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Shooting for the Perfect Kick

A question I regularly field from high school placekickers goes something like this, ‘When should I start kicking from the ground or a 1-inch block?’

In college and the NFL there is no such thing as a block for kickers. The rules state that kickers must kick field goals from the ground. Consequently, high school kickers aspiring to continue their football careers at the next level must have a plan to transition to the ground.

I began kicking somewhere around age 12-13 and never used a block. From day one I kicked off the ground. This was an incredibly frustrating way to learn the craft and I don’t recommend it for most people. It took me approximately two years to become what I would define as semi-competent, meaning I could kick a 40 yard field goal with acceptable consistency, but I was still far from an expert. The only athletes I would encourage to kick off the ground from the outset are those who have a keen interest in doing so, and who are exceptionally athletic and coordinated. It’s also helpful to possess above average strength and size to compensate for the loss of height and distance that accompany kicking off the ground.

 
Normally I recommend the following progression for anyone who begins learning before age 14:

 
•    First and second year of kicking use a 2-inch block
•    Third year transition to a 1-inch block
•    Fourth or fifth year transition to the ground

 
This allows for adequate skill development at each stage without frustrating the student unnecessarily during the transition process. Of course these recommendations are flexible and may need to be tweaked based on myriad factors (e.g., coach, quality of turf, age you begin kicking, long-term goals, etc). If you have any questions about the topic please post a question or email me.

The following is a guest post from my friend and former Alabama long-snapper, Brian Selman. His discussion of the “battery”–PJ Fitzgerald, Brian Selman, and Leigh Tiffin–and our learning experiences is great advice for any specialist unit.

Enter Brian Selman…

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Coach Saban often encourages his specialists to embrace a mentality like that of a sniper or assassin. The idea being that a sniper prepares at length to take one shot, so he better make it count. The world’s best snipers employ the help of a team to be able to execute their orders frequently consisting of a spotter and flanker.

No different than sniper teams, executing the kicking game at a high level requires the contributions of a team of specialists.

I was very blessed to have the opportunity to compete and contribute as the Alabama long snapper for the 2007 through 2009 seasons starting 41 consecutive games over that period. The amazing thing is that our kicker, Leigh Tiffin, and punter, PJ Fitzgerald, started every single one of those games alongside me. We literally grew up together on the field as a unit.

Our development from role players to difference makers follows an interesting progression. The gap from a talent level perspective between 2007 and 2009 was very marginal; however, the gap from an execution standpoint differed greatly.

I firmly believe the greatest change in our performance came from a collective buy-in to our unit and to each other.

I spent the 2007 season mostly concerned with my own personal performance. Heading into the 2008 season, I came to a striking realization: it wasn’t about me; it was about our unit and our team. I turned my focus from my own success to the success of our unit. I knew that for Leigh and PJ to be able to best do their jobs, I had to be perfect. It was my responsibility to throw strikes and give them the best opportunity for them to succeed as possible. Over the next two seasons, things took off.

The tape over the next two years shows it all. We opened the season against Clemson with a 54 yard bomb of a field goal followed by fist pumps, fist bumps, and head butts shared amongst the group celebrating collectively in our success. Every kick for the next two seasons offered a similar showing of pride in performance between the three of us. I was fortunate to recover a fumble against Virginia Tech to start the 2009 season. My favorite memory of that play is not the recovery, but immediately after. When PJ saw me fall on the football, he took off on a dead sprint from twenty yards away, reared back and slapped me on the helmet as hard as he could almost to the point of concussion. I’ll never forget his enthusiasm and pride for me during that moment.

Specialists naturally experience a series of ups and downs over the course of a season. I believe facing those challenges as a unit is by far the best way to conquer them. Remember, “Two are better than one for they have a better return for their work. If one man falls, the other can pick him up. Pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Prior to the specialists taking the field every game, we would take a moment as a group at the end of the tunnel to go hands in and breakdown to our slogan for that season. In 2007 we used a slogan that had been passed down to us from previous years. Heading into 2008, we were looking for something to call our own. During training camp, a speaker shared with us a story about the people of Zimbabwe that lead us to our slogan for the next two seasons. As friends come across one another in Zimbabwe, they do not offer a “hello” or “what’s up?” They merely say to each other, “Are you strong?” The friend replies simply, “I’m strong if you’re strong.”

Regardless of what your role is within a specialist unit or any team in any arena for that matter, the collective success of the team depends on each individual part to execute their job to the best of their ability. So when it’s your turn to take your one shot, your one opportunity, remember this: your team is strong, if you’re strong, and vice versa.

