Football is a game that is played between two teams having eleven players each with other reserve players and officials sitting on the reserve bench. The standard game of football normally last for 90 minutes, with additional time usually given for extra time. An important aspect of the game is the presence of the center referee who is usually appointed by the relevant football authority.

Duties of a center referee?

Ensures that security is provided for match officials
The presence of security personnel is always recommended in all games played across the globe. This provision is usually enforced by the center referee, who may decide to delay the start of the game when security of match official cannot be guaranteed by the football authority.

Inspection of players equipment
It is the duty of the center referee and his colleagues to inspect the player equipment to ensure that they conform to the standard allowed. Football booths that have sharp studs are usually not permitted. Again, the jersey of both teams must be distinct in color to avoid confusion on the field of play. Players are normally not allowed to wear jewelry and hand bangles.

Allow the free flow of play during a game
When a player is injured during the course of a game, the center referee may at his own discretion, allow play to continue by playing advantage to the team involved. The free flow of play is vital to the game, as frequent stoppage may result to the game becoming uninteresting. If the advantage given is not utilized, he may now stop the game momentarily to allow medical attention to be given to the injured player.

Restart the game
A game of football may be stopped due to injury, fouls, encroachment on the field of play and other incident which may occur during regulation time. It is the duty of the match official to restart the game via the required means. The game can be started via-direct free kick, indirect free kick, penalty kick, throw in, corner kick, goal kick or drop ball.

Keeps track of the match
The match official is the ultimate time keeper and recorder of all events on the field of play. This is normally done with the aid of a stop watch and a writing pad. Events such as substitutions, cautions, sending offs and goals scored are usually documented.

It is also his duty to ensure that match officials maintain a minimum distance from the field of play while ditching out instruction to their players. The decision to abandon a match due to one reason or the other usually lies with the match official in collaboration with both teams and football authorities.

Over the course of a football season, players will experience a decline in strength and power without continued strength training. This obviously will affect performance on the field so continuation of the strength program throughout the season is crucial for success.

Ten years ago, in-season weight lifting programs were mostly non-existent at the high school level. Strength training at the college level was done only one to two times a week, and usually after practice. Traditional programs emphasized higher reps with less weight because the players were already exhausted from practice by the time they hit the weight room. With what we know now about periodization and hitting your peak prior to the start of the season, why go back to light weight and high reps?

Many high school and college football programs are now using a system that keeps the weight and intensity level high, and the reps low to maintain strength and power throughout the season. High intensity, lower volume workouts are the best way to maintain what the athletes worked so hard for over the summer. Many schools have added strength training classes during the school day, or athletes have access to the weight room prior to school allowing for training without practice fatigue.

Here is a sample program:

Day 1 : (3×4)

Squats

Explosive deadlift with a shrug

Military Press

Day 2 : (3×4)

Power Clean

Bench Press

Glute / Ham or RDL (3×8)

Day 3 : (3×8)

Power Squat

Power Bench

Core work

This is what a typical in-season program would look like with lower volume because time is limited, but with high intensity for optimum strength and power. If your schedule will allow for a third day of training, use lighter weights but perform the exercises explosively. Note also that this schedule includes mostly compound movements to work multiple muscle groups in a minimal amount of time.

Be sure to alter the program for a week or two during the season to prevent plateaus, and to make the program more exciting for your athletes. For example, three weeks and six use plyometric training or explosive medicine ball drills in place of weight training. Combination lifts are another excellent option. Examples would include a front squat into an overhead press, hang clean into a front squat, and a dumbbell deadlift into a bent row. Be creative during these weeks because any change in the stimulus to the muscles will help prevent plateaus and complacency.

During the season, safety in the weight room also needs to be stressed with the athletes. When lifting with heavier weights and low reps, a spotter is required. Athletes also need to understand the importance of hitting the proper number of repetitions to maintain their strength levels. Using too much weight, relying on the spotter to complete the reps, and using poor technique could all lead to injury. Nor will it produce the desired results.

With more time allotted to strength training during the school day, be sure to take advantage of these advanced training techniques to keep your strength and power levels up throughout the season. You'll see a difference in your performance especially at the end of the season.

Now that you have matured as a lineman, you need to learn some advanced techniques to become a better player! My first technique for offensive lineman is to cut block. Cut blocking is great for pass plays. It can also be used if the defensive player you are blocking is getting away. To cut block, you dive and hit the player with your shoulder pads; this will slow them down. Another offensive technique is to kick step.

