maybe you'll identify some that you could improve in your own game. Some are easy fixes, and some will take more time and repetition to see results. Keep at it and let me know what areas you've looked to improve recently about your own game.

I hope you take some good lessons away from this one.

Cheers Folks,
Tony

Tag me in your videos & I may highlight you in a future breakdown @thefootballfolk

SOCIALS

#improveyourgame #footballtutorial #footballfolk

Chapters:
00:00 You Don't Have to be The Best Player
00:26 One - Improve your Awareness
01:47 Two - Prioritise Your Strengths
02:39 Three - Become A Good Team Mate
03:36 Four - Improve your Fitness

[tedcruzinusa]

I remember back when I was a teenager, there was a friend in school who was next level and made everything look easy. He said the hardest thing to master was not panicking when getting closed down. None of the other skills matter if you can't perform them under pressure.

[Synysterjmz]

The biggest thing for me that changed my game was the ability to slow the pace of things down in my head and just be calm in all situations. I’m 31 now and I’m a million times better than I ever was throughout my teens and early twenties, despite the slowly decreasing physical fitness. I’ve always been a strong powerful player, but I’ve always lacked the ability to have complete technique control under pressure. The moment I was able to essentially remain cool was the moment my passing, play, control, decision making, finishing etc all jumped up a couple of levels.
I think that’s the difference. Most of us who play football, or have throughout our lives, have the physical ability. It’s just whether you have the mental ability. Some people have it straight away, others develop it and some never get it.
I’ve also developed the ability to use my left side as effectively (in most situations) as my right, rather than being one footed. I have changed anything physically and the physical ability to use my lefts has always been there. It’s just the mental side that’s changed. It’s what I try and tell people these days is if you can improve the mental side of your game, the rest starts coming naturally.

[dfess]

The two main things I think I need to work on:
- decision-making
- composure
I think improving my awareness would feed into these, so I can know when I do and don't have time.

[ffffffelipe]

Damn. Great tips. I'm 33 (almost 34) and recently just got into playing football with some coworkers and while I do ok technically by myself, I'm not really good in matches because some of the aspects you just pointed out. Definitely gonna work on some of these! Thanks, you just earned a subscriber

[JustPhysix]

Exact How To's:
Improve Awareness:
1:18 Without ball
1:34 With a ball
Prioritize Strengths:
- Focus on improving your strengths
- Be aware of your weaknesses too
Mentality:
- Better and quicker to move through with teamates
- Need to learn how to use your technical skills (Carrying the team) at the right time.
Fitness:
- Strength Based Exercises = Power and Resiliency
- Flexibility and Cardio = Longevity in game

[SandeepKaur-pmky]

Underrated youtuber, he helps us to become a better baller! What a man!👍👍👍

[devinlittle]

As I get older (29 years old) I feel myself really trying to improve in areas like the ones listed in this video. I never played club football in my youth or any sort of casual/competitive football until I was 23, only social mess around football with my close friends who all played club football at semi-pro level. Luckily playing football with them in my youth taught me some basic technical skills and awareness. Between 23 and 25 I was always played as a destroyer in games (mainly 5's) due to the fitness I had from other sports and running, never really giving any chance to other kinds of more technical and awareness based styles of play. Once I started training on my own, analyzing my strengths and style of play I generally started to drift more into a midfield attack role/wide midfield role/SS role, keeping the good attributes I had from playing that defensive midfielder style but giving attention to awareness, recognition of space, link up play, playmaking and finishing. I knew I enjoyed these areas of football and often my football idols operated in these areas (Zidane, Pirlo, Matthaus, Lampard, Rivaldo, Baggio, Kaka, KDB to name a few), so I found myself often looking at how they play/played their game rather than seeing where the ball was going during the game all the time. I totally agree that one should look to improve their strengths and become the master of the art, most useful thing I have ever done is deeply understand what I am good at and what I am not. It will help those that are playing styles, positions and roles they simple do not fit. Makes football a much more enjoyable game overall!

