16 Dec 10 What Are The Best Kicking Shoes?
When I was in high school I spent hours researching kicking cleats trying to find what the best kicking shoe is and figure out the differences between all of them! Finally after becoming friends with NFL kickers and talking to guys around the league and other college teams I finally found out what works best. It was a long trial and error process of testing out several cleats and combinations until I finally found the ‘proven winners.’ I hope this article helps you find the best kicking shoe for you!
Hands down, more pros and people serious about kicking and playing soccer use the Adidas Copa Mundial soccer cleats. I used ‘Copas’ throughout my college career and it is still the most preferred kicking shoe among specialists in the NFL. Watch any NFL game and you will see one out of every few kickers or punters wearing them. Adidas Copa Mundial soccer cleats are of the higest quality and made in Germany. Both Kickers and Punters can benefit from kangaroo leather soccer cleats like the Copas.
The other popular kicking shoe is the Nike Tiempo Legend soccer cleat which is also made from kangaroo leather. There are a few versions of the Legend cleat since Nike updates their models ever year. In 2010 the most current is the Nike Tiempo Legend II and Nike Tiempo Legend III with the original Nike Tiempo Legend availability dwindling down. 
Why do I recommend these cleats?
The reason I recommend the two above cleats is because of the soft and supple leather and how it forms to your foot. Just like anything you wear, you want it to be comfortable. With kicking, punting and soccer it’s even more important to not only be comfortable, but to also be able to ‘feel’ the ball. Look at many of the top ball strikers in all these worldwide soccer and futbol leagues. Most of them have the ability to finesse their shots and control their kicks. In kicking, you don’t want a soccer cleat that is just going to be built for speed. Your main focus should be a kicking shoe that will allow you to make solid contact as consistently as possible and enable you to feel the ball and control your kicks and punts. 
Kicking Shoes I do not like
Some popular kicking shoes I’ve seen students wear that I personally do not like are the Nike Vapor soccer shoes. Many of my students like them, but I tried kicking in them and they just felt weird. While the Vapor cleats are designed for speed and have a multitude of color and model choices, I just could not ‘feel’ the ball as much as I can with a kangaroo leather style shoe. There are several soccer cleats and specialized football kicking shoes that will work for everyone. Most of it comes down to taste, fit and personal preference. I suggest you go out and try on as many pairs as you can at all the local shops like Dick’s, Sports Authority, Sport Chalet, Big 5, Modells, etc. They all have similar prices or if you like buying online I recommend Soccer.com 
Why Do Kickers Wear 2 Different Shoes?
You may see some kickers and punters wearing two different shoes. What the heck is that all about? Well the answer is, some kickers and punters prefer a more stable football shoe with better ankle support for their plant foot. The plant foot is the foot that you land on just before you kick the ball. The other reason is sometimes field conditions may not be favorable for a soccer cleat which tends to have smaller spikes on the bottom. Some kickers and punters use screw in football cleats for their plant shoe. Many times guys wear a different plant foot because of previous ankle injuries, weak shins, or even compensating for a flaw in their form which puts them off-balance. Personally, I find that if your technique is right, you will have better balance and stability and look less goofy if you just wear the same shoe on both feet. I hope this information is helpful for you. 
Secrets for Optimizing a kicking shoe
There are so many tricks and secrets kickers have for optimizing their football kicking shoes. One I found quite useful over the years is to cut the tongue flap of your cleat and tuck in the laces on the outside corner so that you have a flush striking surface. Every little bit helps, even if it just makes you a little more confident! For even more detailed information about kicking cleats and special secrets including how to get the right fit, choosing the best plant foot shoe and more, please consult my book, The ‘Complete Guide to Kicking & Punting’
This is the first article in a new series on ‘What is the Best ___’. Be sure to follow the rest of our articles in this series which tackle tough questions like What is the Best Kicking Net, What is the Best Kicking Tee, What is the Best Field Goal Block, What is the Best Ball Holder, What is the Best Football to Kick and more!
