Chasing the Dream-Aguiar & Husted Qualification

This past weekend I took one step closer to my dream of playing PRO football as I attended the Aguiar and Husted Pro Qualification Camp in Las Vegas, Nevada. The camp is designed for top free agent kicking specialists to compete and qualify for Louie Aguiar and Michael Husted's PRO Combine in April.

I obviously wanted to qualify for the combine in April, but more importantly I wanted to fine tune my kicking skills and improve as a kicker. I was able to obtain both of my goals by having a great showing at the camp and I felt that I really performed to my ability.

Louie Aguiar and Michael Husted are two of the most well connected and experienced coaches in the business. Both Louie and Michael have NFL experience and so they know what it takes to make it in the NFL and they can relate to other kickers, punters, and snappers that are chasing down that same dream.

The camp was run extremely well and I had a great time. Las Vegas is a great place to have a combine, even if it is a little distracting (I enjoyed the $5 blackjack at the New York New York Casino).

It is important to come to events like this one to see where you stand when kicking under pressure. I am out kicking three to four days a week on my own and it is near impossible to simulate the pressure of performing in competition. The right type of kickers actually improve under pressure, but it takes practice!

I was pleased with my performance as I made 9 of 10 field goals and averaged around 70-72 yards a kickoff with hang time around 3.9 seconds. I am kicking at a level of an NFL kicker and now it is about getting the right opportunity and making the most of it. I guess you could say that about most things in life...

There were a few other kickers that stood out at the camp like Kenny Spencer and Julian Rauch. I have competed with both kickers last year at Aguiar and Husted's Combine in April and they are excellent kickers. I have no question that there are plenty of talented kickers that are waiting for that same opportunity to compete in an NFL training camp and to make an NFL roster. It is all about exposure and a little luck!

The Aguiar and Husted combine is the place to be for kicking specialists who are looking for an opportunity for exposure. I really enjoyed my experience this weekend and I was fortunate to kick well and leave Vegas without losing too much money. I believe I am becoming a safer "bet" to achieve my dream of playing PRO football!

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com

Free Agent Kicking in San Diego

This week I have been in sunny San Diego, California working out with Michael Husted to sharpen my kicking skills as a free agent kicker. Michael played 9 years professionally with 4 teams including the Tampa Bay Buccanneers & Oakland Raiders. I went to San Diego to see where I stood as a kicker and to pick up some things as a coach.

I have gotten to know Michael over the past few years and I have been very impressed with his knowledge of the game and the atmosphere he creates with his kicking specialists. I spent this past week working out with some of the top available kickers that haven't been signed to NFL teams yet and stacked up very well.

One of the toughest parts of being a free agent kicker is being away from the team environment. I spend many hours each week keeping up my kicking skills, but nothing can replicate competition and pressure. These different factors have inspired me to make some adjustments in my style as a kicking coach in Tennessee. I have some exciting new things to offer my current kicking clients.

Coach Husted has told me several times that I have the ability to be an NFL kicker, but the big hurdle is getting the opportunity. The difference between a kicker hoping for a dream and being in the NFL is so small. The same goes for a successful high school kicker and a kicker who receives a scholarship. You can't do it all on your own! Coaches are there for a reason and I certainly benefited from this experience.

I recommended that a client of mine, MTSU kicker Alan Gendreau, come out to San Diego and work with Coach Husted. Alan was a 4 year starter at MTSU and the all time leading scorer for the Sun Belt Conference, but I explained to him that he can't rest on his laurels. There are lots of good kickers out there that want an NFL job and only 4 to 5 new jobs each season. It is important to get your name out there and compete and there is no one better at that than Michael Husted.

Another bonus of being out in San Diego was meeting former Chargers punter Darren Bennett. Darren was the first Aussie Rules punter to make it in the NFL and he paved the way for punters like Ben Graham, Sav Rocca, and Matt McBriar. It was an honor meeting him and he even held for all the kickers on Saturday's kicking session. He also demonstrated the Aussie Drop Punt, which is a deadly weapon for punters to use inside the 20 yard line.

I have had a great time being out here working with top kickers and I am excited to bring some new ideas back to my kicking clients in Tennessee. I believe that you are either getting better or getting worse and I feel that this weekend was great for my development as a kicker and a coach!

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com

Supportive Coaches Aid Kickers

Alabama Coach- Nick Saban

One thing that I have learned as a kicker and as a kicking coach in Tennessee is how important it is to have a supportive Head Coach to have success as a placekicker. A kicker is only as good as the opportunities that he gets and the environment he is placed in.

