Guest post by John Matich – Director – www.kickingsystem.com

Dear Kickers & Punters:

Here is your TKS Insider for the week of April 26th, 2010. Another exciting week has gone by at The Kicking System. We had two new Radio Shows last week and we are getting great feedback. Last Friday, we hosted a Radio Show about the NFL Draft and again it was fun! We look forward to providing you more information via the Radio Show. But don’t forget we have some new videos out this week, schools looking for kickers still and more recruiting information.

News:

• Marcus Diaz, Poway HS won the TKS Sunday group class, with a 53 – yard field goal.

• New Video: Nathan Briner, Sports Therapist based in San Diego, talks about how to improve your range of motion with Muscle Activation Techniques.

• New Video: If you did not catch the last TKS Radio Show about the NFL Draft, catch it here.

To read the rest of the TKS Insider sign up at www.kickingsystem.com

Visit www.kickingsystem.com for top level football kicking videos, recruiting tips, tools and upcoming kicking events.

John Matich, is a former NFL and NCAA kicker and now owner and director of The Kicking System, which offers Camps & Private Kicking Lessons in San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles.

The Kicking System (TKS) launched their radio show this past week, and SportsForce CEO, Andrew Beinbrink, was there to kick things off. Andrew and TKS’s John Matich talked college recruiting for kicking and punters and more. John is a former NFL and NCAA kicker and now owner and director of The Kicking System, which offers Camps & Private Kicking Lessons in San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles. Visit www.kickingsystem.com for top level football kicking videos, recruiting tips, tools and upcoming kicking events. Below is an example of a highlight video of one of John’s kickers.

According to John, “The very first TKS Radio Show was a great success. Andrew Beinbrink stopped by and talked about recruiting. We got some great feedback and provided a ton of information. We also talked abut the seven points of success on becoming a kicker.” Visit the following link to hear the show at anytime. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kickingsystem/2010/04/20/football-kicking-punting-recruiting-news-workouts

During the show, Andrew and John discussed the Seven Points of Success to become a successful kickers or punter. You can find them below.

• Academics – You must study and achieve the highest grades possible
• Technique Work – Kicking 2-3x per week working on your skill
• Physical Conditioning – Working out, specific for kicking (Yoga, functional training, etc)
• Mental Toughness – Preparing yourself to handle pressure situations, staying calm
• Nutrition – Having the right fuel in your body to produce the best results
• Attitude – Connections with your head coach, staff, family is huge when people want to hire you
• Commitment – Beginning with setting your goals and staying focused on them

You can also visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kickingsystem for all past TKS radio shows.

Guest post by John Matich – Director – www.kickingsystem.com

Updating the recruiting list for the 2011 class jogged my memory about a few stories that may help demonstrate the reality of college football recruiting for kickers and punters. Here’s one about a student I’ve been working with for a few years, who I’ll call Joe.

Joe was contacted late in the recruiting process (January) by a solid Division 1 school—one on the verge of becoming a national presence—to discuss coming in as a walk-on. He’d been getting recruited by a number of other strong programs, but this school had always been his number-one choice.

After a few emails and phone calls from the coaching staff, Joe was ready to visit this school. He’d found out they were looking at another kicker who was offered a scholarship, but was struggling to get through the admissions process. Joe went on his trip, had a great time, and was told numerous times by the assistant coaches that “we want you and you will get into our school.”

Joe felt confident about what they were telling him and was waiting on admissions. In the meantime, he didn’t follow up with any other schools; he stopped recruiting, due to the fact he’d been told he was guaranteed admission at his first choice. A few more weeks went by with no word…

I personally called the coaches. They even told me, “we like the kid, we are hoping to get him in.” A few more days went by and I heard the kicker who’d been offered a scholarship got into the school. Joe was a little confused, and never really heard back from the school about his admission. He even received an email from the head coach about how much he was looking forward to working with him.

By now, signing day had passed and it was the middle of February. Although many kickers get signed or find a home as late as May, Joe knew the schools he’d been looking at had already used all their admissions spots. We had to scramble and find some schools that were willing to even look at him, including some local universities. As I write this, we’re still actively looking at schools.

The moral to this story should be obvious: don’t ever stop marketing yourself, regardless of how much you’re told you’re wanted. Coaches are looking for the best possible players and will stop recruiting a kicker in a heartbeat. Continue the recruiting process until you sign on the dotted line or get that admissions letter telling you that you’re in.

John Matich, is a former NFL and NCAA kicker and now owner and director of The Kicking System, which offers Camps & Private Kicking Lessons in San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles.

Visit www.kickingsystem.com for top level football kicking videos, recruiting tips, tools and upcoming kicking events.