Coach Zauner points out FG Technique by Left Guard!Today was a very busy day! Half my day was giving a One on One Coaching Seminar and the other half was back on the field giving a One on One Kicking Lesson.
The One on One Coaching Seminar with Ohio State's graduate assistant coach Chad Rogosheske.
Coach R is working with the kicking specialists. He brought tapes of all his kicking specialist's which we dissected with a fine tooth comb. Coach R wants his guys to improve. So we looked at each players techniques and talked about their strength's and weaknesses.
In my opinion he has a excellent group of kicking specialists to work with. They just need a little refinement. I gave Coach R my evaluation on each player and a couple of drills to help each player improve his technique.
"Coach R was taking notes as if he was in a College physiology 303 class." He didn't want to miss one detail."
We discussed all aspects of the field goal team. Snap, hold, kick and protection.....
Ohio States field goal kicker, Ryan Pretorius was 18 for 23 or 73% on the season. I believe that was with 4 blocked kicks. Coach R asked me to evaluate his technique. The first thing I noticed on Coach R's video and it stuck out like a sore thumb. The holder was placing the ball down at 7 yards. The last time I used that distance as a coach was about 15 years ago.
I show Coach R my video of the Baltimore Ravens field goal protection unit and some individual techniques. Most NFL teams have their ball placement at the longer distance!
I did a study many years ago and through my research I concluded; In today's College and NFL kicking world, most field goals are blocked up the middle.
Therefore, when I started coaching in the NFL I moved the ball back to at least 7 1/2 or 8 yards. Longer distance not only gives the ball more room for elevation to clear the line of scrimmage, but it also works out for the field goal center to snap perfect laces to the holder. It's a win/win situation.
When I was with the Minnesota Vikings as a Special Teams Coordinator; Faud Reveiz kicked a NFL record 31 consecutive field goals and Gary Anderson broke his record with 4o straight. However, the key to their success was Mike Morris our snapper. A great snapper makes it so much easier for the kickers and punters to do their jobs. Plus, don't forget all the offensive linemen that protect on the field goal team.
Coach Rogosheske headed back to Ohio State and seemed very pleased with his 4 hour, One on One Coaching Seminar.
In the afternoon, I met with Garrett Palmer who was San Diego State's field goal kicker for the last 4 years.
Garrett, is about 6'3 and 190 pounds. He started kicking, right away I could tell this kid had a good leg! This big good looking kicker had great explosion into the ball!
As always, he kicked and I asked a lot of questions. I watched and observed his technique and took mental notes on his style of kicking. Garrett has an extensive soccer background, however, has not received much coaching on his field goal kicking technique.
After we reviewed the video of Garrett's One on One Lesson I gave him my evaluation. I believe this young man has a great leg and potential but needs to be more consistent. He kicks every ball like he wants to launch it into outer space!
Tomorrow we will try to work on a couple of drills that will make him more consistent! He needs to kick with less momentum, more rhythm and end on balance. He kicks a little out of control.
Stay tuned for more of Coach Zauner's Blog!
