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Post by Bornthrilla on Aug 28, 2018 8:32:13 GMT -5
I'm dont really have the desire to shame a A&T student athlete on this open forum ... but I also dont want to sit around and criticize somebody behind their backs either.
So here's a compromise: let's keep individual names and numbers out of it, and instead just refer to the various players in those roles as the special teams unit in general.
That being said, how concerned are you about our kicking game going forward and what can be done to get this thing back on track?
Alter the practice routine?
Hire an outside kicking consultant?
Send the players to a sports psychologist?
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Post by Bornthrilla on Aug 28, 2018 8:47:42 GMT -5
Granted, Jacksonville State handed both their place-kicking and punting duties to the same 300-pound stunt double from a Chris Farley movie.
So maybe this is just an FCS thing and what we currently have is about as good as can be expected at this level.
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Post by aggierattler on Aug 28, 2018 8:57:06 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure that the budget won't permit this, but I'd love to see us hire a coach solely dedicated to the kicking game...kicker, punter, snapper and holder. It looked out-of-sync on Saturday, but other phases of the game did, too.
I certainly believe that everything will be improved this weekend against ECU.
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Post by codeblu78 on Aug 28, 2018 9:17:57 GMT -5
Immediately following the missed extra point, one of the announcers noticed the kickers left foot was open. He said that it should be pointed towards the football.
I don’t know anything about kicking, but if that’s true, that’s just basic fundamentals! Hope we watch the film and get that fixed!
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Aug 28, 2018 9:18:47 GMT -5
a blocked field goal, a missed extra point? man, its like "deja vu" all over again. i thought for sure we'd corrected those issues by now, especially since we saw some of the same things happen last year.
either we're not putting in enough "hard work" or dude must have a mental block or both. i dunno. but i sure hope they get it "fixed" immediately. clearly the physical ability is there, dude has very good "range". but he may be lacking in "fundamentals" or maybe dude simply can't deal with "pressure".
i dunno what's wrong, but i do know we can't go all season like this. cuz if we do, eventually its gonna bite us in the butt...
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Post by DOOMS on Aug 28, 2018 9:24:49 GMT -5
Practice practice practice.
There may be some trust issues there regarding his line as well. He might be rushing his kick or something. But I wouldn't know because I've never kicked in my life.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Aug 28, 2018 9:29:07 GMT -5
Practice practice practice. There may be some trust issues there regarding his line as well. He might be rushing his kick or something. But I wouldn't know because I've never kicked in my life. I wonder how many college football coaches in general have ever kicked or punted a football? I would seriously doubt that Washington, Barnette or Coard could sit down right now and explain in detail the proper mechanics of making a field goal.
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Post by Aggie Monster on Aug 28, 2018 9:33:50 GMT -5
Practice practice practice. There may be some trust issues there regarding his line as well. He might be rushing his kick or something. But I wouldn't know because I've never kicked in my life. I've never kicked, but I've taught young kickers after I realized they could actually kick. I never taught technique, but confidence in your line is huge. They can hit 10 for 10 when out there alone, but if they cant black out that defensive noise then they could go 5-10 from the same exact spot. How much time you invest in actual LIVE field goal practice makes a huge difference.
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Post by rlraggiefan on Aug 28, 2018 9:47:56 GMT -5
When it comes to kicking it is a pressure position but you have to be confident in your abilities and learn to block out the noise when kicking an extra point or FG. It's about repetition and keeping your eyes on the ball until it leaves your foot. I have coached soccer players for 17 years and have had several who kicked for the their football teams so it definitely takes practice, learning to be consistent and confident.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Aug 28, 2018 10:13:18 GMT -5
See, this is where I somewhat disagree.
Practice, practice, practice is not necessarily the answer. If you are constantly practicing with bad fundamentals then you are just reinforcing bad habits.
It takes a trained eye to recognize, for instance, that even if the ball somehow went through the uprights the mechanics of that particular kick might still need to be improved.
I want someone on staff who has such an attention to detail that they can notice even a small change in our kicker's mechanics.
Just telling a kid to go out and try to kick it through the uprights again and again is not the answer, in my opinion.
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Post by rlraggiefan on Aug 28, 2018 10:29:28 GMT -5
Correct the mechanics has to be there! Most of the time they need a trainer who can actually demonstrate that and has an eye to watch them do it and show them how to make corrections. Once that is done then they have to practice that in order to be able to consistently repeat that.
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oleschoolaggie
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Post by oleschoolaggie on Aug 28, 2018 10:44:09 GMT -5
if we don't already have one, sounds like we need a "legit" true kicking coach who has "prior experience" as a kicker and knows what da hail he's talking 'bout. i think "repetition and practice" is very important, but it ain't worth a darn if you don't have good coaching and good "fundamentals".
to me, dude simply didn't look "smooth" and "comfortable" when he missed that extra point. i think the tv announcer made a good point, his "left plant foot" as he kicked that missed extra point didn't look smooth or stable at all...
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trues
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Post by trues on Aug 28, 2018 12:20:52 GMT -5
Now I just went out to the Nation #1 team in FBS Alabama and there not one guy they have that specialize in Kicking,Punting, Field Goal coach so how in the hell you all expect us to be able to afford one. Its not going to happen. rolltide.com/coaches.aspx?path=footballObvious we just need someone who may not ever kicked but knows the fundamental well enough to coach a kid good and give him good sound advice.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Aug 28, 2018 12:45:36 GMT -5
We need someone like this working with our place kickers:
"This is you at the Celebration Bowl, making the game winning kick. This is you."
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Post by aggierattler on Aug 28, 2018 13:20:20 GMT -5
I kicked in high school. Never went to any kicking clinics or had a specified kicking coach. Learned to kick off a tee by doing hundreds of repetitions while in elementary school and junior high school over on Dunbar Street, one block from Mister Ike's Store on Willow Road, back in the late '60s and early '70s.
I learned the fundamentals by watching pregame practices and actual games...that's it.
Moved to Pittsburgh and got the chance to kick by default...no one who tried out for the team could kick-off and I was great at it. Did it for four years and we won 3 Western Pennsylvania titles. (I was not a punter, though.) I was never under the pressure of having to make a game-winning field goal because we didn't have many close games. Our three losses were blowouts.
Kicking is all about timing, technique and trust, IMHO. To my coaches' credit up there, they worked a lot on the kicking game...but I never had a kicking coach.
MY MAIN POINT IS that they need to keep working on timing and technique...and trust that the offensive line will do its job...and the kicks will come.
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