My kicking career began my senior year of high school. I played soccer my entire life and planned to play in college. Because my high school team was so successful and my dad thought I might be good, I decided to give kicking a try. In the beginning the only thing I had going for me was a strong leg; my technique and consistency were terrible.

When I moved on to playing at UC Berkeley, I was fortunate to get some good coaching from Steve Mariucci (now head coach of the 49ers) and Gary Zauner (now special teams coach for the Minnesota Vikings). After I learned the proper basic techniques, I could begin the arduous task of transforming myself from a soccer player kicking a football to a real placekicker. It took many years of hard work, but I definitely feel like it all paid off.

The techniques I outline on this site and on my CD-ROM (it goes into a lot more detail) are the basic fundamentals that I feel are important for every kicker to utilize. I learned these techniques over the course of my career and have made them an integral part of the way I kick. There is no one proper kicking style (as many coaches like to tell you); however, these basic fundamentals need to be integrated into your own individual style.

The instructions I give for placekicking on this site are in three parts:

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

 

	I want to thank you for the fantastic site. It's nice to see us getting some recognition and a way to communicate with fellow kickers for advice or just to talk. Even though I have never met you, or alot of the guys, I feel an unspoken bond! In any case, thanks so much again! Keep up the good work and you'll always have my support as a fan and a fellow kicker.
	-- Kicking.com member

Doug and Tommy's Frequently Asked Questions: "I have been kicking lately and seen that something just isn't right. My steps are the same, but my point of contact on the ball changes from kick to kick. On kick the ball might be on my ankle, and then the next time it might be on my toe. Then I will have a series of kicks where I hit the sweet spot. What are some things I can do to improve my contact?" -- Click here to read our answer