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Dealing with pressure at the high school level is very important. The first thing you need to realize, is that this is just a game and it is meant to be played as such. Having said that, many young kickers do not have the advantage of a kicking coach. Unfortunately, that leaves you at the mercy of coaches on your team, whom most likely have no idea about being a kicker. So they will put added pressure on you. Do not forget that all of our teammates will have a hard time understanding the kid who doesn't look like he is doing anything in practice. You will hear comments like "All you do is kick", "You should have kicked the ball harder", "Speed up so you can kick better", "Our whole season is riding on this kick, so don't miss it". I am writing this article to tell you to tune all those comments out. You are a high school kid, enjoy it. There is nothing you can do, or any kicks you can miss, that will change that. Now, how do you handle the immediate pressure of a kick. There are a few simple steps to remember how to kick through pressure. #1 STOP THINKING
#2 Visualize
#3 - Tune everything and everyone out
These are just a few tips to handle pressure in a game. Always remember you will miss kicks, it is not the end of the world. Every NFL kicker misses kicks. The best field goal percentage of all time is a little over 80%, which means they missed 20 out of 100 kicks. You can not dwell on the misses. When you miss, do not get down. Make your adjustment, and get back out there and make your next kick. Learn more about Sean Riley >>> Doug and Tommy's Frequently Asked Questions: "I seem to be perfect up to about 40 yards from the center and from the left hash, but when kicking from the right hash i find myself only a 50% kicker. I was wondering if you could possibly give me and hints or advice?" -- Click here to read our answer |