Tags: Football Kicking Cleats, Kicking Cleats, Kicking Shoes
30 Nov 10 Kicking World is the Real Deal!
Not sure if Kicking World is the right choice for your football kicking and punting development? Take a look at some of our recent REAL testimonials and reviews from happy students, parents and coaches! See what makes us unique, why people enjoy training with us, and why our students excel. Subscribe to our Youtube Videos and watch high school kickers hitting 60 yard field goals and keep up to date with the latest news and enter free contests by joining our Facebook Page.
“I had the privilege to work with Coach Brent in the late summer of 2010 and I owe my success to him. Prior to this I had wanted to meet with Coach Brent because I needed help and from what I saw from his website he knew everything there is to know about kicking and punting. I contacted Coach about doing 1 on 1 kicking lessons but this was a problem because he lives in California, and I am in Hawaii. To compensate for this, I purchased his online book “The Complete Guide to Kicking & Punting”. The book is full of beneficial drills and exercises that I was able to use during the off-season and even during practice throughout the season. The book is much more than just drills however. Coach Brent also includes ways to handle the ‘mind game’ which is something all kickers and punters struggle with; beyond the actual game itself. Everything in the book is of use and helpful if you are trying to improve yourself as a kicker and even as a punter.
Shortly after purchasing the book, I actually received an email from Coach informing me that he would be in Hawaii for the weekend on a recently planned trip out to coach another student on the island of Oahu. He was able to work me into his schedule and we trained for an hour and a half on the very windy field of Kaimuki High school. In this short time together, Coach Brent was able to adjust my approach, follow-through, and add accuracy and distance to my kicks; even with the heavy swirling wind! Coach cleaned up my field goal kick, showed me the proper way to kick a kickoff and even helped me learn how to kick the pop-up onside kick.-Lee Arakawa, Junior Kicker at Moanalua HS in Oahu, Hawaii
ABOUT KICKING WORLDTags: Kicking Lessons, Kicking Training, Kicking World Reviews, San Diego Kicking Camp, San Diego Kicking Lessons
18 Oct 10 Private Kicking Lessons in Texas Pays off for High School Kicker!
I’d like to tell everyone about a nice kicking improvement story from a young kicker who worked hard the last 5 weeks to get better and earn the starting high school varsity football kicker job! About 2 months ago I got a call from Mr. and Mrs. Wilks in Texas who wanted to get their son Zack some private kicking instruction. At the time Zack was a ‘straight-on kicker’ or ‘toe-baller’ if you will. He had no previous formal kicking instruction but had one goal in mind- to improve quickly enough to be able to be the varsity kicker this season as a Junior and have a fun 2 years ahead of him. Well after making arrangements, the Wilks and I set off for a mission of getting Zack game ready as soon as possible.
At first after meeting with Zack I was a bit skeptical because his kicks were going left, right, quite frankly they had no consistency and lacked the distance and height needed to make consistent extra points. However, I’m happy to report that after only 4 trips out to Texas for private kicking training Zack was able to go from 1/4 PATs at best to just recently hitting 40/45 kicks inside 30 yards at a recent private kicking session! He also nailed his first 40 yard field goal! HUGE IMPROVEMENT! I accredit the quick improvement to his consistent training regime as well as his hard work, focus and sticking to what I’ve taught him. I honestly didn’t foresee him improving this quickly. He had a goal in mind and he did what it took to make it happen. So this is a story of ‘if you will it, it can happen!’
Now a week later and after only 5 total private kicking sessions Zack has gone from just a ‘beginner kicker’ learning the ropes to a relied upon kicker who just set a school record for most PATs in a game last Friday Night! Yes, that’s right, you read correctly… Zack Wilks hit 7 for 7 PATs in this past Friday night football game! What an amazing story this is turning into! This Friday’s performance put him in the Cisco ISD Varsity Football record books for most PATs in one game. In fact, the announcers said at the game that the last time a kicker for Cisco made even 3 PATs in a game was over 3 years ago! It goes to show that even in the great football state of Texas there is a lack of speciality kicking coaches to address this niche position. I am so excited for him and look forward to continued growth and improvement from him.
