Do I need to start all over and use the Set & Pull immediately? Nope
Is it a style that needs to be followed point by point? Nope.
Is it a style that every high school college and pro punter and/or kicker should use? Nope.
Fact is the Set & Pull isn't a punting style or technique at all.
The' Set' is strictly a reminder of how to set your lower leg(knee) to 85-90 degrees while gliding into your plant foot placement. Setting the leg properly is vital in creating the much needed lag in order to create maximum foot speed.
The final violent snap through the impact zone is the product of letting the lower leg swing freely.
After speaking with my former team mate and 19yr NFL veteran kicker, Matt Stover, we both agree that putting any label on a punting, kicking or snapping style would only serve to confuse our athletes. Matt and I both know old habits are hard to break. In discussing our years working together. I explained the work I've done with many college players as well as current St Louis Rams punter Donnie Jones. And the consensus was - every punter and kicker that ever suited up on Sundays all had one thing in common - a lower leg that snapped violently THROUGH the ball in the impact zone.
And why is it so important to snap your lower leg/foot THROUGH the ball at impact?
1) When you snap your foot THROUGH the impact zone, you are using maximum foot speed due to the fact the ball will accelerate OFF your foot while it is still moving with maximum velocity(on target).
2) When you snap your foot THROUGH the impact zone, the ball will stay on your foot longer, hence creating better spin and direction control on the kick. When you make sure to accelerate THROUGH the impact zone, the ball will compress decompress and spin/turn over in the direction intended as well.
Your STYLE Is Yours!
Whatever posture, balance, stepping pattern, head position, grip on the ball a punter chooses leading up until impact of the ball (when the foot hits the ball) is his 'STYLE'.
And after the ball is off his foot, any and all feet, body, hip, arm or head posistion along with their own follow-through is his 'STYLE'
Our goal is not to change your STYLE.
Grip It and Rip It
With over 50 yrs of NFL experience, our goal is to share the All Pro Secret that has known for decades, but never articulated. We want to show you the EXACT positioning of your feet, knees, hips, core, arms and body in order to maximize foot speed and accuracy.
When you watch super slow motion of all the great ones, there are many discrepancies in their posture, hip stability and alignment, balance, the timing of the setting of the ankle(pronation), the timing of the setting of the leg, foot placement on the plant foot and even on the impact on the ball itself. The athletes all have different STYLES. Landeta, Roby, Stark, UG, Bennett, Feagles, Guy, Jennings all had different STYLES..
However, the most distinguishable constant with all these great punters was that they all had identical lower leg action at the impact of the football....... the actual upper and lower kicking leg position during the milliseconds prior to ball contact.... all the way through impact..... and then to the release of the ball off their foot. At impact, all within a few milliseconds, the ball compresses and then decompresses off the kicking foot.
The direction of the punt FG and or kickoff is directly related to:
1) How long you can keep the ball on your accelerating foot and
2) While the ball is on your foot, maintaining the snapping motion through the ball towards intended target.
Post Script - We will teach you, bio-mechanically, the 'how and why' your body must be aligned and then unfold perfectly at impact. How the timing of the release the kicking leg is the most vital component in creating the consistent foot speed needed to punt and/or kick a football effectively.
'Set & Pull' are simple reminders ..... The STYLE is up to you!
No comments:
Post a Comment