Qualities That Make Up The Perfect Kicker/Punter

October 3, 2011 By

Qualities That Make Up The Perfect Kicker/Punter

This Blog will again focus on one of the most common questions that I get asked.  “What qualities make up the  perfect kicker/punter?”  Many kickers and punters at the high school and college levels possess some of the qualities that make up a perfect kicker/punter, but it is rare however that one player possesses all those qualities.  That player is what we would call…. “A Scholarship Pick”, “An All-American”, or a “NFL Draft Pick”!   Take a look at some bullet points that describe the qualities that I look for, college coaches look for, and NFL coaches look for in a kicker/punter: 

    •    Leg Strength (Potential).  You must have a strong leg.   Get in the weight room and reach your full potential.  The stronger your leg, the more “potential” you will show. 
    •    Flexibility (Leg Speed).  The more flexible you are, the faster your leg will be.  Stretching, yoga, whatever it takes. This is key for adding distance and height to your ball.  And this will keep you healthy!
    •    Technique (Consistency). You may have a strong leg “potential”, you may be flexible and display “leg speed” – but you also must be able to make kicks and be both accurate and consistent at all skills.  Potential will only get you so far. Great technique will earn you the starting position.   Chris Sailer Kicking will help you get there. 
    •    Athleticism (Mental Strength).  This is often the separating factor.  A coach will ask, “Can he do it in a pressure situation”?, “Can I count on him to hit a game winner?”, “Will he be able to catch and punt the ball with guys with 4.4 speed coming off the edges to block his punt?”, “Will he be able to handle the pressure of kicking in front of 90,000 people?”  Kicking with confidence means being prepared.  If you believe in your preparation, you will succeed on the field.  My advice is to play many sports when you are growing up – be an athlete.  Attend Chris Sailer Camps to learn and eventually become your own coach.  Believe in what you are doing because it makes sense to you and you understand “Why” you are practicing those techniques.  Muscle Memory Drills 7-days a week!

The key is reaching your full potential in each of the four categories listed above. How badly do you want to get a scholarship?  How badly do you want to win the Chris Sailer Award? How badly do you want to be the starting kicker at a 4-year University? How badly do you want to make All-American?  How badly to you wand to play in the NFL and kick/punt for a living?  IT IS UP TO YOU!  MAKE IT HAPPEN!

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Kicking, Punting

September Recruiting – What Do I Do Now?

August 31, 2011 By
 September Recruiting – What Do I Do Now?

The anxiety that surrounds kicking, punting, and long snapping families this time of year is unparalleled.  It is September and you have not received an offer, you have not received a phone call, you aren’t getting responses from coaches, and the mail has slowed down.  The classic response…..panic.  Let me tell you from experience, there is absolutely no reason to panic.  (For reference read Rubio’s Blog – Waves of Recruiting)  This slow period of recruiting and lack of offers and communication is what 99% of specialists feel this time of year.  12 Chris Sailer Kicking Kickers/Punters have verbally committed to D1 school.  Hundreds are still waiting for that sigh of relief.  Take a deep, remain calm, and keep your focus on the goal.  If you do the right things from now until August, you will end up where you belong!  Read below a few pointers that will help you relieve some anxiety.

1. College coaches are focused on the season right now.  They have the first game of the year coming up and their stress level is off the charts.  Believe me when I say, the last thing on their mind is recruiting a kicker/punter.  They want to win that game, be the coach responsible for the win, and save their job so that they have a chance to recruit you down the line.  I always take my vacation in late August because I know how slow this time of year is.

What should you do?  Focus on the season.  Let your mind at ease when it comes to recruiting.  Start to gather some great practice footage and get it loaded to YouTube for future use.  Also contact any and all schools and ask to be put on their recruit list for their upcoming games.  You will get free tickets and get your face and name in front of that college coach at a crucial time (believe me). 

2. The games begin.  Some college team win games.  Some college teams lose games.  Some kickers and punters have tremendous success.  Other kickers and punters cost their team the game.  Some that were expected to be great, wet the bed.  Some that were expected to struggle, step up.  The bottom line is, neither you nor the college coach can predict what will happen.  But, after 2-3 games college coaches need to make moves to save their jobs and because the head coach is all over them.  So, they open up recruiting again to specialists.

