11 May 08 How To Train For Kicking

Many of my students have asked me “How do I train to be a better kicker or punter?” There are several tools available to help take your kicking performance to a whole new level. Everyone knows that kicking field goals and punting more, attending football kicking camps, and weightlifting and running is a good start, but what else can you do?

A very important thing to realize is where your power comes from. Most people think just go ahead and pump up your leg and you will get stronger and kick longer field goals and higher and longer punts. That is not necessarily true. Your “core” is extremely important. The core is comprised of your abdominal (ab) muscles, both upper, middle, lower, and obliques (sides). It is very important to work these muscles. You work them when you kick, but that is not enough. You need to be doing swiss ball work and leg pulls and leg lifts. I talk more in depth about the exact exercises and drills you can in and demonstrate them with pictures in my complete kicking and punting guide found on www.kickingworld.com

Another way to build your kicking body is to work on balance exercises. As seen in one of the above pictures, you can do balance drills on boso balls as well as utilize medicine balls to learn stability and develop your supporting muscles in the kicking or punting leg swing. do encourage weightlifting in the gym, but so many people do not know the way to weightlift as a kicker. If you go do squats, power cleans, lifts, and bench presses, and think you are helping your kicking career, well you are missing a LOT! You are NOT a lineman or a running back. You are a specialist, and there is much more specialized gym exercises you need to be doing which I explain exactly how to do with pictures in the Kicking World: Complete Guide to Kicking & Punting

Tags: Football Kicker Workout, Kicking Book, Kicking Training