What You Need to Play Football

Overview

The game of football takes a lot of physical strength, mental strength, cardiovascular strength and agility. Not to mention, this all needs to be seen while tackling, jumping, and getting hit from all directions. But all of this physicality doesn't amount to anything if you don't have what it takes to play the game. There are certain things that you need before stepping on to the field. Some of them are worn on the body and others are performed by the body.

Step 1

Protect your head. The head is a very important part of the body to protect during a football game because of the high-velocity collisions and contact that goes on. For this reason, a helmet is worn along with a face mask and mouthpiece to protect the teeth.

Step 2

Stay healthy. You cannot have any chronic joint injuries or conditions where you cannot take hits or cannot run for long periods of time. There are also some skills that can be beneficial for playing football such as balance, agility, speed and power.

Step 3

Keep the private area covered. A jock strap with a cup is another piece of equipment that is worn to protect the genital area. This is especially important because there are a lot of arms and legs flailing in the air when there are pileups.

Step 4

Protect the rest of the body. A uniform is worn that comes with a jersey and pants. Shoulder pads are worn under the jersey and there are inserts in the pants for pads that protect the thighs, hips, knees and tailbone. Spikes are worn on the feet to get good traction.

Step 5

Throw in some accessories. There are a few other pads that are also sometimes worn to further protect the body. These include elbow pads, neck collars, forearm pads and gloves.