I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to go out to Texas to work with Zack each month and see his dramatic and quick improvement each session with not only consistency, but impressive gains on height and distance. Zack should have a fun senior year to look forward to next year with a lot of kicking opportunities to set new school records and help Cisco ISD get back to another state championship run like they have so many times in the last 20 years.
My services to any student I coach includes on-field kicking instruction, drills, technique, fundamentals, distance/heigh/accuracy improvement, off-field training in form of gym workouts, leg strengthening, leg speed drills, and of course one of the most important components of what I do with Zack and ALL my students is helping increase their confidence through mental training and guidance throughout the week. When you work with Kicking World it’s not just a quick see me for an hour and wait till next week for your next lesson. I seek to build a relationship with all my students where I offer up advice, guide them throughout the week whether they have a question about why they did bad in practice one day, or need to know a drill to help a certain area of their kicking, or if they are nervous before the big game, I can help with that too. I am not only a coach but a teacher and advice giver to my students. Having parents, coaches, and students all ‘on the same page’ is a win-win for all and makes for a healthy relationship of trust, confidence and results. It’s great to get that text message or phone call from a happy parent on Friday night to let me know their son just hit a game winning field goal!
Coach Brent is based in San Diego, CA and also offers private kicking and punting lessons and kicking camps in Texas. If you’re a parent, coach or student who would like to get private kicking or punting instruction- Feel free to contact Coach Brent via e-mail at brent@kickingworld.com or phone at 619-564-1333
Tags: Kicking Instruction, Kicking Lessons, Texas Kicking Camp, Texas Kicking Coach
24 Aug 10 Kicking World Flies to Hawaii for Private Kicking Lessons!
I received a phone call from an interested parent- Jerome Kaiahua who wanted to get private kicking lessons for his son Keoki. Unfortunately Jerome is located in Hawaii and Kicking World is located in Southern California. Coach Brent jokingly said to Jerome ‘hey why don’t you just fly me out to Hawaii for the lesson?’ Jerome actually accepted and the rest is history! Three days after receiving the call Coach Brent flew out to Hawaii to give private kicking lessons to Keoki Kaiahua of Kaimuki High School in Honolulu Hawaii!
Keoki improved substantially over the two days of kicking lessons. He had a nice foundation already but we made a few tweaks in his steps and tempo which helped him be more efficient in his ball striking which in turn produced more consistent kicks with better lift and distance. Take a look at the video of him blasting some long 40+ yard field goals! Jerome and his son are both great guys and it was a lot of fun getting to meet their family, coaching Keoki, playing golf with Jerome, and snorkeling the beautiful tropical waters!
Ironically, just weeks before Mr. Kaiahua called me to arrange for private lessons, I had an e-mail from another parent- Mrs. Arakawa who was seeking private kicking instruction for her son Lee, who happens to live on the same island- Oahu like Keoki! Their respective high schools (Kaimuki High School- Keoki) and (Moanalua High School- Lee) played each other in a scrimmage just a week before I flew out to Hawaii! Fortunately, I was able to fit in a lesson with Lee while I was out there in Honolulu with Jerome and Keoki. Lee is a great young kicker with an awesome field goal form. I asked him where he learned all his great technique. To my surprise he said he read the ‘The Complete Guide to Kicking & Punting’ a couple times and that combined with some guidance from the older varsity kicker last year he was able to put together a very nice form!
It was a great time being out in Hawaii as it was my first time and hopefully not my last! Being a football kicking coach is very rewarding when I get to work with young men and parents like this. It was a true pleasure being out there last weekend and I look forward to the future of more phone calls of interested parents from different states and countries wanting to get top notch kicking instruction! If you live in a different state or even different country please don’t let that stop you from getting quality kicking instruction from Coach Brent! Just contact us and we can make arrangements to come visit you or you can come visit us in San Diego or Orange County, CA.
