Chasing the Dream-NFL Regional Combine

The difficult thing about being a football kicking coach in Tennessee is the weather. Obviously I don't live in Wisconsin or New York where there are extremely harsh winters, but the conditions are not always ideal for kicking year round. This year I was able to make great use of those two months by focusing on my training as a potential NFL kicker by attending the Aguiar & Husted Qualifying Combine in Las Vegas and by just recently attending the NFL Regional Combine in Los Angeles.

After coming off a very successful performance at the Aguiar & Husted camp I set my sights on a trip to Los Angeles for the NFL Regional Combines. This combine was run independently for quite a few years, but it was just recently purchased by the NFL. The association with the NFL has increased the resources and prestige of this combine and has made it an attractive competition for potential free agent kickers.

The key to kicking combines is to understand the structure of the combine and to prepare accordingly. Everyone runs a workout a little bit different and it is important to be physically and mentally prepared. You have to be able improvise and adjust! There was no better example of this then this recent combine in Los Angeles.

The kicker's were scheduled to perform at 12:30 PM  but the combine officials called me at 10 AM and they had decided to move the workout up to 11 AM. Frantically I got dressed, rushed to the field, and tried to eat a snack on the way. Most people have routines before a workout but my routine went out the window a long time ago.

Once I got to the field I filled out the proper paperwork and tried to compose myself. So much of kicking is psychological and it is important to be calm and collected under pressure. We went through a quick warm up and then it was time to perform. I would have preferred to have longer to warm up, but it was time to trust my technique. I have been working 5-6 days a week following Coach Renner's Training Program and I can tell the training is paying off.

The workout went very well as I was able to kick all of my kickoffs with 4 second hang time with great distance. I also was able to connect on almost all of my field goals including kicks from 50 & 55 yards.

The moral of the story is that you learn from every situation you go through. I have had hours to prepare and warm up before and not performed well. The bottom line is that you have to TRUST your kicking technique and just have fun kicking.

By the way...I just recently learned that my performance in Los Angeles got me an invite to the Detroit Lions' Ford Field and a chance to kick in front of approximately 26 NFL teams on March 30th!

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com