The initial training session is always the most tedious and time consuming. It ceases to amaze me when I get an athlete that has both the mental capability to digest the principles of the Set & Pull movement as well as the physical attributes to put them in motion.
I recently worked with a senior high school punter from Arlington Heights, IL , Harry McCollum. Harry, who is headed to Georgetown University, brought with him all the common technical errors that most young punters make.... High drop level, long stepping pattern, bad posture, unstable hips, early release of kicking knee, unstable plant leg/knee, hitting the ball vs putting the ball in the way of a sound stroke ... the list goes on.
After a couple hours of thorough instruction and film analysis, Harry made huge progress in preparation for this season. I showed him film of the many other NCAA and NFL punters I've worked with and explained that developing a consistent and repeatable stroke takes both time and repetition. By embracing the many drills that we do in order to ingrain the proper posture and body movements, Harry made exceptional progress. He now understands how to use the Set & Pull movement in order to maximize foot speed with minimal effort.
Major improvements included .... Developed great rhythm, stepping pattern shortened, posture stabilized, drop lowered and closer to the hitting zone, using the drive step to set the kicking leg properly, stabilizing the plant leg, snapping his lower leg/foot 'through the ball' vs 'at the ball' and keeping his head down throughout the kicking process.
Great job, Harry.
This is why I coach - UG
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