Kicksteps are used to turn away defenders from the direction the runner is going to go. It can create holes for the runner to get through. To kickstep, you grab the players shoulder pads, like any block, and kick your foot to the opposite direction the runner or other player is going to end up.

My first defensive technique is to stem out. Stemming out can cause the offense to jump and confuse them. You stem when the opposing team comes up to the line and the qaurter back makes his first call. You simply take a small step to the right or left, deppending on the defensive play you are doing. Another defensive technique is to push the offensive tackles out. You do this when the other team is likely to punt, usually on fourth down. The defensive ends go into the line and push the offensive tackles out, letting linebackers have easy access to the offensive side of the ball.

I hope these advanced lineman techniques will help you become an expert lineman! Visit our website to see more helpful tips and tricks in our ebook. Go to the link below to visit our website!

Few quarterbacks even come close to the career numbers that the great Dan Marino was able to put up during his career. He began his career in 1983 and retired following the 1999 season. He played each of his years in the National Football League with the Miami Dolphins and when he retired he held most of the major passing records. He is known for a lot of things, including being one of the best quarterbacks ever.

Early in his career, Marino and the Dolphins made it to the Super Bowl, only to lose. He would never again make it back to the game despite the lengthy career he had. Marino threw 420 touchdown passes during his career, but who were his favorite receivers?

The player who caught the most touchdown passes from Marino was wide receiver Mark Clayton with 79. This works out to nearly twenty percent of all of the touchdown passes he threw during his career.

The player in second place on this list is longtime Dolphins wide receiver Mark Duper with 55. The teaming up of Mark Duper and Mark Clayton with Dan Marino made the Dolphins an exciting team to watch.

In third place with 25 touchdown receptions from Marino is wide receiver OJ McDuffie who spent the 1990s with the team.

Nat Moore was a veteran receiver when Marino came to the team in the early 1980s. He is fourth on the list with 24 touchdown receptions.

Rounding out the top five players in terms of touchdown receptions for this great quarterback is Jim Jensen with 19.

I am a former NFL Quarterback that played for the Buffalo Bills and today I want to talk about Quarterback training. Specifically about Quarterback Speed ​​related to playing football.

I recently spoke with my good friend and former college roommate at Northern Michigan University Steve Mariucci. He was one of the commentators on the NFL Network that that was making comments about how fast or slow the quarterbacks were at the NFL Combine.

He stated qb speed is not as important at the NFL level as it is in high school and college. He did say what is important for Quarterbacks is there ability to have enough speed and quickness to move in the pocket and if necessary to make a blitzing linebacker or a defensive lineman miss you on a pass rush!

In the NFL with the amount of money they are paying quarterbacks, Matt Ryan a rookie got over 50 Million Dollars in 2008, you can not have your qb running the spread offense and running the ball! Yes you need to throw out of the shotgun, but there is no owner in the NFL wants there starting qb running the spread option like Tim Tebow.

If you look at the list of quarterbacks below you will notice the top four quarterbacks that will be drafted in the NFL 2009 upcoming football draft Stafford, Sanchez, Freeman and Davis not one of them has blazing speed! But they all can make defensive players miss and can move in the pocket!

Fastest Quarterback:

1. Pat White from West Virginia 4.5
2. Steven McGee from Texas A&M 4.58
3. Mike Reiley from Central Washington 4.71
4. Rhett Bomar from Sam Houston State 4.72
5. Matthew Stafford from Georgia 4.81
6. John Parker Wilson from Alabama 4.85
7. Mark Sanchez from USC 4.88
8. Nate Davis from Ball State 4.93
9. Josh Freeman from Kansas State 4.95
10. Chase Holebrook from New Mexico State 5.05

For more Quarterback Coaching Information go to the website listed below.

I am a retired NFL player and I was a lineman. In this article I am going to explain what you need to do to become a lineman in the NFL.

First of all, to be an NFL a lineman you must have heart and passion as this is the most important part of being a NFL lineman. Heart and passion for the game and winning is more important than size and strength. Good looks will not help you but looking mean will help (that's a joke).

The average lineman is 6'0 "to 6'8" tall and weighs 290 to 350 lbs and all NFL lineman fall into this range. If you are 5'8 "and 165 lbs, being an NFL lineman is not in your genes or your future. I have always felt that linemen are football's blue collar workers. We perform the hard dirty work that must be done for the team to be successful but we almost never receive any glory. While quarterbacks and wide receivers get all the attention, we do all the hard hitting and our bodies take the most physical stress and damage.

