Article: What is the easiest and hardest position in football?
What is the easiest and hardest position in football?
Football is a difficult sport. Every position has multiple assignments in which some require more thinking and more action than others.
In the article below, we ranked a list of positions based on their level of difficulty on a scale of 1-5, 1 being the least difficult and 5 being the most difficult.
|
Position |
Difficulty |
|
Quarterback |
5 |
|
Receiver |
2 |
|
Linebacker |
4 |
|
Lineman |
3 |
|
Running Back |
3.5 |
|
Defensive End |
2 |
|
Cornerback |
5 |
|
Defensive Tackle |
2 |
What is the hardest and easiest skill in every football position?
Quarterback
Easiest Skill: The act of throwing the ball
Most Difficult Skill: Reflex time, quick thinking and processing to make successful passes in small windows of time.
Receiver
Easiest Skill: Making plays on the field.
Most Difficult Skill: Deal with the pressure of cornerbacks tackling them right off the snap.
Linebacker
Easiest Skill: Pursue the ball and players
Most Difficult Skill: Diagnose plays before the snap and avoid play-action passes. Gaining coverage against tight ends and running backs.
Lineman
Easiest Skill: Being tough and smart.
Most Difficult Skill: Overcoming the athletic gap between offensive and defensive linemen, who are better "athletes".
Running Back
Easiest Skill: Attacking and blocking gaps and openings.
Most Difficult Skill: Develop the skill to protect passes.
Defensive End
Easiest Skill: Being some of the biggest player on the field, they always have the advantage when under attack
Most Difficult Skill: Developing hand skills and techniques takes time.
Cornerback
Easiest Skill: Defending the zone well.
Most Difficult Skill: Dealing with the pressure to perform.
Defensive Tackle
Easiest Skill: Being physical
Most Difficult Skill: Reading body language and deciphering plays.
You can also learn more about the most important positions in American football and the key responsibilities each one has.
What qualities do you need to be a footballer?
Football requires a variety of skills to move the ball across the field toward the opponent's goal and to prevent the opponent from entering yours. American football in a fast pace sport, usually only lasting a few seconds and for multiple plays. The game involves passing the ball, tackling/blocking opponents to the ground, catching the ball, running and using different play strategies to advance the team across the field.
- Passing the football
- Blocking opponents
- Catching the ball
- Rushing
- Punts and kicks
Ball Passes:
Starting with a push off the ground, core rotation, opening of the hip and a calculated forward arm movement ending with a forearm movement. Positions that require passing the ball, like quarterbacks, must be extremely accurate with their throughs. In fact, because a large part of playing football involves blocking and intercepting the ball, players that make passes must be extremely quick and accurate when completing a pass to a team member.
Blocking Opponents:
In the game of football, offensive players can not use their hands to hold opponents. Thus, the offensive team must master the techniques of blocking by putting their bodies between opponents and one of their teammates.
Catching The Football:
Receivers must be quick, agile and have amazing hand-eye coordination. Receivers must avoid opponents who try to intercept balls and tackle them while getting in the clear to complete passes and advance their team. A good receiver must also be strong to absorb the hits from the opposing players shortly after they make the catch.
Rushing:
The act of running with the ball from the start of an offensive play. Rushing demands skills that include the ability to make quick, lateral plays to avoid opposing players while anticipating their teams moves at all times.
Punts & Kicks:
After a touchdown is accomplished, the scoring team kicks the ball towards the opposing team to restart the game. When a team is in poor position, rather than moving forward with a pass or rush, they may decide to kick the ball down the field. When kicking the ball, usually the player known as the "kicker" will try to kick the ball as far as possible since he is giving position to the other team. In addition, kickers can also score field goals when in the last plays of a game.
If you’re still unsure where you might fit on the field, our guide to what football position you should play matches your size and skills to the perfect role.