[aarolive]

Love these tips!! A semi professional player once told me a couple of these as well! He also said that the key difference between the best and average is not often technique, strength, stamina, or speed but the time required to make a decision; those with great awareness and mentality minimize the their time required per action (although top class players also often have great technique to execute the actions they want to do).

[omnipotentcheese]

watching your own games back is tjhe most humbling experiance as we never get to see ourselves from the observer perspective, which is how we judge everybody else's game. Really makes you appreciate the speed of thought/awareness/execution of the pro game. Played against a solid semi pro group in a 6 a side game and left the pitch having felt like we had just tried to play 2 different sports

[evcricket]

I'm basically learning how to play football in my 40s. I've coached juniors and had a lot of practice passing and receiving, I play in the backs and that's mostly enough. I realised this week though that my dribbling is awful. As you say here, even just a few touches can really open things up, so I'm going to spend a lot more time training my dribbling. Get all the basics up to good standard, then focus on strengths.

[Zohaib-xm]

I'm about to give my training session for small space at home (for cb/cdm)

1. Cone Dribbling: Set up 4-5 cones in a straight line or zigzag. Dribble the ball through the cones using both feet. Focus on keeping the ball close to your feet and using quick, controlled touches.

2. Wall Passes: Find a wall to practice against. Stand about 5-10 yards away and pass the ball against the wall, then receive it back. Try to use one touch to control it each time. You can also practice different types of passes (inside foot, outside foot) and vary the distance.

3. Footwork Ladder: If you have a ladder or can create one with tape or cones on the ground, practice your footwork. Do quick steps in and out of the ladder, focusing on agility and speed. This will help improve your movement on the pitch.

4. Ball Juggling: Practice juggling the ball with your feet, thighs, and head. This helps improve your touch and control. Try to keep the ball in the air for as long as possible, using different parts of your body.

5. Defensive Positioning: Use a cone as an imaginary opponent. Practice your defensive stance by moving side to side, maintaining a low center of gravity, and working on your footwork as if you're marking an opponent

6. Change of direction:set up a few markers and practice changing direction quickly while dribbling use techniques like step over or feint
7. Speed dribbling:find a space where you can run with the ball practice dribbling at speed while keeping the ball close to your feet.

Minmum for each exersize is 2 minutes I do 3 minutes

Maybe I'll add some for the other position who knows just ask

[thefootballfolk]

What areas of your game are you looking to improve this year? ⚽️

[nafiz]

For awareness i keep looking left right behijd quickly just havjng a quick glance without really procesding the info resulting in me basically not really scanning the pitch but just having a quick glance😅

[ogenyoussef]

These are great tips for me as a U14 recreational defender who got rejected from the school team, but also great tips for me as a coach/manager to my U10 little brother. I’ve been able to upgrade my own and my little brother’s skill sets, and these videos are a great help! However, he has asthma, and he wants to improve his stamina, so could you perhaps give some tips about training as a footballer with a condition?

[videosrus]

3:30 That goal by Jack Wilshere against Norwich was a real team goal. Speed of thought, speed of passing. Unforgettable!

[ColorMeMozart]

Great vid! I’ve had to work on awareness on the pitch and looking over my shoulder. It’s helped a lot and I enjoy playing more and more as I get better.

[whattavakoli]

Decision making, when to dribble when to shoot, when to pass, aware of space and recognize situations

[powasjington]

I think being calm and consistent is a big factor too. Obviously, the technical skills take hours upon hours to master, but to be able to execute them with consistency in pressure situations requires a ton of self-confidence.

[gregpestell]

Nice to see Eastbourne, Wellington as the backdrop for global footy content. I've played many games at Bishop Park (in Eastbourne), affectionately known as the Postage Stamp because it's so small. Liked your video Tony...

[DeadlyBrianX]

I play in goal, yet in scrimmages when playing as a field player I am one of the sharpest looking players because I simply look behind me. It’s amazing how almost no one does that quick action and yet makes all the difference. Heck I rarely even train with my footwork.