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How to Improve Your Football Skills as a Defensive Lineman
By Martin Chase

My name is Cecil "Martin" Chase and I played as a Defensive Tackle in the NFL for eight years. In this article I am going to provide you with techniques you can use to master your skills as a defensive lineman.

There are four core qualities that a defense linemen needs to posses. These qualities are strength, speed, intelligence, and a fiercely competitive nature. If you do not have these qualities, you need to practice them over and over until you master them. By mastering them, you will be attractive to college football scouts as well as NFL scouts.

Here are the reasons why you need to master the qualities of strength, speed, intelligence and a highly competitive nature:

1. You need strength to move past the opponents that are in front of you and who are trying to keep you from tackle the quarterback or running back.
   
2. You need speed to pursue and rush the quarterback and running back.
   
3. You need intelligence to react to different events that are happening all around you and you need to respond to them in a split second. If you hesitate, you’ll get burned.
   
4. Most important of all, you absolutely must have a fiercely competitive mindset. You must believe you are the best and no other player can stop you. A defensive lineman has to be a fighter and he needs to love competing against the man in front of him. He must take pride in physically defeating his opponents. He must understand that winning these battles is vital to helping his team win games.

A good defensive lineman must also be completely unselfish and willing to sacrifice his own body to help his teammates make plays. The defensive lineman also needs to be highly self-motivated. Defensive lineman rarely receive recognition for the key job they perform. Therefore, they must be able to motivate themselves to compete as the highest level possible. A truly great defensive lineman understands the importance of his role on the field and he must always play with pride and dedication.

By making these qualities your own, you will be well on your way to becoming an elite defensive lineman.

Martin Chase is a retired NFL player who has played with the Giants, the Saints, the Redskins, the Ravens, and the Jaguars. Martin now owns and manages a popular sports memorabilia website =>www.mcsportsfan.com

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