I feel compelled to share more wisdom that anyone in search of expert performance can appreciate. All the excerpts in this post are taken from an article written by Tony Schwartz, and it’s advice to live by for anyone in search of peak performance.

“Pursue what you love. Passion is an incredible motivator. It fuels focus, resilience, and perseverance.”

Passion and its importance can’t be overstated. If you can’t find a way to fall in love with your position and motivate yourself to pursue greatness then you’ll probably never achieve your full potential.

“Do the hardest work first. We all move instinctively toward pleasure and away from pain. Most great performers, Ericsson and others have found, delay gratification and take on the difficult work of practice in the mornings, before they do anything else. That’s when most of us have the most energy and the fewest distractions.”

Deliberate practice isn’t supposed to be easy. We all enjoy the dopamine drip of doing something we’ve mastered. But let’s face it, if you’re still practicing then you’re probably not an expert yet, and “flow” is a self-help myth that doesn’t exist when in search of optimal performance.

“Practice intensely, without interruption for short periods of no longer than 90 minutes and then take a break. Ninety minutes appears to be the maximum amount of time that we can bring the highest level of focus to any given activity. The evidence is equally strong that great performers practice no more than 4 ½ hours a day.”

This shouldn’t be a problem for a specialist. A 90 minute workout is ample time to cover all aspects of a thorough workout, and get the most out of oneself.

“Seek expert feedback, in intermittent doses. The simpler and more precise the feedback, the more equipped you are to make adjustments. Too much feedback, too continuously can create cognitive overload, increase anxiety, and interfere with learning.”

We all need a solid fundamental framework, and a good staring point for this foundation is a skilled coach. There is no substitute for an experienced voice and a set of trained eyes. With that being said, it’s equally important to focus on mastering one facet of your game at a time and avoid unnecessary complexity.

“Take regular renewal breaks. Relaxing after intense effort not only provides an opportunity to rejuvenate, but also to metabolize and embed learning. It’s also during rest that the right hemisphere becomes more dominant, which can lead to creative breakthroughs.”

We can all get burned-out. This is something any kicker needs to avoid through the use of scheduled breaks and routine down-time.

“Ritualize practice. Will and discipline are wildly overrated. As the researcher Roy Baumeisterhas found, none of us have very much of it. The best way to insure you’ll take on difficult tasks is to build rituals — specific, inviolable times at which you do them, so that over time you do them without having to squander energy thinking about them.”

We all have to battle our natural instinct to do the bare minimum required for acceptable performance. In this vein, it’s important to embrace the fact that productive practice isn’t meant to be easy, but the gratification that comes from extraordinary performance is well worth the effort.

After reading the following column by Robin Sharma, I couldn’t ignore what great advice this is for kickers or anyone else aspiring to do great things.

Here’s comedian Steve Martin’s advice to young comics: “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” Life favours the devoted. The more you give to life, the more life sends back. It’s just not possible for you to be great at what you do, always reaching for your brilliance and standing for excellence, and not win in the end. (Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead once said, “You don’t merely want to be the best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do.”)

Sometimes discouragement sets in. We try hard, stay true to our dreams and pursue our ideals. Yet nothing happens. Or so it seems. But every choice matters. And every step counts. Life runs according to its own agenda, not ours. Be patient. Trust. Be like the stonecutter, steadily chipping away, day after day. Eventually, a single blow will crack the stone and reveal the diamond. An enthusiastic, dedicated person who is ridiculously good at what they do just cannot be denied. Seriously.

Steve Martin’s insight speaks to me deeply. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” (Management guru Peter Drucker made the point slightly differently when he observed: “Get good or get out.”) Apply that philosophy at work. Apply it at home. Apply it in your community. Apply it to your world. Having the courage to present your gifts and your highest capacities will yield magnificent rewards. Life is always fair in the end. Trust it.

I find Steve Martin’s advice to be incredibly relevant for competitive athletes. Sports and the kicking position are now more competitive than they have ever been. I’m often asked, “What can I do to get ahead?” The answer is simple: be so good they can’t ignore you.

It’s that time of year again! If you need to brush up on your technique before heading into summer training camp then schedule now before space runs out. I will be putting together my summer schedule over the next few days. If you are interested in working with me individually then please contact me at leigh.tiffin@rocketmail.com. I will be at the Alabama Kicking Camp on June 9th. (2012-saban-camp-brochure.pdf)

Also, check out my client and friend, John Perko. He went 3-for-3 in Pelham’s spring game, and drilled a 47-yarder. He’s the real deal!

Another great talent to watch is Cam Tipton of Vestavia. He is a multi-sport athlete and he can kick!