To be an NFL lineman, you absolutely must work on your strength. While you are in high school and college, it is essential that you work continuously with strength coaches. There are three cores areas of the body that you must work on. These are your upper body, your midsection and your lower body. You should work very hard on these three core areas if you want to make it to the NFL. You also must work harder than everybody else. Getting into the NFL is extremely competitive. To make it to the NFL, you must work harder than everyone else. While natural talent is helpful, I have found that the players who make it to the NFL are almost always the players that work the hardest on and off the field to be the absolute best at their position.

Here are the field techniques you must master to be a successful lineman:

1. Work on and perfect your stance. You need to have a stance that gives you the most power and gives you the most speed at the point of attack.

2. Work on the speed of your take-off. Take-off speed for a lineman is extremely important because it is almost always the lineman that strikes first that has the advantage.

3. Work on staying low to the ground in your stance and take-off because the lower you are the more power and leverage you will generate. Also, when your center of gravity is low, it makes it easier for you to keep your balance and not be knocked over. Remember, the lowest player always wins.

4. Hand placement is extremely important and you should always focus on getting your hands on the breast plate of your opponent as this gives you more control and power over your opponent. You will find that the best linemen are the ones that have the best hand placement on their opponent.

5. You must work on your first step as a lineman. Your first step should always be only 6 inches because if your first step is too long, the advantage goes to your opponent and you don't want that. So remember, keep the first step of your take-off short.

6. Learn to finish every play and never give up on a play until you hear the whistle blow. The best NFL players NEVER stop playing until the whistle blows.

And remember, it does not matter if you play defense or offense, lineman are all a part of the same family. Work hard and I hope to see you playing in the NFL.

The position of the kicker on any football team whether in the NFL or little league is not a position that is very glamorous like say a wide receiver. This is sad because many time the kicker is the one person who's hands (or feet) the game might fall into in the last seconds of a very intense game. Don't believe me? Just check out the Scott Norwood missed field Goal attempt in Super Bowl XXV.

Yes indeed kickers are much more important than we could ever imagine. They are responsible for a large sum of any teams totals points in many games. Just imagine a team who has a kicker that misses all of it's extra point attempts. Now that would undoubtedly be pretty unsuccessful team to say the very least. I can not count the number of games that I have watched played in the NFL where a kicker had a chance to kick one final field goal that could either spell ultimate victory or defeat for a team.

So just why are kickers so under appreciated? I mean after all they are responsible for doing the one job that no one else actually has the skill to do. I mean the game is called football. I think it has to do with the fact that it is the safest position. Kickers do not get sacked very often, they are not on the field that much, they do not have to do much other than kick filed goals and punts.

All in all I think that I would not mind being a kicker in the NFL, especially considering the hefty paychecks that they receive. I would be just fine with no glory at all, as long as get my check!

A question was asked of me recently about a specific product. The question was: Does Herbalife protein powder build muscle? I will answer this question so that you can learn if this product can be good for you when it comes to building muscle. Protein is the main nutrient needed to gain muscle. When you workout you are creating microscopic tears in your tissue. By ingesting protein you are speeding up the healing process thereby allowing you to build strength fast.

The answer to does Herbalife protein powder build muscle is YES. You see this product is a fat free supplement that has 5 grams of soy and whey protein and all of the 9 essential amino acids. The main things that this protein does are: satisfy and control hunger, support adequate protein intake with a low fat source of protein, and build and maintain lean mass. Everything that is needed for growth is in this supplement. The best thing about this protein is that it not only has whey protein which is in normal supplements, but also has soy protein which helps your muscle differently. By taking this anywhere from 1 to 4 times a day you are going to be doing the right thing towards helping you build muscle.

Now of course you must workout as well as take the protein powder. If you don’t then obviously you will not get the results. Does Herbalife protein powder build muscle was such a good question to be asked of me. It allowed me to take a deeper look at this product and inform people who might be considering purchasing this supplement. Take this and you will be taking step one in the right direction.

As far as good soccer experience is concerned, make sure you know the importance of soccer cleats. After all, a pair that is well-maintained will last a lot longer than one that has not been maintained well. With this in mind, given below are a few tips that can help you get the most out of your pair. Read on to find out more.

