Semi-OT: Question on Field Goal Kicking
For anyone who has played football, coached it, etc. how much of field goal kicking is really coaching?
I grew up playing soccer and I've always equated FG kicking to penalty kicks: meaning there are plenty of techniques, but its really more about how you handle pressure and your mental fortitude than anything else. Either you were good at them because you thrived under the pressure or you failed because you couldn't take it.
Is field goal kicking really that much about coaching?
January 13th, 2011 at 9:56 AM ^
I have no idea, but I have another question: take a normal, in-shape 21-year old guy. Do you think he could make an extra point (without anyone trying to block the kick, or without having to do it in a game atmosphere)? What about a 30-yard field goal?
January 13th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^
Yes on the EP, but probably not so much on the 30-yarder.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^
I think being able to kick a field goal is kind of hit or miss. If this guy played soccer growing up then he has a lot better chance. The first time I ever kicked a field goal was on my Big House tour earlier this year. My first try was from 25 and I pulled it left, but had plenty of distance. Next try was 35 and I pushed it right. My third field goal I ever attempted was good from 40. I played travel soccer all the way through 8th grade though so that definately helped. I've been practicing since(due to the whole kicking sucking thing) and I'm pretty much automatic from 35 in, but anything longer is really shaky.
January 13th, 2011 at 9:58 AM ^
Don't forget about the timing. In a FG kick, you need to time perfectly, to ensure the holder has put the ball down where it needs to be. Often, you are moving before the holder even has the ball. This is what makes FG kicking particularly difficult, and much more so than punting/kick offs.
January 13th, 2011 at 11:27 AM ^
Lofting the ball over defenders is another skill that we need to improve upon, and (apparently) is not something your average soccer player can just walk off the couch and accomplish.
January 13th, 2011 at 10:09 AM ^
After HS track practice, I used to some times kick field goals with teammates. With no practice (and no knowledge of proper technique), we could regularly kick 35yd FGs. Yes, that's not in front of 110,000 people and with angry 300lb men running at you, but it's still not a difficult thing to do. There's no excuse for our kicking woes this past season.
January 13th, 2011 at 7:32 PM ^
We shouldn't having kicking problems because you and some buddies could kick 35 yarders, without pads, without pressure, without crowd noise, presumably without a long snapper, without worrying about height because there was no one trying to block, and with as much time as you needed? Because of this, you have decided we shouldn't have kicking woes.
Do you think, if Brendan Gibbons or Seth Broekhuizen were with your buddies, that they could do that as well?
The other day I was playing catch with my buddies at the beach. My buddy would run about 20 yards from me, and I hit him in the hands consistently. Therefore, Denard should never overthrow anyone.
January 13th, 2011 at 10:12 AM ^
Any schollarship kicker (or any walk-on kicker that has won the job) at a Div. I (aka FBS) school should go 80% from 18 to 37 yards.... no exceptions. I don't care about his coaching or technique. If you are "good enough" to get a schollarship or start, you have no excuse whatsoever to suck when you are on the field.
4 fgs in 13 games. 4. With a schollarship kicker and a starting walk-on. Two guys that, by themselves, had no excuse to do worse that 4 / 5 from that range.
As for pros (talking to you Akers) there is no excuse to ever miss an FG under 40 yards (exceptions for bad snaps /holds). That's why every year there is a starting kicker that gets fired mid-season for shanking a 35 yarder... no excuse.
Yes, this was a rant.
January 13th, 2011 at 11:33 AM ^
scholarship?
i thought it was a typo until i saw it twice
January 13th, 2011 at 10:25 AM ^
because there might be only so much that you can self-diagnose your technique, be that in practice or on the fly. From the sounds of it, our special teams haven't benefited from actual kicking coaching in quite a while, punting included. I've read about Hagerup talking tips with his brother at Indiana, as well as getting little pointers from the Space Emperor, but nothing like that from the field goal kids. It's also possible that these kids don't know how to coach each other.
The kickers we have now were gifted in high school, but might have been at the point where they can get the job done for their high school, have the offer from college, and slack on the continued learning and improvement. Also, if they're coaching themselves off in their corner, maybe they've relegated the fundamentals to the backseat of pounding away field goals just for the sake of kicking them.
If we get a new special teams coach (do we get/have one?), he probably should have at least some semblance of kicking knowledge. At least if he has the propensity for recognizing the struggle and learning (himself) how to coach it in the process of running other aspects of our special teams, then he can give these kids the help that they need to really perfect their technique.
Two cents, and all
January 13th, 2011 at 11:01 AM ^
We don't have an ST coach. Additionally, most teams in the B1G do not.
January 13th, 2011 at 11:10 AM ^
Just double-checking
January 13th, 2011 at 11:47 AM ^
because most teams don't have a dedicated Special Teams coach let alone a kicking coach. Certain coaches pull double duty because they might have a little knowledge about kicking technique. NCAA allows so many coaches per staff and most schools would rather have a TE / DE / etc..
January 13th, 2011 at 12:49 PM ^
I have a friend whose son kicked at La Tech a few years back. His kid said they practiced, on average, 15-20 kicks a week. That's not 15-20 situations, positions, etc. That means the coaches had him kick 15-20 kicks during the week. He also said that the vast majority of Div 1 schools do not "practice" kicking.
I couldn't believe it when I heard it.
January 13th, 2011 at 2:15 PM ^
Or we petition the NCAA to have Ndamukong Suh as our kicker. Yes, he missed that extra point against the Jets, but not by much.
January 13th, 2011 at 4:20 PM ^
I kicked a year in high school for the football team before switching to soccer for a year and rugby for two (handling all kicking duties which are very similar), and can honestly say that at that level you get almost no coaching for it. If you are a soccer-style kicker playing football in high school, it's basically an independently learned talent that takes TONS of practice. It is totally mental and comfort. Sure, guys can be just plain bad kickers, but if you know how to strike a ball consistently, it shifts from ability to comfort and focus. I was generally an accurate kicker with subpar leg strength (43-45 yard kicks on a good day off a block/tee) but it was easy to sometimes get rattled and miss an easy one. If you don't focus, you don't maintain your form and you don't make kicks.
January 13th, 2011 at 7:15 PM ^
I kick for my high school team right now, and I play travel soccer as well. So, like QVIST just said, it's all about just practicing the kicks and getting them down. I'm pretty consistent from about 40 in, maybe a little less. I can hit as deep as about 47, but it's shaky. For the most part, it's all a mental thing, but if you're good enough to get a scholarship for a big ten school, you definitely should be able to focus and be consistent from 40 in.