The TRICK to a Faster Snap
Written by Coach Ian Smetona, Snapping Coach at Kicking World
The trick to a faster snap is… there is no trick! There is no quick fix or one simple solution to improving your snap time. People ask me all the time, “What drills can I do to make my snap times quicker?” While snap time is important, strictly focusing on it in your weekly training regime is somewhat misguided. For instance, a quarterback that wants to improve his arm strength does not go out every day and try to ‘throw the ball harder’. If he did, his arm would be shot in a couple of weeks! Now, what he (or you as a snapper) should be focusing on is becoming a better and more explosive athlete by doing the following:
Strength Training
This would include working out at the gym, weight lifting, plyometrics, and don’t forget a good stretching routine! ‘Explosion’ is a word that I always key on. If you cannot be explosive, then you cannot take the next step as a long snapper. Training hard but also training smart and effectively will help you become a better athlete and gain the explosion that is needed to excel at snapping.
Technique
What good is an explosive snap if you cannot be accurate 100% of the time? As we have seen time and time again, an inaccurate snap affects the outcome of the game. It’s why major college programs and NFL teams pay big money to have dedicated position players like kickers, punters and snappers. They may not see much on-field time during the course of a game, but every second they are out there, they are of extreme importance! On several occasions throughout the course of a season, the snap, hold and kick operation can be the difference between a win or loss!
Food for Thought
Proper technique must be consistently evaluated, corrected and implemented if the ideal muscle memory is to be set in place.
Quality Training
I will always preach quality over quantity, along with consistency and focus on the details. You are more valuable as a snapper if you can hit your desired target at a .78 second snap time than being erratic with a .65 second snap time. Coach Brent, I and the staff at Kicking World maintain an intimate setting of small group and 1 on 1 snapping lessons while doing our private instruction. In the end, quality evaluation and consistent practice of your technique is what will set you apart.
Get in Touch
If I can be of help whether it’s evaluating you for your first snapping lesson, picking my brain about a couple snapping questions, or whatever; feel free to contact me anytime. Check out the Snapping Page to get started.
Coach Ian Smetona
Snapping Coach
Kicking World