Before practice

It's a good idea to put important items, such as putty knife and popsicle sticks in your bag. These tools can help you keep your soccer cleats clean while you are on the ground, especially if the ground is muddy. This is because giving your best on a muddy surface is a difficult task. Aside from these items, you can also include a towel.

Before you go to a field, make sure you don't put those soccer cleats on. As a matter of fact, walking on a solid surface can cause your soccer cleats to wear faster.

After Practice

On grass fields, your soccer cleats may not catch a lot of dirt. After use, make sure you follow the upkeep tips. This can save you plenty of time over the long haul as you won't have to scrub them hard later on.

As soon as the mud dries out, you can clap the soccer cleats together to remove the leftover debris and dirt.

When in home, you may put on a pair of slides or sandals. Actually, they are a great choice since they can be easily put on and taken off when wearing socks and shin guards. Moreover, they are a bit airy as well.

Cleaning Technique

If you clean your soccer cleats on a regular basis, they will stay in great condition for a long haul. If you want to clean them properly, make sure you remove the insole and the laces. You can wash them one by one with water and soap. Before you put them on, make sure they are dry.

To properly clean the uppers, you can mix cool water with a bit of hand soap. For soapy water, you can use a soft-bristled brush to give a good scrub. Any residual soap can be wiped off with a damp cloth.

It's not a good idea to submerge the soccer cleats in water because they may get damaged. In the same way, it's not a good idea to use hot water. Afterwards, you may want to clean them thoroughly.

Stud Replacement

If your soccer cleats come with detachable studs, make sure you check them after each use. When they start to wear down, you may want to buy a new pair. For better traction during play, you can use fresh studs.

Long story short, if you have a favorite pair of soccer cleats that is expensive too, we suggest that you follow the cleaning tips given in this article. This way you can rest assured that your pair will stand the test of time, and you won't have to replace them anytime soon.

Introduction: As the FIFA 2010 has kicked off on June 11, 2010 at South Africa, there is a great feeling of euphoria and excitement all over the world about the games that encompasses the planet earth through media, news channels, news papers and Television sets. We all love football and in India too there is a great fervor among the populace to watch the game even though Indian football team has never qualified for the biggest football event of the World. We all adore our heroes, the demi-gods like Pele, Maradona, Beckham, Ronaldo, Kaka, Wayne Rooney and many others. Looking closely at the game and how the players are positioned, their role on the football stadium and the way the game proceeds, one cannot help but find a great metaphor of Life in it. That’s what this article is all about. It is a humble dedication and salutation to the greatest and most popular games of the world.

The Field: Soccer game is played on a field of 90 to 120 meters length and 45 to 90 meters of width. On both sides we see the goal posts. Your team which includes 11 players will be aiming to score a goal in the opposite goal post. The opposite team would be trying to defend that and rather counter attacking your goal post to score a goal. In life to you have to have goals. Your aim is to score goals. You cannot sit passively and watch while the outside circumstances counter attack you and make one goal after the other pushing you on the back foot. You got to be proactive. You got defend sometimes but also attack. You got to know where you have to reach, where you have to score a goal. Your goals are like the lighthouse for the ship which helps them to steer on the right path. Remember we are all placed on the soccer field by the Lord Almighty. We all are players on the field, we have to play our part, and we have to be proactive and know our aims and do everything to reach our goals. Then our life becomes exciting, and then we find meaning to this life. So that’s the first metaphorical lesson we glean from the soccer game. We are all players on the field of life and we have to score goals. We have to be proactive about our goals.

Positions: As the soccer games kicks off, the 11 players of a team are positioned on the field according to the various roles they play. We can learn a lot of things from the different positions they take and the various roles they play on the soccer field.

Goalie: Near the goal post is placed the goalie, who plays one of the most important role in a soccer game. He is there to defend the goals that opponent team hits in the net. Usually he has developed the special ability, alacrity and alertness to prevent the opposite team from hitting a goal in the net. He is like the compound wall around our houses that prevents trespassers. In life we have to play the role of a goalie when it comes to guarding ourselves from being hit by negative thoughts. Our minds are like the goal post. The outer circumstances, people and events can try to impregnate our minds with negative thoughts. We should play the role of a Goalie at such times and see that our minds are not invaded by the thoughts that can pull us down and demoralize us. What happens to a team whose Goalie is not able to defend the goals being put in the net. The team is weakened and its focus from scoring goals is switched to defending goals. It is demoralized and is rapidly moving toward defeat. That’s exactly the picture of a person who does defend himself or herself from negative thoughts. He or she will be weakened and will divert from his or her goals of pursuing excellence and succumb to defeat in life. So playing the role of a goalie in life is very important, we should know to defend ourselves from negative thoughts.

