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
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
18 Jun 10 How to Kick a Football Farther!
Every week I hear “What can my son do to strengthen his leg and kick a football farther?” Today I’m going to give you a few tips to help improve your kicking and punting distance. Contrary to popular belief, kicking a football far is not necessarily due to a ‘strong leg’ but more commonly it is due to a ‘fast leg’ and precise ball striking. One of the easiest ways to immediately improve your distance is to work on striking the ball’s sweet spot with the correct part of your foot. You want to hit the ball with the upper instep of your foot (right at the second shoelace loop from the top of most soccer cleats). If you strike the ball down by your toe or on the middle/side of your foot you’re going to lose a ton of power! You also want to make sure your ankle and knee are ‘locked’ at impact. If you keep your leg or foot loose at impact you will severely cut down your power. In field goal kicking, punting, and kickoffs you want the ball to explode off your foot. See below for two excellent videos that will help you understand the above points.
To improve your leg speed there’s several things you can do and here’s a couple quick tips that will help you:
- Isometric Resistance Band Training (builds the fast-twitch muscle fibers)
- Sprinting short distance (20 to 30 yard wind sprints)
- Improving Flexibility/Stretching (allows your leg to snap through quicker)
- Leg swing motion in shallow end of pool (water resistance improves balance and speed)
Here’s 2 free instructional videos on our YouTube page that will help you with precision and power and kick the football farther. For detailed training tips, practice routines, kicking and punting fundamentals, techniques, mental training tips and more check out the Complete Guide to Kicking & Punting Book!
Tags: Football Kicker Workout, Kicking Instruction, Kicking Training, Kicking Video
04 Jun 10 Kicking World Kicking Camps Preview Video
We’ve created a compilation video from our 2010 Spring Break kicking camp to show everyone what our football camps are all about. Take a look at this awesome video and witness the action from warm-ups to instruction to competitions to awards presentation. Coach Brent and the staff at Kicking World put their hearts into the camp and we really hope you enjoy the video!
A mashup video of our 2010 Spring Break Kicking Camp at La Jolla High School in San Diego, CA. Kicking World offers performance football kicking & punting camps in California, Texas and New Jersey and year-round private kicking instruction in Orange County and San Diego, CA. Come train with us and improve your field goal form, kickoff technique, and punting skills.
Tags: Football Kicking Camps, Kicking Camp, Kicking Competition, Kicking Instruction, San Diego Kicking Camp
02 Apr 10 2010 Spring Break Kicking Camp Re-Cap
On Sunday, March 28th Kicking World kicked off the 2010 kicking camp season at La Jolla High School in sunny San Diego, California! The camp was a major success as 25 students ages 14-17 were in attendance. Students travelled as far as 3 hours away to attend the kicking camp. Check out all the photos from the camp!
Kicking World’s camps are heavily focused on kicking instruction as our camp staff teaches you how to kick field goals, how to punt, and how to kickoff effectively. At the end of each instructional and free-kick period we hold a kicking competition. For this camp we had 3 different competitions with winners determined by age: a 14/15 group and a 16/17 group. There were many camp participants who exhibited some awesome talent! Below, we recognize the kicking camp competition winners.
I’m still getting phone calls and e-mails from parents and students with a lot of positive feedback on the camp and their experience. The common theme is that everyone had fun, enjoyed the kicking competitions, and learned quite a few tips for improving their field goals, punts, kickoffs and onside kicks. One parent in particular expressed his sincere thanks:
The camp was well organized, energetic, well staffed and the kids had a blast that was visible from the stands. Thank you Brent for providing a superb camp and the care you show for the kids. I would and do recommend your camps to everyone with an interest in kicking.” -Mike Sommers
Special Thanks
Thanks to all the students and parents who attended! Special thanks to my camp staff- Coach Jesse, Coach Justin, Carolyn, Austin, Joaquin, and camera men Brian Miller and Mike Robinson. The camp couldn’t have been a success without your help! Your time and efforts are much appreciated. Also, thanks to Wizard Kicking, Athlete’s Performance, and Athletic Quickness for donating the awesome awards we presented to competition winners! Check out all the great pictures from the camp!
Competition Results
Field Goal
In the field goal competition Bret Miller (San Clemente HS) and Conrad Ukropina (Loyola HS) dueled for 12 rounds of head to head competition from 30 yard to 50 yard field goals until finally Conrad beat out Bret with a ‘last second pressure’ 45 yard field goal kick. Conrad won the 16/17 age group and the ‘golden boot award’ as the last man standing in the field goal competition and Bret Miller won the 14/15 age group.
Punting
In the punting competition Nathan Drum turned out an impressive 53.5 yard net punt average and was the overall punting competition winner followed by a close second- Anthony Summers (San Clemente HS) with a 51 yard net average who won his 14/15 age group.
Kickoffs
In the kickoff competition, Kicking World student Christian Rodriguez (Fountain Valley HS) won his 16/17 age group and overall competition winner with an impressive 61 yard kickoff average while Bret Miller, also a Kicking World student came in a close second overall and won his 14/15 age group with a 60 yard kickoff average.
Contact Us
If you would like to attend any of our upcoming football kicking camps, please check our website for camp dates, schedule, itinerary, and registration information. Our website offers free kicking videos, kicking tips, and “The Complete Guide to Kicking & Punting eBook” to help you improve your skills. We hold national kicking camps and year-round private kicking instruction in Southern California. Please feel free to contact us for more information.
Tags: Kicking Camp, Kicking Competition, Kicking Contest, Kicking Instruction, San Diego Kicking Camp
06 May 09 2009 Kicking Camps kicking off this coming weekend!
The 2009 Kicking Camp season is officially kicking off next weekend, on May 17th in Austin, Texas! We will “Keep Austin Weird” (a saying in Texas) and have a very special guest instructor- 2008 Arena Football League Kicker of the Year, A.J. Haglund! A.J. and Coach Brent will be on hand to provide personalized kicking AND punting instruction to all the camp students. We’re both looking forward to doing it big in Texas. After the camp all students are invited to meet us at Rudy’s for a good ‘ol Southern BBQ feast and kicker talk! To signup for a kicking camp, simply visit www.kickingworld.com or call Coach Brent @ 619-564-1333
Tags: Football Kicking Camps, Kicking Instruction, Texas Kicking Camp
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