Friday, was my second day of working One on One Lessons with Rian Lindell and the emphasis was on kickoffs!First, we cleaned up on some minor points that we noticed on his field goal technique during the video review.
After a short warm up on one steps, we paid attention to detail on his field goal technique. I noticed from viewing the video he sent me and also during our first session, he was cocking his hips during his pre kick or setup routine. He admitted, this was something he had never noticed before. I believed this was causing him to push the ball a little right.
After the correction period he was hitting the ball right down the middle. He felt comfortable and we moved on to kickoffs.
The Bill's, Special Teams Coach, Bobby April, felt that Rian could be hitting his kickoffs a little more consistently and with more distance. He also mentioned he wanted us to work on kickoffs directionally.
We started our kickoff work. Rian kicked, I watched and observed. I asked a lot of questions and tried to figure out what was going to be best for Rian. After several kicks I asked Rian to give me some two step kickoffs. He launched a couple of kicks inside the five yard line.
Remember, Rian Lindell is 6'3 and about 235 pounds. So basically he was hitting his 2 step kickoffs about 65 yards.
We played around with a couple of technique drills to emphasize a couple things I had noticed and Rian felt he was now getting up and through the ball better.
The next thing we worked on was Rian's approach. A consistent approach is a must for the good kickoff man. We progressed from a two step approach back to a four and six step approach emphasizing a consistent step pattern. The key for Rian and every kicker's success, is getting a perfect plant, so you can impart the energy from your foot and leg into the ball efficiently. Rian hit some good kicks!
We now moved to a directional kickoff system that would be best for Rian.
The information in this section is top secret, so if I tell you, you know what I have to do.
All I can tell you is that Rian was now hitting his kickoffs directly at his targets both left and right. Before we started, Rian did not kickoff well to his left.
Rian will get even better as he goes back to Buffalo and works on this system by himself. The key is to learn, then go practice, practice and more practice. Which I know Rian will do!
It was a pleasure doing One on One Lessons with Rian Lindell. He was an excellent listener, very pleasant to work with, and a true professional.
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