Tags: Hawaii Kicking Lessons, Kicking Coach, Kicking Instruction, Kicking Lessons, San Diego Kicking Lessons
09 Aug 10 Father and Son travel from Kansas City Missouri for Kicking Lessons!
Being a kicking coach is rewarding in itself just being able to coach all the young kickers and punters out there. It’s even more rewarding when parents go out of their way to tell me just how much they enjoyed my kicking instruction and how it helped their son. This summer I met with a father and son from Kansas City Missouri at our home turf in San Diego, CA at beautiful Coronado High School. This was one of those weekends that was very rewarding.
Brent, Thanks for the lessons for my son, Matt. He learned a great deal from you in a short period of time. I couldn’t believe the amount of information and instruction we got in only an hour and a half. With a little practice, he hopes to help his high school team in the kicking game. I also want to thank you for letting me listen in on your instructions on the kicking game. I know a lot of what you told us will be instrumental in helping our kickers at Rockhurst for the upcoming season. The onside kick that you showed us will definitely be part of our special teams package. I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn about the kicking game that they contact you and to those more experienced to work with you on their kicking skills. We came all the way from the Midwest and it was well worth it, I only wish you were located a little closer, so we could work with you more often. Also, enjoy the bar-b-que, Kansas City bar-b-que rules!” (-Coach Paul Beirne of Rockhurst HS, Kansas City, MO)
I had the pleasure of coaching a beginner high school freshman kicker- Matt Beirne who plays football at one of the top high school powerhouses in the country (Rockhurst HS). He is trying to crack into the starting lineup this year and his father (Coach Paul Beirne) who is an assistant coach on the Varsity team reached out to me to set up a private kicking session in San Diego, CA. Mr. Beirne saw my website and was impressed with the long list of kickers and punters that I actively coach so he decided to get his son some 1 on 1 kicking time this summer before Matt goes back to school.
I worked out Matt on a Saturday for a good hour and a half and we got a lot in that day! We focused on field goals but I also laid the ground work for him with his kickoffs and punting technique. At the start of the lesson Matt was just content with making extra points but by the end of the kicking lesson he was eager to start blasting 35+ yard field goals! It was a joy coaching Matt because he’s a nice kid, follows instruction well and showed me that he learned a lot and had a fun time!
Matt’s father and I had a discussion about Barbecue during the lesson because I had recently held a kicking camp in Texas and I mentioned to him that they have some dynamite barbecue! He commented back, you think that’s good? Try some KC BBQ! I thought Mr. Beirne was just saying it, but it turns out he actually sent me a package 2 weeks later with barbecued ribs, baked beans with briscuit and a bottle of Kansas City BBQ from his favorite BBQ joint in KC called “Jack Stack Barbecue.” It was an awesome treat to get in the mail and I was able to cook it up soon after I received it. It was a great dinner and I thank you Mr. Beirne for being so generous and thinking of me! The debate continues… Who has the best barbecue? Texas or Kansas City Missouri? I’ll let you decide, because I can’t! Both are great and have their own unique flavor. When it comes from one of my students it’s a sure winner! Thanks again for your kind words Mr. Beirne and good luck to Rockhurst Football and I wish Matt the best in his kicking endeavors this season.
Tags: Kicking Coach, Kicking Lessons, San Diego Kicking Lessons
28 Jul 10 High School Kickers Travel Far for Private Kicking Lessons in San Diego
It was a crazy week at Kicking World headquarters in San Diego, California. We had 3 students travel from Utah, New Mexico and Tennessee for private kicking lessons at our home field of Coronado High School just minutes from downtown San Diego. More and more students and families have been coming out to Southern California because it allows them to get in kicking workouts and turn it into a mini family vacation. San Diego California has been consistently rated as one of the best climates in the world and top 5 tourist destinations in the country! For our July San Diego kicking camp at La Jolla High School over half of the campers were from out of state! It’s an increasing trend to see out of state kickers make the trip to come work with Kicking World during the summer school break months.
