On Sunday and Monday of this week I worked with Paul Ernster a veteran NFL free agent punter and kicker. Paul who lives here in Glendale, Arizona had heard about me through a couple of veteran NFL punters and kickers.
Paul who is a big legged kicking specialist graduated from Northern Arizona University has been with the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Paul has had some negative experiences with coaches or kicking consultants who 'think' they are knowledgeable with kicking or punting technique. However, Paul never really felt comfortable doing what the coaches asked him to do.
Paul after experiencing a couple of philosophical coaching experiences with regard to his punting technique decided to take some time off trying to decide in what direction he wanted to go with his punting technique.
After watching and listening to him in the first lesson I really felt for this young man. While I was a special teams coach in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals I watched Paul in a pre-game warm up when he was a punter with the Denver Broncos and noticed that this young man had a big leg.
In the last couple of years he has been with a couple of NFL teams in pre and regular season. Recently the workouts and tryouts have not been coming his way.
He like many kicking specialists his age must make some tough decisions. Do I keep working out and trying to get with an NFL teams or do I start a new career and move on with my life.
After working with Paul for two days I would suggest that he works on what he learned in the past two days and see how much he improves in the next month and then make a decision.
During our two days of punting Paul made some excellent improvement. In the first lesson I noticed that he had a nose up drop. See Photo below.
After the first day of One on One Punting Lessons we went and reviewed his video and he noticed he had changed a couple of things in his technique that he didn't even know he had changed.
In the second day of One on One Lessons I introduced Paul to my drop progression and One Step Drills. Paul was a quick study and improved quickly. He started to smile knowing that he was on the right track back to his old form coming out of college.
Paul has acquired some bad muscle memory during the past couple of years only because he has tried to do what some NFL special teams coaches have tried to make him do.
Like many punters and kickers that have come to me and told me what they have been taught or coached to do by several NFL special teams coaches I really question the quality of coaching specialists in the NFL.
Most NFL special teams coaches are excellent coaching coverage and return schemes but I question what their philosophy is on coaching kicking specialists.
In the last year I have had at least 15 to 20 really good free agent or veteran kickers or punters come to Scottsdale, Arizona for some One on One Lessons and tell me some unbelievable stories on what some coaches or kicking consultants are teaching their specialists in mini and training camps.
Click below to listen to Paul Ernster's Testimonial about working with Coach Zauner.
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