On 'A Specialist's Path' Injuries

I don’t know of any kicking specialist that likes to be hurt but we have all had our fair share of injuries. Since kicking is a repetitive movement, a kicking specialist is susceptible to injuries caused by over use and also by fluke injuries.

For this week’s On A Specialists Path I will be talking about preventing and overcoming injuries.

I have had more than my share of injuries throughout high school and college as I constantly dealt with an injured groin. Also, I had major surgery on my foot going into my junior year of college.

The first thing I would like to talk about is the prevention of injuries.

There are quite a few things that can attribute to injuries like the amount of kicks in the offseason, amount of kicks during camp, and not doing the proper physical training in the offseason.

The amount of kicks that are done during the offseason can significantly contribute to injuries during a season. There is a constant struggle to find what the proper amount of kicks should be during the offseason.

If you were to kick too little during the offseason you could not be in the proper condition to handle the workload for fall camp. Imagine of you were to only kick twice a week during the offseason and then you were asked to kick everyday during fall camp. Your body is not prepared for the extra work and this can lead to a possible injury.

On the flipside if you were to kick too much during the offseason you can be overworked leading into camp. Kicking kickoffs four days a week is certainly too much and this can lead to injuries in fall camp and during the season.

There is a constant struggle between kicking too little and kicking too much.

The next thing to take into account is using the proper preventative measures to keep you healthy. A good weight program is something that can help contribute to a healthy season plus having the proper flexibility.

Lifting the proper weights can help to keep your legs in the proper condition throughout the season and it is important to maintain a light lifting program during the season to keep the muscles in your leg strong.

You should not expect to make physical gains during the season but your leg should still be very strong at the end of the season.

The final aspect to focus on is flexibility and a proper warm up. It is important to gradually warm up when you are kicking or punting. Do not try and warm up with 50 yard punts or 50 yard field goals. Incorporate drills that will help you to gradually increase your effort into the ball.

Finally, flexibility is one of the keys to being a successful kicking specialist. I have told so many punters and kickers to make sure and stretch but a lot of times I believe that falls on deaf ears. You should stretch at least 4 times a week to get the proper flexibility. Hold the stretches for the proper time and don’t bounce on the stretches.

Many times kicking specialists’ are on the sideline because of a kicking injury. Many of those injuries could be prevented if specialists would use the proper kicking routine, a solid workout routine, and stretch throughout the year.

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com

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