Football tips: Improve your posture, Improve your level of play

From our friends at Crossover Symmetry, here’s a very quick primer on posture and the role it plays in athletic performance.

The things we do in our modern-day lifestyles — whether it’s hunching over our desks at work or slouching on the sofa in front of the TV — can lead to poor shoulder posture. We roll our shoulders forward, and that can lead to problems down the road in sports.

That’s true in football, where shoulder and upper back strength are important.

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Poor posture equals poor mechanics. For quarterbacks, you won’t be able to get the most out of your throwing motion, and, at worst, you can injure your shoulders.

So how do you avoid it?

Perform regular stretches and exercises to counterbalance your forward posture.

The primer includes a few examples to help. Those stretches and exercises keep the muscles in your shoulder girdle strong and tension-free, which will keep your shoulders in prime condition.

Related: Keep your shoulders in top condition with a pair of Crossover Symmetry Cross Cords.

Football tips: Cornerback drills, techniques and mentality with Lito Sheppard

Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard gives some pointers on playing cornerback, from footwork to reading quarterback drops and press coverage.

Related: Show our selection of Adidas football gear.

Football tips: Reggie Bush’s offseason training

It’s mid-November, which means that the football season is already over for some folks around the country.

If your football season is already over, it’s almost time to start putting in the work to train and prepare for next year. To help you get started, here’s a short video with Reggie Bush explaining how he approaches offseason training.

Related: Step up your game with our selection of football training aids.

Football tips: Speed training on a treadmill

Sometimes inclement weather can put a damper on practice.

If it’s too snowy/rainy/cold/slippery/whatever to do your speedwork outside, here’s a pretty clever way to still get in a workout. It’s a short video from Stack, featuring Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley.

In the video, Woodley demonstrates a speed training workout on a treadmill.

One note of emphasis: Keep your knees up, like Woodley is doing. If you accidentally drag part of your shoe on the belt of the treadmill, it could get ugly.

Related: Make sure to wear a quality pair of trainers when you do your speedwork.