Balanced Approach to Kicking

In our membership video kicking course, we talk about balance quite often. We talk about a balanced approach to the ball, a balanced swing, balanced finish, you name it.  Far too many young kickers are off balance and out of control!

Most of the time, when coaches talk about being ‘balanced’ while kicking, they are referring to the swing itself.  That is, they are referring to the actual swing but there is so much more to the equation.

Though balance is extremely important during the plant and swing itself, it’s much easier to maintain a controlled swing with a balanced approach from the very beginning of the kick.

In other words, when you come flying into a kick with no balance on your approach, you are very likely to be leaning one direction or another as you swing into the ball.  This causes all kinds of problems that could’ve been prevented by a much more controlled approach into the ball prior to the swing.

So, what causes a kicker to feel like he is out of control by the time he reaches the football to kick it?

The secret can be found in the steps that the kicker has taken in preparation to kick the football.  If the kicker is too far back from the ball, it will cause massive strides during the approach toward the ball.  A long last step to the ball can cause the kicker to fall off the ball from a lunge position for inconsistencies over time.

However, if the kicker has taken baby steps (or too few steps) that put him too close to the ball, and create the feeling of being “jammed” during the swing and the kicker will generally fall back or to the side and impact.  The hips simply can’t work through the swing fully.

So how do we find the right distance that will keep us 1) not too far away, 2) not too close, 3) in a perfect state of balance during our swing?

Let’s use a typical 3 step back, 2 step to the side model to answer that question for now since so many kickers take 3 steps back today.

The learning point really is that 3 steps can create a wide variety of distances!  Just counting 3 steps back isn’t enough.  They have to be the right gate, the proper stride back each and every time to put that kicker just the right distance back.

Let’s face it, I could personally take 3 steps back and end up anywhere from 3 feet to 5 yards away from the ball….it’s all in the way we take those 3 steps!

Are we ‘reaching’ way back when we step?  You might be covering more ground than you intended.  I see this quite often actually, kids 5 or more inches shorter than me (I’m 6’1″ by the way) who start each kick from a full foot behind my starting position.  They wonder why their approach feels so out of control and off balance (and why the resulting kicks are all over the board).

TIP:  Next time you take steps back, take them in a controlled manner.

By controlled, I mean that you take each back step and make sure your head doesn’t bounce up and down.

I know that if my head is moving down, then back up with each step, I’m reaching too far back and likely extending my comfortable starting position to the ball.  At that distance, I should probably be preparing for a high jump rather than a field goal!

Think about your head as a ball rolling across a glass top table on your steps back from a side view.  Stay in control with those back steps and you’ll pick up much more control with your approach the other direction.

Happy kicking!