Specialist Path' Opening Games

For this week's On A Specialist's Path I decided that I should talk about what it is like for a kicking specialist during an opening game.

Some high school teams have started their season already but for the most part the college and high school teams will be kicking off their seasons over the coming weeks. It is extremely important to be mentally and physically prepared for the challenges of an opening game as it can set the tone for an entire season!

Kicking specialists from across the country have been working hard this Summer to prepare for their season. Many specialists have worked to improve their technique through kicking lessons and by spending countless hours on the field either kicking or punting. After all that training and preparation it comes down to execution.

The first game of the season is unlike any other because if you are a new kicker than it is your first time to ever play in front of a crowd. If you are a returning kicker than it is time to brush off the cobwebs and get back out there again.

There is nothing that can truly replicate what it is like to play in a game and that is what makes opening games such a challenge.

I took public speaking in college and one of the first things they tell you in the class is to be 'comfortable with the uncomfortable'. You will always feel some nervous energy before you kick and the biggest thing is to understand that it is perfectly normal.

One of the things I like to do with kicking specialists during kicking lessons is to walk them through what it is like to kick in a game and give them a pre performance routine.

Visualize what it is like to kick your first field goal in a game and try to be as detailed as possible.

I worked with Sport Psychologist Dr. Craig Wrisberg throughout my career at Tennessee. We went through all sorts of visualization to help prepare for what it would be like to kick in front of 100,000 people.

In one of the sessions he had me close my eyes and envision what it was like to run onto the field when the crowd was booing. At the time I thought this was silly because my first game was at home and I didn't anticipate the crowd being hostile.

Sure enough my first field goal attempt was on one of the opening drives of the game and Coach Fulmer decided to kick a field goal instead of going for it on fourth and 1 and the crowd started to boo. As I was jogging on the field it was like I had done this before.

One of my favorite quotes is "chance favors the prepared mind" and I was certainly prepared for that situation.

The next thing to be prepared for is going through warm ups.

So many kickers and punters are so anxious for that first game that they have a tendency to overkick during warm ups. Relax...the hay is already in the barn. Warm ups are there to make sure you are warmed up.

You are not going to be able to make a big technique change during this time so just trust what you have and move on.

Bottom line is that I have had some of my best games when I warmed up the worst and some of my worst games when I warmed up the best. You just have to have trust in your technique.

There is some value to warm ups though. Take your warm up kicks very seriously and make sure to put good pictures in your head. If you handle it correctly than your warm up kicks should be the equivalent of your first 10 to 12 kicks or punts in a game.

The final part of an opening game is to just have fun! You have trained long and hard for this moment so enjoy it.

The goal of working of sport psychology is to process all the outside factors in kicking so you can focus on one thing...punting and kicking the ball!

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com

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