Kicking "A Universal Language"
One on One Kicking Lesson
with Asia's #1 Kicker Hidetetsu 'Tetsu' Nishimura
One on One Kicking Lesson
with Asia's #1 Kicker Hidetetsu 'Tetsu' Nishimura
2007 World Cup Korea National Team
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| #1 Asian Kicker Hidetetsu 'Tetsu' Nishimura Visits Arizona |
In April of 2011 Hidetetsu Nishimura was in the United States participating in the National Elite Pro Football Combine in Detroit, Michigan. Hidetetsu qualified for the finals by being one of the best kickers in the Regional Combines.
This year he was in the United States in Los Angles for a CFL (Canadian Football League) tryout with Edmonton Eskimos.
Hidetetsu's agent, Jonathan Malveaux of the Ares Group, contacted me after the Eskimos workout about the possibility of doing a kicking lesson while he was in the country. The day before Hidetetsu was due back for Japan, Jonathan called me telling me that he had extended their stay to work with me.
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| Coach Zauner Demonstrates Warm Up Drill |
My first lesson is what I call an 'exploratory lesson' to get a better understanding of the specialist's routine and techniques, and this exploratory lesson was an experience I will never forget as a kicking coach. When I first picked up Hidetetsu from the airport, I tried to explain what a desert was, I could see the look on his face that he didn't quite understand me, however when he saw a snake he immediately said, "I don't like!" which I can easily relate with. I could see the communication barrier was going to be a challenge of my coaching ability, but a challenge I was more than willing to accept.
My initial thought as I was going to start my first kicking lesson with Hidestetsu 'Tetsu' Nishimura was that this One on One Lesson was going to be similar to the the movies Robinson Crusoe or Robinson Crusoe on Mars.
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| Hidetetsu Nishimura 'Testu' Struggled With His Perfect Triangle |
When I first saw Hidetetsu warming up, I could immediately tell he was an accurate kicker, but I felt like he could be an excellent kicker if he hit the sweet spot of the ball more often. In order to do, this I used my perfect triangle drill, which helps kickers kick from a consistent distance from the ball. This proved somewhat difficult, but Hidetetsu did understand what word 'same' meant and was able to grasp the concept of having a consistent approach using the tape measure.
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| Coach Zauner Emphasizes Perfect Target Line |
I found the best way to communicate with Hidetetsu was using mirror drills and having him mimic my actions before each kick. Although he is a accurate kicker, his target line was slightly off. I knew that if I could show him the perfect target line by using one eye to aim and judge the wind better, he could improve even more.
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| Coach Zauner Shows Hidetetsu 'Tetsu' Nishimura Perfect Foot Position of Football |
On the first day of the kicking lesson, during the video review session and sequential camera shots, I noted that his foot position was a little low on the ball, which resulted in a ball that spun to much and did not have as much distance. On the second day, we worked on his foot position to help his power on field goals and kickoffs. By the end of his two day One on One Kicking Lesson Hidetestu 'Tetsu' Nishimura started hitting the sweet spot of his foot to the ball and both his field goals and kickoffs were traveling further and straighter.
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| Coach Zauner Makes Coaching Point on Kickoff Technique |
During the kickoff session, we addressed the hurdle technique, by using the mirror drill again. His agent had also pointed out to me that the part of his game that needed the most improvement were his kickoffs. After working several drills, his first kickoff went five yards deep in the end zone, and I could see by the surprised look on his face he was very pleased by the results.
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| Most of Language was Sign Language - The Fist Pound... Good Job! |
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| Hidetetsu 'Tetsu' Nishimuria Shows Off Coach Zauner Logo |
As the kicking lessons continued our understanding of each other became more clear through sign language and mirror drills. I felt that Hidetetsu left Phoenix not only with a better understanding of kicking, but also a new appreciation for the game and its components.
As a football kicking coach this was one of the most difficult One on One Lessons I have coached, it was also one of the most enjoyable and gratifying. I learned that football, and in particular the kicking game, is a 'Universal Language' such as math and music, it just takes dedication and love for the game to understand it.
I want to thank Hidetetsu 'Tetsu' Nishimura for coming to Arizona and being the perfect student. I know he will go back to Japan and come back a better kicker next time. He is very committed and driven. I wish him the best of luck and look forward to seeing him in 2013 at my Free Agent Specialist's Combine.
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| Hidetetsu 'Tetsu' Nishimura and Coach Zauner |