My first kicking lesson was with Austin Barker, Junior Kicker of Dixie High School in Utah. Austin is an excellent young kicker who shows college kicking potential. We made very minor tweaks in his form that resulted in drastic results! Take a look at his YouTube Video (below) which shows him blasting 50 yard field goals doing a one-step field goal approach! His timing, consistency and distance increased significantly in the 2 day kicking lesson. We also were able to improve his kickoff steps, tempo and accuracy as well as get him nailing the pop up onside kick! It was a good time working with him and I know he’ll be one of the best kickers in Utah this year. Keep an eye out for Austin Barker of Utah!
My next out of state private kicking lesson this week was with William Bane, Beginner Sophomore Kicker of Tennessee High School in Tennessee. William has played soccer for a long time and only began field goal kicking a few months ago. He basically learned all he knew from watching games on TV and with limited kicking instruction from his football coaches who don’t really know a lot about kicking. William came to me with a goal to learn the fundamentals and basic techniques needed to kick consistent extra points and even be able to make some field goals. At the start of the kicking lesson I was skeptical because he barely was reaching 20 yard field goals (PATs). By the end of the 2 day kicking lesson, with much needed adjustments on his steps, foot to ball contact, and follow-through we were able to get him consistently making 30 yard field goals. It was very rewarding for me because we only spent an hour and a half 2 days in a row so to make these strides in only 3 hours together is a big accomplishment in itself. I know he’s excited to go back to Tennessee with all the new kicking knowledge he learned. I wish him the best and hope he can be a relied upon extra point and field goal kicker for his Junior Varsity team this year!
My last out of state private kicking lesson of the week was with Nash Phillips, a Junior Kicker from Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico. Usually the problem with most kickers is that they can’t get their kicks high enough in the air. This was not the case with Nash! In fact, Nash was kicking the ball so high when I first saw him. His kicks were going straight up in the air and although he definitely had the leg strength to make 50 yard field goals, he was falling short on 40 yard field goals because of the trajectory of his kicks; the balls were getting sucked up by the wind and losing a ton of distance! Because Nash had a very strong leg already, I didn’t want to make too many tweaks to his form. We did however make minor adjustments that allowed him to do 2 important things: 1. Hit the sweet spot of the ball (a bit higher than where he was striking before) and 2. Make good foot to ball contact (he had a lot of mis-hits where his foot impact position was down by the toes sometimes or way down low like a soccer pass). By the end of the 1 day (1.5 hour lesson) we were able to get all the kinks out and get him driving the ball with a penetrating flight while still being high enough to avoid blocked kicks. He went from just missing 40 yard field goals to just making 50 yard field goals in only 1.5 hours! These are above average results and not everyone can expect to add 10 yards on their kick overnight! But fortunately for Nash, he had the leg strength and leg speed already but just needed guidance on where to strike the ball and what to do with his body at and through impact! Nash had such a good time that he also came back for the kicking camp in San Diego. He was able to master the onside pop-up kick (as witnessed by the photo in this blog) and gain considerable distance on his field goals. If he remembers to strike the ball in the right spot with the correct part of his foot every time, he will be a deadly accurate and long field goal kicker! I wish him the best out in New Mexico!
If you’re wondering ‘How do I get private kicking lessons with Coach Brent in San Diego or Orange County, California?’ Simply signup online and then call or e-mail me to schedule a time that is convenient for you and your family. I work with some of the best youth, high school and college kickers in Southern California from Los Angeles to Orange County to San Diego. More and more students are choosing Kicking World because of our commitment to success, passion for kicking and fun and challenging training sessions. If you’d like to come out for a day or two of kicking and live out of state, don’t let that hold you back! Give me a call or shoot me and e-mail and I’d be happy to schedule you in for private kicking lessons in San Diego or Orange County, California. I wish everyone a very successful training camp and upcoming football season!