Back positioned Players: In the game of Soccer, the Goalie is not the only one who defends the goals. There are some players positioned at the back like the Centre Fullback, Left-Right Fullback and the Wingback who also help in defending and marking and attacking the Forward players from the opposite team. The roles that these players positioned at the back play, is the role that reminds us that in life many times it is important to be on the back foot and whenever the tide is against us we should be able to keep our calm. We should not be surprised that many times there are people, circumstances and events that will seem to pressurize us and put us behind. When you venture out in the sea in a ship, you are bound to encounter storms. That’s life! “Ships in the harbor are safe; but that’s not what Ships are meant for.” says William Shedd. Ships are supposed to go out and venture into the deep sea and fight it out against the storms that come against it. Many times we have to be players at the back, defending ourselves, our principles, our values, our faith, and our lives from being pushed behind, from getting bogged down. Many times there are people or circumstances that can force us to quit. Many students encounter failures, so do many professionals and businesspeople at such times we are tempted to give up but here the role of the players positioned at the back comes forth. We have to mark what is that is troubling us, go to the source of the trouble and defend ourselves. Many times we may have to defend ourselves from the wrong company who pulls us down, wrong habits that corrode our lives and wrong actions that reap the harvest of bad fruits. The Bible says, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him.” That standard is the players who play the game of Soccer positioned at the back.

Midfielders: Now there are players also positioned at the Middle of the football pitch. Some of them are the Left and Right Midfielders, Defensive Midfielders and the Central Midfielder. These players have the duty of game-making. They sometimes defend as well as make the game and then pass it out to players positioned forward. In our lives also there is a time when we have to sit and make out a strategy so that it becomes convenient for us to reach and achieve our goals. At such times we have to be the game makers, the Midfielders. There is a lot of scope in our lives to sit and plan and organize our lives. We have to resort to things like Time Management Planning, Goal Setting and writing the mission of our lives. Many times we have to prepare ourselves by learning different skills and techniques so that it is convenient for us to move ahead to reach our goals. At such times we are playing the roles of the game-makers, we are playing the role of Midfielders. Midfielders play an important role on the field for their team, without them the players that play forward who have to score goals against the opposition would be rendered helpless. They won’t have anything at their disposal to go ahead and shoot or score.

Players positioned as Forwards: Finally let us look at the players who are positioned forward on the soccer field. When the Goalie defends goals for the team, the players positioned behind defend from attackers and the midfielders make the game, the Forwards carry the ball into the opposition’s net. The players who are positioned forward are Deep Lying Forward, Centre Forward and the Winger. The main role of these players is to strike. They are always on the attacking mode. Once they have the ball in their possession, they seek to put it across the Goalie of the opposition team into the net. When we also defend our lives from negative attitude and thinking, when we defend ourselves from wrong practices, principles and people, when we prepare ourselves for the opportunities that lie before us then there will come a time where our goals, our aims would be as clear as the Football goalpost and we would be in the position to hit and score. So in life we would see opportunities before us lying wide awake that would help us to hit at our goals. It is possible that you would miss many hits, you may hit and miss by a mile but you got to keep hitting back till you put the ball across the Goalie into the net. In life we encounter failures, many times we miss read opportunities, many times we commit errors but we got to get up, dust ourselves and hit again. A Japanese Proverb says, “Fall down seven times; get up eight.” Scoring a goal into the net comes through immense practice and patience and we should also inculcate these two qualities when we want to reach our aims and goals in life. So it is important role that the strikers positioned forward play, for they give finishing touch to the game.

Conclusion: Friends, in the end I would like to encourage all of you to go ahead and enjoy the FIFA 2010. But I would also encourage you to look at the philosophical side of the game, the metaphor that the game of Soccer presents. May it excite and enthuse you with courage, confidence and capacity to enjoy, explore and elevate your life to the next level. May you hit and reach your goals in life, may you emerge winners and even when you feel that you have lost remember there’s always next time. The next FIFA in 2014 at Brazil.

Joy be all yours.

Sohan.