What should you do?  After each game put together highlight clips.  Add of a few of those practice shots you stored.  Get it on YouTube and call it Week 1 Highlights.  Do the same after Week 2 and Week 3.  After 3 weeks, email that film to every single college coach in America.  This isn’t hard.  Get online and find the email addresses.  Or get with NCSA immediately to help you. Or both.  Call any school that you had previous contact with, reestablish the connection and your interest in that school. Call new schools that you have done research on.  Don’t ask for a scholarship, simply express your desire to play for them.  Focus on all levels, not just D1. 

3.  More and more kickers and punters start to get offers and commit.  Odds are, you still aren’t one of them.  It’s ok, don’t panic.  Your time will come when the school and fit is right for you.

What to do?  Keep on the same pattern as #2.  Never get too high and too low.  You will get disappointed more times then not.  Most important keep every option open.  You never know what can and will happen.  I have seen it all.  Load video and email after every game.  Have it ready for college coaches to view.  Be patient and know that your time will come.

Final Pointers:
A. D1A schools will recruit you.  Believe me, they will find the best of the best.  D1AA – NAIA schools need you to recruit them.  Express interest, make calls, send emails, take visits to schools of all levels that have what you are looking for (location, academics, major, weather, etc. etc.).  Small schools would love to get a call from a top 20 kicker, punter, or long snapper.

B. Take unofficial visits.  Get your face in front of coaches.  Set up tours on campuses.  Get to games as as a recruit (see earlier point).  The more proactive you are, the better.

C. The kicker, punter, or long snapper should be the one speaking, not the parent.  The parent can and should help with letters, making film, prepping conversations, etc.  But the coach wants the player to be the one that wants this.  He wants to see the desire and focus of the player.  READ RUBIO’S BLOG FOR REFERENCE

D. It is never too late.  Get this out of your head.  I have hundreds of stories – too many to share (way more than those precious 12 early commitments).  If you are reading this blog and follow what I say, you will be added to that list of stories.  Make sure to get to a Chris Sailer Kicking Nike Fall Camp & the 10th Annual National Kicking Event in Las Vegas.  THESE ARE HUGE FOR YOU! Ask any college coach in America. Recruiting ends in August of your senior year, until then, stay focused on the task at hand.  It will pay off for the rest of your life. 

Best of luck….this is just a sample.  Keep reading the Chris Sailer Kicking Blogs and the Chris Rubio Long Snapping Blogs for more information!  Have a great season and get to work!

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Kicking, Punting, Recruiting

Recruiting – 5 Separating Factors

July 11, 2011 By

Recruiting for Kickers/Punters: 5 Separating Factors

Recruiting is a very difficult, yet extremely rewarding process to go through.  Throw in the fact that you are a kicker or punter, makes it that much challenging.  Let’s assume that your on the field talent is identical to the thousands of national prospects going through the same process as you (this happens ALL THE TIME).  College coaches will look for separating factors when making a decision worth thousands of dollars and 4 to 5 years of their time.   They are making an investment and they will do the proper research to find “their guy”.  No matter what level prospect you are, you are competing for a prized position on a football team that will help you earn a valuable degree. Take a look at 5 of the most important separating factors that may land you a big time scholarship or walk on opportunity. 

1. Grades and Test Scores
The prospect with the best grades and test scores (SAT & ACT) will jump out to a big lead.  A coach wants their kicker or punter to cause no problems with admissions and boost the GPA of the football team for years to come.  See you school counselor, understand the NCAA clearinghouse, and seek information for what it takes to get into every school in the country! 

2. Character
No off the field problems.  No problems with a football coach, teacher, etc.  Coaches want a leader.  When a college coach does his research, he will talk to your kicking coach, football coach, principal, teachers, counselors, etc.  The answers better come back clean and with key words such as: leader, punctual, hard working, coachable, etc.  Clean up your facebook, twitter, blog, myspace, etc. now.  It is your online application.

3. Extracurricular Activities
The more you do, the more valuable you are.  Anything you can list on your application such as school president, clubs, charity work, etc. will get you one step ahead.  Coaches love to see a wellounded student athlete. 

4. Combo Player
The more you can do on the field, the more recruitable you are.  If you are a kicker, the question, “Can he punt”?, will come up.  If you are a punter, the question, “Can he kick”?, will come up.  If the answer is yes, you have just taken a major lead in the recruiting game.  If your skill level shows starting ability at both positions, you save a team a scholarship.  If your skill level shows adequate ability, you can be counted to back up the starter on the road.  In college football, due to roster limits, this is HUGE! 