Tags: High School Kicker, Kicking Lessons, Onside Kick, San Diego Kicking Camp
26 Jul 10 San Diego Pop Warner Kicking Camp Re-Cap
On Sunday, July 25th we had a San Diego Pop Warner Kicking Camp at La Jolla High School. The camp was open to all youth kickers and punters ages 10-13. We had students come from all over Orange County, San Diego, Los Angeles, Temecula Valley and even Sacramento California! The youth kicking camp is designed for the beginner and intermediate pop warner kicker who is still learning the basic fundamentals in order to consistently kick extra points and even make field goals. We work on everything from extra points to field goals from the hash marks to kickoffs, onside kicks, and even some punting! As we do at every kicking camp, the focus is on kicking instruction with 1 on 1 coaching throughout the camp with high coach to student ratio. After all the camp students learn the techniques we give them a free kick period to practice what they’ve been taught. We also have a kicking competition for each facet of the kicking game: field goals, kickoffs and punting. All kicking camp students participate in the fun kicking competitions and have the opportunity to try to win awards. We give out all sorts of cool prizes like Wilson TDY footballs, Wizard football holders, kickoff tees, field goal blocks and more!
In this year’s summer San Diego Pop Warner kicking camp we had some impressive kicking talent. Our most accurate kicker of the camp was Alec Dibell of Fullerton Pop Warner. Alec made 4 field goals in a row back to 30 yards allowing him to knock off the competition and win most accurate kicker overall and for his age group of 13 year olds. In the younger group, we had the 10, 11 and 12 year olds competing. There was a clear winner in this group as young Jake Haggard, only 10 years old of San Clemente Pop Warner was able to also make 4 field goals in a row back to 25 yards. We also had a longest field goal competition where each student got a chance to see how far they can kick! Andy Clyde, 13 of the Irvine Chargers Junior All-American Football League won the longest field goal of the camp with a 35 yard field goal! All 3 campers happen to be active Kicking World students! Great job boys!
In the punting competition Cole Carpenter, 12 years old of Temecula Valley Pop Warner won the younger age group with a 35 yard Punt Average. Alec Dibble of Fountain Valley Pop Warner displayed some awesome punting skills winning the 13 year old group with a 46 yard Punt Average! Great job on those punts!
By the time we got to kickoffs everyone’s legs were starting to die out. This is the case at most kicking camps- the last section tends to be the weakest. Even though the boys were tired they still were able to pull together some long kickoffs! Cole Carpenter of Temecula Valley Pop Warner won the younger group and Andy Clyde (Irvine Chargers JAAF) crushed the competition and won the overall and older age group kickoff competition with a 44.5 yard kickoff average!
All in all the camp was a major success because we had plenty of kicking instruction 101 geared toward the beginner pop warner kicker and punter. By the end of the kicking camp it was obvious there was dramatic improvement from everyone. Some of the kickers were able to perfect their onside kicks and even hit the hard to master ‘pop-up onside kick’! One kicking camp student couldn’t make it over the goal posts kicking from the goal line, but by the end of the camp he was routinely kicking extra points! It was a fun day out on the field and it’s very rewarding working with the younger guys and witnessing their kicking improvement.
Tags: Kicking Camp, Kicking Competition, Onside Kick, Pop Warner Kicking Camp, San Diego Kicking Camp, Youth Kicking Camp
20 Jul 10 Orange County Kicking Competition at Irvine High School
On Sunday, July 18th we had a special mini kicking competition at Irvine High School for some of the Kicking World students. It was a hot day out on the field turf but we all had fun. I’ve been coaching some awesome kickers this year who work hard each week and I wanted to do something different besides the regular kicking instruction we normally do. To spice things up we had a field goal competition with 4 of my students- Zachary Christensen of Mission Viejo High School, Christian Rodriguez of Fountain Valley High School, Nicholas Mares of Servite High School and Bailey Lipschultz of Alta Loma High School. Bret Miller of San Clemente High School was unable to attend. We had a double-elimination field goal competition and the winner got a Kicking World Under Armour heat-gear training shirt. It was a close kicking competition with a lot of laughs and good times. Ultimately Zach Christensen was able to pull ahead as the winner with a beautiful 53 yard field goal. All 4 guys exhibited great poise, confidence and excellent ability under the kicking competition pressure. I’m really looking forward to this 2010 football season and seeing how our Kicking World students do. I’m expecting big things from everyone! Check out Kicking World TV for the best football kicking videos!
