Posts tagged coach

“QUALITY NOT QUANTITY.”

Coaches know that the kicking game is 1/3 of the total game but lets face it, we also know we are not going to spend as much time on the kicking game as we do our offense and defense…and we don’t need to. There are other ways to enhance the importance of the kicking game with a small allotment of time. We all give lip service to the importance of the kicking game and we all may actually believe it but when crunch time comes the kicking game usually comes last.

 It’s the last thing we install in the fall.

 It’s the last thing we work on during the week.

 It’s the last thing we work on during practice.

We are sending a very definite negative message to our players with this time management priority on the kicking game.  Players quickly learn that the kicking game is of the least importance and is just an after thought in the game of football.

Good practice organization is the key to maximum use of valuable time. Failing to plan is planning to fail because a lack of planning means a waste of time!

Vince Lombardi once said that “The best practice schedule is a schedule that best simulates game conditions and situations.” We know as coaches that the kicking game happens throughout the course of a football game, not just at the end as in the fourth quarter. If that’s the way it happens in a game then that’s the way it should be practiced. For example, if you really want to make a statement about the importance of the kicking game, begin every practice with a kick-off or return. It takes less than 3 minutes. After all, that’s the way every game begins. It doesn’t have to be live but it can be full speed. Go ahead with warm-ups, stretching, and warm-up drills  and then go right into a kick-off or a return first thing. Just like in a game.

You will be amazed at how much this simple point of emphases will improve your entire kicking game. We know how much the game of football is purely psychological so you can see right away how this will work. Your players know that they start every football day with the kicking game. Right away they begin to realize just how important this phase of the game really is. You are not spending any more time kicking, this may even take less time once it becomes a habit, but the priority you are placing on it makes a world of difference. Do the same thing with your punting, extra points and field goals. Mix them in at various times in your practice schedule. There are sections in our book – Get a kick out of practice - to show you exactly how this can be done. The more you get into the habit of doing it this way the more efficient you become and the less time it takes. You will find that this practice method also pays dividends on game day as your players become used to sudden change and kicking game situations and respond to them better in game situations because that’s the way they practice EVERY DAY!

Excerpts from the book -Get a “kick” out of practice

Written by Coach Bill Tom Ross and Coach Rick Sang

Available at Prokicker.com