You look back last night to the BCS National Championship Game and you can tell the emphasis that Alabama put on their placekicking for this game. In the last meeting against LSU back in November you could tell that Alabama had not focused on mental aspect of placekicking.

The change they made for this game was to settle solely on Jeremy Shelley as their field goal kicker and they let Cade Foster focus on the kickoffs. Also, you could tell Coach Saban decided to completely trust his kickers. Coach Saban is known for being so intense and tough but decided that respect and support would be the best method to help his kickers confidence.

I like John Maxwell's quote; "People don't know care how much you know until they know how much you care." This is certainly true when it comes to placekickers. Anyone who is ever been a kicker knows how much it means to have the support of his coach.

During my career at Hendersonville High School, my coach Bruce Hatfield, did an incredible job of showing confidence in me. I never saw hesitation on a decision to try and field goal and when I went out to kick I had supreme confidence in myself. I attempted 35 field goal attempts my senior year in high school and we made it all the way to the State Championship Game.

Hendersonville Coach- Bruce Hatfield

 The smallest things can be distractions for kickers sometimes. One of those distractions for me was when my Head Coach in college would come up to me before a longer field goal and ask me "can you make this kick?" This was always confusing to me because I would give him my range in warm ups and I felt that him asking me whether I could make the kick was him not believing in my abilities. The other factor that was distracting was that if I answered "yes" I felt the responsibility to have to make the kick.

I would have preferred for him to just make that decision and have supreme confidence in me. During my high school years I remember attempting field goals that I would have thought might be too far of a kick but I believed I could do it because my coach trusted me to try it.

Mutual respect and trust are very important in the relationship between a kicker and a coach. It always makes me laugh when a high school coach comes up to a kicker at the end of the game to tell him something inspirational before a game winning attempt. Most of the time the coach hasn't spoken two words to the kicker all year and how is asking him to save the day. This just doesn't add up.

Coach Saban took the time to get to know his kicker this time around and it led to winning a National Championship. I know that some coaches will shy away from kickers but honestly you just have to respect them and show your trust.

You may go through some ups and downs with your kicker but it will pay off in the end. It is a great feeling at the end of the game to know that you have the belief of your coaches. It gives you a chance to achieve things you and your coach may never knew were possible!

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com

Top 10 Wishes for Kicking in 2012

As we conclude 2011 I felt it was time to look back at what was accomplished for kickers across the country and in the state of Tennessee. Lots of great things have been accomplished this year while I do have a few wishes for 2012.

The state of Tennessee has had a fantastic year for kicking specialists in high school. Kickers like Landon Foster (Kentucky commitment), Henrique Ribeiro (TN Kicker of the Year), and George Bullock (Tennessee commitment) have brought great notoriety and success for the kickers in the state of Tennessee.

There have been quite a few kicking specialists who hit long field goals this season including:

• Henrique Ribeiro (Baylor): hitting 57, 52, and 50 yard field goals and winning the Mr. Football Kicker of the Year
• Ben Ogle (Greeneville): kicking a 57 yard field goal
• Jonathan King (Farragut): hitting 4 field goals past 50 yards

Even with all the success of kickers in the state, I can see that in the next few years there are even more talented kickers on the horizon. I look forward to seeing the opportunities increase for kicking specialists in Tennessee and I will do everything I can to help highlight these talented kickers.

Even after all the successes there have been for kickers this year, I have a few wishes for 2012

1. For kickers to stay healthy throughout the season by using an organized workout plan 
2. For there to be continued improvements in scholarships for kickers in Tennessee
3. For fans to understand that the game is not decided by just a field goal. There were approximately 100 more plays that also determined the outcome.
4. For kicking specialists to put more importance on weight training 
5. For High School and College coaches to put more of an emphasis on the kicking game
6. For kickers to earn more respect by being more involved in the weight room and team activities. Football has changed...you can't stroll off the soccer field anymore and expect the respect of your teammates.
7. For kicking specialists to put more emphasis on the mental game. Mental training isn’t just for the “big kick”. Mental training will help you the entire season.
8. For kickers to focus on making the field goals inside 40 yards instead of worrying about the "long ball".
9. ·         For coaches, fans, and teammates to understand that kickers decide close games…ask Alabama, Oregon, and Oklahoma State. It is the hidden yardage in games...whether it is punts, kickoffs, or a field goal.
   10. For Tennessee’s kickers to improve and for Alabama’s kickers to stay the same (just kidding)

Overall is has been a wonderful 2011 for football kickers in Tennessee . I want to thank everyone who has made my life so incredible including my family, my friends, my little dog Honey, and my kicking clients. All of you have made this my best year so far in my life and I hope 2012 is even better!

Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com