Tags: Field Goal Competition, High School Kicker, Kicking Coach, Kicking Competition, Kicking Instruction, Orange County Kicking Competition
15 Jul 10 High School Freshman Kicks 55 Yard Field Goals!
I had the opportunity to work with Christopher Gulla from Toms River North High School again this summer while I was in New Jersey for our annual jersey shore kicking camp. Last year Christopher had private kicking lessons with me at Toms River North HS and attended the 2009 kicking camp. This year we met up again for a couple private lessons a few days before the camp. Toward the end of last season I received a nice e-mail from Chris’ dad Dennis saying:
“As we enter into State Playoffs, Chris has been pulled up from the Freshman team to Varsity and yesterday won the starting kicker job. With your help and dedication to practice, he is now consistently down to the 5 yard line and regularly in the end zone on kickoffs. In practice he also kicked several 50+ yard field goals. We look forward to seeing you again this summer.” – Dennis Gulla
It was awesome news to get and was very rewarding for me to know that the few kicking lessons we did and him attending the camp last year helped him so much. Christopher has improved even more since last year and this week during our 1 on 1 kicking lessons he was booting 50+ yard field goals with ease and even hit some 55 yarders. We tried a couple at 60 yards but it was just a little out of range.
Chris was the star of the kicking camp on Sunday as he was perfect from start to finish in the field goal competition hitting 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 yard field goals consecutively with no misses! Coach Brent’s comments on Chris:
“Christopher exhibits excellent concentration under pressure and has a great attitude and hard work ethic. Christopher is the real deal because of his smooth tempo and height on field goals, accuracy inside 55 yards and his ability to knock the ball deep into the end zone on kickoffs. I expect him to land at a top college football program when he graduates in 2013!” – Coach Brent Grablachoff
Be sure to watch the Christopher Gulla Highlight Video with kicks from his private training sessions with Coach Brent and highlights from the 2010 New Jersey Kicking Camp. Chris is going to be a force to be reckoned with this 2010 season as he starts his sophomore campaign. Be sure to keep an eye out for him in the newspapers and blogs online!
Tags: High School Kicker, Kicking Lessons, Kicking Training, New Jersey Kicking Camp
12 Jul 10 2010 Toms River NJ Kicking Camp Re-Cap
What an amazing kicking camp with excellent talent from all across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Quebec, Canada. That’s right- Canada! One student drove down from Canada to partake in the 2010 Kicking World New Jersey Kicking Camp at Toms River North HS on Sunday, July 11, 2010! The afternoon kicking camp session had football kickers and punters in attendance with ages ranging from 13 to 19. Many of the players who attended the 2010 NJ kicking camp had a solid foundation already and there were also some beginners just learning the ropes. It was a great mix of kickers who showed they can learn new technique and implement it and improve quickly. There was one kicker who went from normally kicking 30 yard field goals and by the end of the camp he hit his first 40 yard field goal! One kicker was able to learn how to get his kickoffs into the end zone consistently with a few small tweaks in his steps and form. All in all the camp had amazing talent and we saw many students kicking 45+ yard field goals and even some 55 yard field goals!
Right before the camp started we had a heavy rain shower but fortunately it passed after 10 minutes! The beautiful Toms River North field turf stadium drained quickly and we were able to start on time and stay rain-free for the remainder of the camp. The brief rain was a relief since it had been 95 degrees plus the previous few days in New Jersey. Thankfully the rain didn’t cool off any of the hot kicking talent!
