Preoccupied with Power
Rex Robinson
Article posted on 2/25/2003

One of the areas of kicking that rears its ugly head first is the dragon of power. Young guys become infatuated with it almost as much as Gallium with his "precious" ring. Why is this?

It is human nature to want to keep up with the "big boys" when we are first exposed to older and more mature kickers, whether at the high school or at camp. Never mind the fact that some of these guys have been kicking for four or five years and have "camped" everywhere this side of the Mississippi.

The problem is how we go about trying to achieve this power we desire. It is not something we receive by sheer force of will (although I have seen some guys almost bust a gut attempting a 40-yard FG). Hey ya'll, it's a process. I have seen guys take extra steps to try and gain an advantage. You can't run at the ball like a bat out of Hades, and be in control at the point of contact.

I tell my guys here in Georgia that strength is obtained in the weight-room, explosive power is gained on the track, stadium steps and hills (i.e. plyometrics), and kicking technique is mastered on the field. Try not to confuse these areas of training or you might become very frustrated.

There are drills that we all do to increase our chances of good solid contact on the kicker's foot. The thing is I like my guys to do them at half and at three quarter speed. Over half of our kicks on a daily basis will be one-steps and no-steps and we don't kick at goal posts. I will talk about this in greater detail some other time.

I am constantly slowing my guys down until they master a technique, then we slowly increase the speed (power) making sure we don't "lose it" along the way. The minute we get out of control, we back off. Get under control again and the cycle continues. Almost without fail, it is during these times that suddenly the "perfect kick" occurs and the ball jumps off the kicker's foot and the realization that it's not how hard you hit it, but how well you hit it sinks in. Then, you are on your way.

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