Kicking World Blog

I get emails from students and parents all the time with links to their punting or kicking highlight video and more times than not, they are missing key points in their video that will hinder their chances of college football Special Teams Coordinators and Recruiting Coordinators taking a serious interest in them. I’ve laid out a detailed blueprint below to help maximize the results of your kicking highlight video. If you want to learn more about this, I am available to hire for guidance on all things kicking and can help you with detailed aspects of planning, promotion, etc.

• Make sure your video is in the widescreen/landscape view, not a vertical/portrait look.
• High-resolution HD video is essential. Today’s iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices have drastically improved and are now more than acceptable. Just make sure you have it cranked up to at least 720, preferably 1080 or 4K.
• Alternatively, get a real camera and a tripod. You can pick up great HD video cams at Amazon.com for under $200. The benefit to using a real camera is that you can smoothly zoom in/out as needed.
• Use a tripod or have a steady hand. Shaky video is annoying to watch and looks sloppy.
• A ball flight that gets lost in view is mysterious and raises doubt about hang time, validity, etc. Many times the services schools use to record their games (Hudl, etc.) unfortunately focus on the line of scrimmage, blocking schemes, kick coverage, etc. and don’t put much emphasis into the kick or punt ball flight. I advise you to film your own games to eliminate missed footage and ensure it is done properly! A minimal time investment will pay dividends for your son’s future! Or simply ask a friend or hire a student to film the game for you!
• Kickoffs and Punts: Film high up in the stadium (left to right or right to left view) to capture the entire ball flight from approach, to kick/punt, to land.
• Field Goals: Film practice kicks from behind aiming at the goalposts to show your form and consistency. Start the camera a second before you start approaching the ball (no need to record your entire steps each time) and end it a second after the ball lands. Game footage should be filmed the same as kickoffs and punts.
• Keep the field in view the entire time in the lower third of the screen (you shouldn’t be filming the clouds).
• Put your best skill (ie. field goal vs kickoff vs punt) first, and your best kicks or punts first. Don’t simply make it a chronological highlight… although that is much easier to do, you should spend the extra time to eliminate bad kicks and only post the best of the best. Coaches see hundreds of videos a month and will get bored quickly if yours doesn’t WOW them from the start!
• Do a simple text overlay at the bottom of the screen indicating the field goal and kickoff or punt distance.
• Optional – if you are accurate (meaning you can correctly calculate times with a real stopwatch), also list the kickoff and punt hang times. i.e. 65 yards, 3.8 seconds (you would write that at the bottom of the screen just before or after the kick).
• Game video is king, but practice video is good also. I would do a mixture of both, but make the game footage the priority. Also, if you don’t have many in-game kicks, supplementing extra practice footage helps.
• Shoot a ‘consecutive’ kick video where you go through a cycle (for instance PAT, 30L, 30R, 35L, 35R, 40M, 45M, 50M) without stopping the video. This shows your consistency and that you aren’t just doing multiple takes to get your best ones. All of your videos don’t need to be the consecutive style, but it’s a good idea to at least have one for each of your skills.
• Distribution is your next step and in today’s digital age it’s important to have your video up on YouTube and of course, email that video link(s) to the college coaches you contact.
• If you make our Hot Prospect List you’ll have your own profile on our site to link to where you can manage your page which includes embedded videos, images, stats, bio, contact info, etc. You would simply include that link with an intro email to coaches which helps streamline the process.
• Don’t forget to include your contact info, your head football coach’s contact info, and your kicking coach’s contact info (ask for permission first) in the footer of your email! I advise not posting all your contact info online as many times your email will get spammed. Save it for any direct email communication with the coach.

Need expert advice & guidance on the recruiting process and help getting your name out there to college coaches? Get Coach Brent’s help on the recruiting process for kickers & punters in a 30-minute Recruiting Tips & Guidance Phone Call. In addition, he covers many aspects of recruiting, how to email a coach, kicking video highlights, etc. at camps and in his Books & DVDs.