The field goal competition was amazing as Christopher Gulla (15) who will be the Varsity kicker as a Sophomore (Toms River North High School) in the 2010 football season won the overall field goal competition. Christopher attended the NJ kicking camp last year and also has had private training with Coach Brent. At the camp we had a double-elimination field goal competition format and normally the winner might miss once before ultimately winning; however Christopher was perfect from start to finish! Chris Gulla hit 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 yard field goals all in a row with tons of pressure on him from the noise and distractions during the final rounds of competition. He was able to keep his composure and edge off Max Bodreau (19) College kicker at FX-Garneau College in Quebec City, Canada. Max was no easy challenge as he also impressed on the field with 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 yard field goals but ultimately missed from 55 while Christopher hit the 55 yard field goal. Congratulations to Christopher Gulla for one very impressive showing. We have honorable mention going to Scott Skripko (Delaware Valley Reg. HS), John Kilduff (Wallenpaupack Area HS) and John Scelfo (West Babylon HS) all going back to 40 and 45 yard field goals. I expect to see Christopher Gulla playing at a big time Division 1 College Football program in the near future. I also believe Max Boudreau has a real shot of transferring out to a good college football program in the states should he desire to do so.
We had two groups for the competition and Christopher won the ‘older kids’ group which consisted of 15, 16, 17 and 19 year old students while we also had a group for the 13 and 14 year old players. In the ‘younger group’ there was a clear winner in Zane Wasp (14) of Chaminade High School in Long Island, NY who hit all consecutive kicks from 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 yards. He did not miss once! Zane shows a ton of potential and I look forward to seeing his growth over the next few years.
In the punting competition John Scelfo (17) of West Babylon HS in Long Island, NY cleaned up shop with a 48.5 yard net punt average! John won the overall punting competition and his age group of 15-19 year olds. In the 13/14 year old group it was Franco Rifici Jr. (14) Holy Spirit HS taking the win with a 44.5 yard net punt average! In the punting battle John and Franco showed great natural talent with some high hanging tight spirals that cut right through the air with ease. Both young men exhibited excellent punting talent and I would expect to see both of them excel in punting this upcoming season. An honorable mention goes to Max Boudreau who hit a beautiful 58 yard net punt in competition time but flubbed a short second punt to put his average below John’s. Max also hit a 69 yard punt in the free-kick period!
By the time we got to the kickoff competition it was clear everyone was tired. Between the heat, long day in the sun and possibly some kickers not being in ‘game-season’ shape yet I believe many of the kickoffs were a few yards less than what the players were capable of. Ultimately two players pulled it together and won the kickoff battle. Max Boudreau (19) FX-Garneau College in Quebec, Canada won the kickoff competition for the older group with a 63 yard average and Franco Rifici Jr. won the younger group with a 54.5 yard average. Franco Rifici Jr. won both the punting and kickoff competition for his age group. Congratulations to all on a job well done!
It was very noticeable that everyone who attended the kicking camp improved dramatically from start to finish. We always start the camp off with the very basic ‘kicking 101 fundamentals’ which includes footwork, ball contact, impact position, follow-through and tips to ensure a consistent approach and confident form every time. Usually at this point there’s a lot of scratching heads from the campers as they sometimes learn an entirely new approach after having mastered soccer in the past; but field goal kicking tends to be new to them. At the end of the instructional period in this camp and by the time the kicking competition came along it was obvious that the students mastered the kicking form and picked it up rather quickly. It was very rewarding for me as a kicking coach to witness their growth and quick improvement in only 3 hours.
I’m looking forward to having everyone at the camp again next year and can’t wait to come back ‘home’ to New Jersey to see everyone’s improvement in the coming months. I normally visit New Jersey one to two times a year where I am available for private kicking instruction and can work with you while I’m in town in Toms River, NJ. Best wishes for much success in everyone’s upcoming football season! Be sure to check out all the great photos and action videos from the kicking camp!
Tags: College Kicker, Football Kicking Camps, Kicking Camp, Kicking Competition, New Jersey Kicking Camp
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