During the last two weeks I spent time with Corona Del Sol High School senior punter / kicker, Jackson Allen giving him One on One Punting and Kicking Lessons.
Corona Del Sol High School's record at the present time is 7-0 and ranked 2nd in the State under Head Coach Gary Venturo.
Jackson is actually a better placekicker than punter. However, when your a backup at one position you do whatever you can to be a team player and help the team out. The team needed someone to punt so Jacson said he would give it a whirl.
Jackson has had very little kicking and punting instruction but has a good leg and is an athlete. During the two lessons we worked on basic punting and kicking fundamentals.
Like many young punters, Jackson had a very inconsistent drop. The biggest problems Jackson had were too much arm movement and a nose up drop. When he dropped the ball with the nose up the ball would (SNU) spiral nose up and have minimal distance.
In the photo below, when Jackson would drop the ball flat or with the nose slightly down he would hit some excellent (SNO) spiral nose over punts with good distance to his power zone.
Most young punters and Jackson was no exception like to punt the ball and fall backwards or off to the side. In the Photo below, you can see when Jackson hit his best (SNO) spiral nose over punts he punted the ball and transferred his weight forward and walked downfield.
Jackson is an athlete and got a little frustrated with his punting. He wanted immediate results and was not getting it.
I told him the secret to punting is a consistent drop, good footwork and body position. He now knows what he needs to do to get better. It's just a matter of time and practice.
Jackson has a couple more games left this season along with playoff games. He and his parents (Dianne and Mark) are doing what it takes for him to improve his punting skills and help the team.
Jackson has strugggled at times and was a little frustrated. I hope that improving his basic punting fundamentals will relieve his frustration and make him a better punter and help the team win the battle for field position.
During the field goal kicking section of our One on One Lessons Jackson did really well. In my opinion his soccer background, athletesism and leg strength were much more prevalent.
I tell all kids that are combination punters and kickers that its much easier to learn to kick than to punt. Why? Because in kicking your dealing with a ball on the ground that is not moving. In punting your dealing with a moving ball. If the ball does not drop consistently to your foot and make proper contact you can look really bad.
When kicking field goals Jackson was very consistent marking off his steps and approaching the ball.
However, Jackson had three minor problems when placekicking: 1) Sometimes approaching the ball a little too fast, 2) his foot position when making contact with the ball and 3) not kicking up and through the ball and transferring his weight downfield.
We worked to correct his flaws. I gave him the proper techniques and we worked some drills to get the correct muscle memory. Jackson was a quick fix!
At the end of the second One on One Kicking Lesson Jackson hit 48 and 52 yard field goals right down the middle with excellent technique. He finally smiled.
Jackson knows that it will take time and practice to get better. He now knows exactly what to do to get better.
He wants to get better and has a passion for kicking. If your passionate about anything in life you will be successful.
It was a real pleasure working with Jackson. I wish him and his Corona Del Sol teammates the best of luck the rest of the season.
