TKC Alumni in NFL and Big 10
- Are you a college kicker looking to dominate in college?
- Are you a college coach looking for advantage in kicking game?
The Kicking Coach provides individualized NFL-level training and skill development for college kickers and punters. Coach Filipovic trains kickers in Chicago and on college campuses.
The Kicking Coach training for college specialists includes:
- NFL-level skill adjustments
- Execution of game strategy kicks
- All-year around kicking schedule
- Assistance with strength training programing
- Preparation of NFL prospects for combine and tryouts
- Sport psychology/mindset training
College kickers improve quickly when they know how to kick and train. They know how to coach themselves and are more self-aware than high school kickers. What they need is a direction with off-season and help with integrating kicking into their football and life responsibilities.
1. NFL-Level Kicking Technique Adjustments
When it comes to technique improvements, we are the best. Most kicking coaches echo coaching tips that they heard elsewhere, or reflect back on their own kicking days, and try to apply same kicking cues to most kickers without really understanding how body movements originate and correlate. We go much deeper than that.
For example, when someone crunches their upper body on field goals at contact with the ball, we don’t just say “stay tall” or “don’t crunch”. That is fixing a symptom, not a root cause. We look at the step pattern, swing path, and strength of the athlete. Their steps being curved, their swing being too upwards, or their core being weak would all cause the crunch at contact. Asking them stay tall will not fix the problem. It would make them kick worse because in addition to undiagnosed problem, now they are also trying to stay tall. We identify the limiting factors and instruct kickers on how to make adjustments that bring results.
2. Execution of Game Strategy Kicks
College kickers and punters are asked to execute various kicks in games – directional kicks, rushed kicks, roll out punts, pop up kickoffs, inside the 20 punts, kicks and punts in various wind conditions, etc. We teach them how to execute those kicks efficiently.
3. All-Year Around Kicking Schedule
Kicking at your best in the fall requires planning how much to kick all year around with the goal of maximizing training reps without sacrificing quality.
Not kicking enough, or not having high quality kicking workouts during the off-season, will slow down or stop your improvement.
Periodization of your kicking workouts resembles a sample schedule below:
- End of season time off from kicking
- Building up volume. Consistency not as important. Get foot on the ball. Kick straight-ish.
- Work on weaknesses. Start playing around with adjustments.
- Work on game specific kicks. Directional punts, kickoffs. Field goals with snap and hold.
- Start scaling back on repetitions in preparation for the season.
- In-season weekly schedule.
The amount of time spent in each period is subjective to what a kicker needs.
4. Assistance with Strength Training
We are not looking to replace your college strength coach. We simply talk to kickers about what they are doing and when they are doing it. Then we suggest tweaks as far as timing and volume. Weight room and running work are means to an end…that end being the best possible kicking performance on the field. If your training is making you a better kicker, keep going. If you are spending significant time and energy on training, and your kicking is same or worse, adjustments are needed.
5. Preparation of NFL Prospects
College specialists should know what NFL coaches are looking for as early as possible in their college career. There is a difference between being “good” in college versus being dominant in college while generating NFL interest. We teach skills that are used in the NFL. We teach how to bring professional mindset to training. We prepare athletes for what they will encounter at combines, pro-days, mini-camps, and NFL roster competitions.
College and pro kickers utilize similar skills to get the job done on the field. But the environment and expectations of NFL is significantly different from college.
6. Sport Psychology/Mindset Training
You have heard people say, “kicking is all mental”. That is somewhat true. Once you get the actual physical skills down, then yes…the difference between you and kicker with similar skill set is mental. Being better prepared mentally gives you an advantage in competitions where statistical difference between kickers is very small.
Missing a game deciding kick, also referred to as “choking”, is what pops up in people’s minds when we are talking about mental toughness and kicking. But mindset training is so much more than preparing yourself for a game-deciding kick. Mindset training includes routines and strategies that you use before and during practices that increase your percentage of good days and decrease number of your bad days. Once your good practice days outnumber your bad practice days, you will have confidence to make stressful kicks, perform at important tryouts, and beat other kickers with similar skill sets.
You become mentally tough by:
- knowing what to focus on before kicks
- developing routine that promotes good days
- having a thought strategy for after kicks in practice and games
- knowing what thoughts are distracting and how to move past them
- recognizing uncontrollables and learning how to ignore them
- learning to control your breath and your eyes to focus yourself
If you talk to successful NFL kickers, you quickly realize that there are patterns and common mindsets that top performers share. All you have to do is do what works for the best and avoid habits that are shared by the rest.
Training Cost:
- in Chicago: $150/1-hour session, $270/2-hour session
- on your College Campus: $250/football practice + travel cost
Contact Coach Filipovic
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (773) 480 – 5425 *text messages welcome
IG, X, FB : @thekickingcoach
