8 Early Season Drills Your Kickers and Punters Need to Do - John Zima

In the video below, "Kick It" owner and kicking coach John Zima shows you some good early season punting and kicking drills to do to get a good start.  These drills should be used year-round to keep your specialists sharp.

Coach Zima's presentation "Training Your Specialists 365" can be seen in its entirety on Glazier Drive.

Below the video, a few of our takeaway notes are listed.

Kicking and Punting are games of physics.  Mass x velocity = momentum.

To improve mass and velocity, punters and kickers need to work on:

• Explosive power
• Flexibility
• Core strength
• Goal is to add 1 - 3 pounds per month
• Developing and enhancing technique with drills and video review/corrections.

Field Goal Key Technique Objectives:

• On the ground, off the block ASAP
• Develop and maintain setup routine
• Approach to the kick - jab step
• Contact on the sweet spot of the ball
• Left arm 9:00 to 2:00
• Swing to belt line, toe to target
• Skip through - all momentum to carry forward
• Leave the chin behind, listen for the crowd

Punting Key Technique Objectives:

• Flexibility of punting motion
• Two step punter
• Catch out front
• Drop is initiated at the belt line
• Drop arm positioned on hip
• Recoil height - heel to butt
• Pendulum swing
• Finish over right eye - above the head - "knee must hit you in the nose."
• Explode off the left foot