5. Relationship With The Coach
Coaches are recruiting YOU, not your parents.  If your parents annoy a coach, they will not recruit you.  So, you make the phone calls, answer the questions posed on trips and visits, and ultimately show the desire to play for that program.  Parents are encouraged to help you through the process, but coaches want to recruit a self-motivated athlete.   Get yourself in front of that coach as often as possible, make visits, get on the recruit list for games.  The more the coach gets to know you in a positive way, the better chance you have of being recruited.  They will go with who they are familiar with and who they “like” the most in the end.  They will spend every day with you for the next 4 to 5 years, think about it. 

Keep these 5 separating factors in mind and start setting your goals early on.  Everything you do from this day forward will ultimately effect your opportunity to play college football, where you play college football, and the degree you will earn and use for the rest of your life!

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Kicking, Punting, Recruiting

College Camps

June 10, 2011 By
College Camps

I’ve never received more calls, emails, texts etc. concerning college camps.  The confusion surrounding these camps is more than apparent.  Here are some answers to the most common questions.

  • College camps are put on by the University and more specifically the football department.  These are NOT Chris Sailer Kicking or any other kicking services camps.  Don’t be confused or fall for any false advertising.  Universities may hire an outside kicking services to come in and coach.  I  have been asked to run over 80 of these camps over the years.  Due to limited time, we can only do a handful.  We currently work for LSU, Alabama, Oregon, and Tennessee. 
  • We cannot and will not rank you on www.ChrisSailerKicking.com based on your performance at a college camp.  This is per NCAA rules.  We do not evaluate at these camps.  Do not mistake a college camp as a Chris Sailer Kicking camp or any other kicking service camp. 
  • These camps are tryouts.  Treat them as such.  There are 3 reasons to attend (try out for the coaches, gain experience, simply enjoy being on a college campus and football field).  
  • Be smart about the camps you choose.  Attend camps that you have a legitimate shot at playing at that level.  Otherwise you will get lost in the crowd.  
  • Contact coaches both before and after camp via phone and email.  Let them know you will be attending and link your highlight video.  Ask them to keep an eye on you.  Also try to set up a campus tour, meetings, etc.  Follow up after the camp to ask you did and where you stand. 
  • Make sure to introduce yourself to the coach you have been contacting once you arrive at camp and have a chance.  He needs to put the name and face together.  Also thank him, say your name, and shake his hand after camp.  
  • Many of these camps are way to long and allow for way to much kicking.  Watch your reps and kick when it counts.  
  • If the instruction is not what you are used to or believe in, nod your head, smile, and continue to go about your business.  
  • You cannot sign up through www.ChrisSailerKicking.com.  You must register through the University.  
  • Why do these camps cost less?  They hire one kicking coach for sometimes over 100 players.  You will not receive the individual attention, instruction, and evaluation as you normally would at a CSK camp.  
  • College camps are a great chance to have a coach see you perform in person which may ultimately decide scholarship decisions. How do they notice you….you have to be the best.  I recommend top D1 seniors to be and the top 10 K/P in the nation juniors to be attend.  
  • Don’t just visit D1 schools during the summer.  Hit all levels.  Be realistic and create opportunities.  
  • If you can’t make the camp due to a scheduling conflict, ask the coach if you can come on a different date.  If he makes an effort, he is interested.  If he doesn’t, you know where you stand. 

Best of luck to all of our Chris Sailer Kicking specialists!

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Filed Under: Article Archives, College, Kicking, Punting

10 THINGS TO DO TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP

April 16, 2011 By

Every year many very deserving kickers/punters slip through the cracks and do not get a scholarship.  Why does this happen?  Simple, there just aren’t enough to go around.  So, those that take the necessary steps, when all is equal, are the ones that end up getting them.  I could right a 20-page formal or informal piece on this subject, but for now, here are 10 THINGS TO DO TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP:

1. Attend Chris Sailer Kicking camps as early as possible (as soon as 8th Grade).  Why?  To get proper technique coaching, to gain knowledge of how the kicking world works, and to get early exposure. Then keep going. 

2. Set goals and create a plan as a freshman in high school.  Form a team.  You are the captain.  Now you need reliable teammates.  Your team should consist of your parents, your coach, your school guidance counselor, NCSA (recruit service), and a kicking coach (Sailer). 

3. Earn your scholarship.  The sooner you realize that a scholarship is earned, not given, you will begin to work hard.  Work hard and reach your full potential as a person (character), in the classroom (grades and test scores), in the weight room (strength, speed, and flexibility), and on the field (kicking and punting).  You will earn your scholarship – not your coach, not your parents, not your kicking coach.  Make it happen and it will. 

