4 Madden 12 Tips To Help Rookies Take Down Pros

Everyone has that one friend who plays Madden like it's their full-time job, mastering every play, learning all the ins and outs of the game and developing their winning strategy. In fact, they probably spend more time playing Madden than they do working.  

For the rest of us who don't have time to play the game every waking second of the day but still want to be a part of the action and attempt to provide some competition, here are a few tips that may help you.

When Choosing a Team, Choose Wisely

Just because a team is the best in the game or your favorite team does not mean it will necessarily be the best fit for you to play with. If your favorite team is the Packers but you love running the ball in the video game, then you will want to either pick a team whose strategy more closely fits your strategy or change it.

It helps to know what game style you are good at and play with a team whose style matches yours. Sometimes picking a team with a strong defense can be the best way to help a newbie right off the bat.

Practice and Repetition Make Perfect

Sure, you may not have a lot of time to sit and practice your Madden skills; however, I do recommend going into practice mode at least for a few minutes. There you can experiment and find out which plays you like to run with your team, get a few repetitions running them and practice them against different defenses.

Once you spend some time in practice mode, you will know your team and playbook a little better, resulting in more confidence and comfort in the real game.

Throwing the Ball and Completing Passes

The best advice that can be given to a Madden 12 rookie is to pass conservatively and keep your passes as short as possible, at least until you've grasped the passing game a little bit. The latest version of the game has the quarterback position as close to reality as it has ever been.

Deep drop-backs equal sacks, and long bombs to defended receivers equal picks. No more dropping back 30 yards and flailing it 50 yards to your wideout for a pretty touchdown grab. These completions seem to be as common in Madden 12 as they are in real life.

The LS stick will eventually come in handy once you've started to get the hang of things, allowing you to lead your receiver right or left or throw high or low, but this will definitely take some getting used to, so until then, keep it simple.

One tip on reading the defense is to watch the safeties. Where the safeties line up and how they cover a receiver in motion will often be a dead giveaway of what defense your opponent is in. Furthermore, if you send a receiver in motion and the defender sticks with him, this should tell you that your opponent is in man coverage.

Running the Ball

Although running the ball is the simpler, more self-explanatory offensive attack, there is still strategy to doing so. First off, know when to run the ball and the proper running play to call in certain situations.

In short-yardage situations you will want to run a dive or power play, but be smart about it. Try to run to the defender's weak side, and make sure your blocking matches your opponent in order for the gaps to be created and the play to be a success.

Don't just run in short-yardage situations, but use your run to set up a big pass play. Bait your defenders in and then hit them with a deep ball when they least expect it.

Finally, learn the controls. Juke, stiff arm and spin can all come in handy in helping you get an extra five to 10 yards if used correctly and with the right timing.