4. Use social networking….the right way.  Use Facebook, Twitter, Blog and many others to learn, stay up to date (follow Chris_Sailer), and most importantly promote yourself.  The internet is very powerful.  The more a coach sees your name, the better.  Understand that this is your online resume.  As much as the internet can help you, it can also kill your chances.  Be smart…enough said. 

5. Create highlight videos.  You can never have enough.  Get them up on CSK, NCSA, and YouTube.  Just like social networking, turn yourself into a virus.  Start early to learn.  During your junior and senior season, you better have one ready when a coach calls.  It should be a click away. 

6.  Have a good high school career.  Sometimes this is out of your control due to the quality of your team, coach, snapper, holder, etc.  However, it is up to you to make the best out of bad situation.  Let your coach know you want to be the best.  Show him you’ll work hard.  Set up a game plan with him for extra time spent on special teams.  Get with your snapper and holder as often as possible (year round).  If you don’t have one, pick one.  Ask a friend, recruit and athlete, etc.  Get it done.  Send your snapper to Rubio (they will get WAY better in one lesson – trust me).  Stats can help you, do your best to make this your advantage. 

7.  Attend College Camps during the summer of your sophomore year (a good idea) and during the summer of your junior year (a must).  These are tryouts.  If you are good enough, here is where you can prove it to them.  Regardless of how much exposure you have had, most coaches still want to see it with their own eyes.  Seal the deal!

8. YOU Make the phone calls.  Coaches want to talk to you.  Tell your parents to encourage you, but to “spread out”. (See RUBIO BLOG for the definition of “spread out”) These coaches have to spend the next 4-5 years with you.  They will make sure that they like you.  When you meet a coach in person, answer your own questions, don’t let your parents answer for you. 

9. Take your SAT and ACT early and often.  The sooner you qualify, the better.  The more schools that you can qualify for, the better.  Make sure you are a qualifier so that if you have to go to a junior college for any reason, you can get out before getting your AA.  You only have to go through this once in life, so suck it up. 

10.  Get to Vegas for the National Event early and often.  Early to learn, gain experience, and get exposure.  Be the guy we know, not the guy we are just finding out about.  Simple, put it on your calendar now….I am going to Vegas 8 times (every January and May for all 4 years of high school).  This is the biggest stage.  Trust me.  See you May 14th!

Three CSK Kickers that got it correct: 
Matt Goudis (Miami), Andre Heidari (USC) & Connor Loftus (Penn)

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Filed Under: Article Archives, College, Graduating, High School, Kicking, Punting, Recruiting

The Ranking of a Kicker and/or Punter by Chris Sailer Kicking

February 28, 2011 By
Chris Sailer Kicking is the #1 Kicking, Punting, and Long Snapping business in the nation.  We have trained kickers, punters, and long snappers for 10 + years and counting now.  Each year we will train and evaluate over 1000 players at camps around the United States.  We have had the opportunity to train High School All-Americans, College All-Americans, Lou Groza Award Winners, NFL Draftees, and NFL Pro-Bowlers.  Most importantly we enjoy working with players of all skill levels.  Sponsored by Nike and continuing to grow from within has put us in a position to help players at every level (Junior High School, High School, College, and Professional) for many years to come.  Chris Sailer Kicking began with a vision to help more specialists get scholarships, well-deserved scholarships.  That has happened. Our vision is to keep that trend going and increase the number of scholarships every year.  To do this, it is important for you to understand how we rank players. 

1. We will only rank a player that we have seen IN PERSON.  Film is great, but it does not compare to an in person evaluation.  An in person evaluation can be at a private lesson, group lesson, camp, or national event run by Chris Sailer Kicking.  College camps are NOT taken into consideration. The evaluation must and will only be done by Chris Sailer (Kickers / Punters) and Chris Rubio (Long Snappers).  We do not use 3rd parties for evaluations.  This is the only way we can assure 100% accuracy. 

2. We do not rank all players that we see.  We only rank players that we feel show the ability or potential to one day compete at the college level.  We take effort, work ethic, and attitude into consideration when determining if a player meets the above criteria.

3.  Our rankings are subjective, not objective.  We focus on our evaluation, not just stats.  Stats may be misleading.  We are the professionals at what we do.  Our rankings will take the following criteria into consideration: 1. Current Skill Level, 2. Potential Skill Level, 3. Performance Under Pressure.  We look for the following: technique, strength, leg speed, athleticism, mental toughness, competitiveness, confidence, tee sizes to name a few. 

4. The ranking system is as follows.  After every camp, we evaluate each player.  They are then added to or adjusted on the TOP RECRUITS site of Chris Sailer Kicking.com 

Star Rating System:
5 Stars: D1 Scholarship Player
4 1/2 Stars: D1 Talent (D1 Preferred Walk-On or possible D1 Scholarship Player)
4 Stars: D2 Talent (D2 Scholarship or Possible D1 Preferred Walk-On)
3 1/2 Stars:  D3 Talent (D3 Scholarship or Possible D2 or D1AA Preferred Walk-On)
3 Stars: D3 Talent (D3 Preferred Walk-On)

Number Ranking System:
Will list the exact number rank of the player from (#1 through #……)  #1 being the very best in the nation, and so on. 

The Star Rating and the Number Ranking is an evaluation based on that day.  So, younger players usually do not receive 4 and 5 star rankings yet.  Older players earn the higher rating as they begin to show more of the criteria necessary to be considered a college prospect.  Rankings change on a daily basis.  You can always improve your rank the next time we see you. 

*Understand, rankings are not complete until fall camp begins your freshman year of college.  We will see new players constantly and the rankings will constantly be updated.  You have to work to maintain or increase your ranking.  You are only as good as the last time we saw you.  We cannot predict the future.  You will see that we will now list (Student Since: – to show when we first evaluated a player & Last Evaluation: – to show the last time we evaluated that player).  These pieces of information will help both the players and college coaches better understand the accuracy of the rating and ranking. 

5.  Once a player is ranked you are in our system until you begin your fall camp as a freshman in college.  You will never be dropped in the rankings.  However as we see new players or current players improve their ranking, you will slide naturally.  Again rankings are now complete until fall camp begins your freshman year of college.  That is when the rankings are as accurate as can be and are removed from the website.  You can increase your ranking by attending any future lesson, camp, or event.  A rating and ranking becomes much more accurate the more often we see a player.  We see improvement, we get to know a player mentally, and the player generally becomes much better physically and technically.  A college coach will always ask the question, “How many times have you worked with him?”  Why?  Because he wants to be sure that our evaluation is accurate and not a fluke.  He wants to be sure that we know that player mentally as well as possible before a large scholarship investment is made by the University.   Certain players are phenoms and earn 5 star rankings right off the bat.  It is just a no – brainer.  But most must work hard to establish consistency and improvement over time.  Our confidence in you as a player is a BIG DEAL.  We have to know who and what it is we are recommending. 

6. Once a player is ranked, we do take season stats into consideration.  Because there are so many factors out of your control at the high school level (coach, opportunities, snapper, holder, field condition, etc.) most players never get the chance to put up big numbers – this will not hurt you.  Both we and college coaches understand this.  But, if you happen to be fortunate enough to put up great stats, this can help you.  We don’t put a huge amount of stock in your season stats, but a good season can definitely help prove that you are consistent over time and that you can perform well under pressure. 

7.  Vegas Event Statistics.  Yes, they are great as they give us all something to look at.  However, they are NOT the only factor we take into consideration when updating the rankings.  They are a small piece of the puzzle (see above #’s 1-7).  Please do not just look at the stats and send us a spreadsheet as to why you should be ranked ahead of someone else.  I promise you, we do a thorough evaluation that looks at all your kicks from both Saturday and Sunday.  And we take into consideration past camp performances.  A bad statistical day isn’t going to effect the great statistical days that a player may have had in the past.  The statistics from Vegas are big for many reasons, but please remember that we look at EVERYTHING. 

8.  The Kicking and Punting Rankings are completely separate.  One does not effect the other and vice versa.  However doing well in both is always a positive for college coaches.  Combo players are rare and are a hot commodity. 

Chris Rubio and myself are very confident in our player evaluations.  The ranking / rating is intended to help each player find the right college fit for THEM.  If you are ranked that is a tremendous accomplishment.  You should be proud of yourself.  No matter the ranking/rating, use it as motivation to continue to improve.  Remember, you are only in High School or Junior College.  This is only the beginning.  Keep working hard and you will achieve your goals.  We are here to help you reach your goals.  We are always here as a reference for you.  Please DO list our name and contact information in your correspondence with college coaches  and on your highlight videos.  I promise you, it is worth it.

Thanks for reading and I hope this helps clarify the Chris Sailer Kicking TOP RECRUITS Section of www.ChrisSailerKicking.com

Chris Sailer
[email protected]
Twitter: Chris_Sailer

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Kicking, Punting