Have you seen this? Along with Issac Punts, I think this kid (Tanner Brown), has just followed in the footsteps of Brandon Aubrey to go from the UFL to the NFL. Still, there are only 32 highly paid kicking jobs in the world — he'll have to compete, but this sure is a great way to get ALL 32 TEAMS to take notice. Wow. _ _ _ _ Guess what? By the time I wrote this, he's already been picked up by the SAINTS. 😵‍💫

The most notable father and sons kicking family is the Colquitt family dynasty. - The Father: Craig Colquitt was a punter who won two Super Bowl titles with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s. - The Sons: Craig's sons both had long, successful careers as NFL punters. Dustin Colquittpunted for the Kansas City Chiefs for 15 seasons and won Super Bowl LIV. Britton Colquittpunted for the Broncos, Browns, Vikings, and Bears, winning Super Bowl 50. - Their cousin Jimmy Colquitt also punted briefly for the Seattle Seahawks.

There are plenty of college "Mega Camps" around the country now. Universities now see the how they can get some quick money ($100/camper x 600+ kids) by putting on a combine while bringing in "friendly* programs and scouts" from other colleges to attract high schoolers to show off what they can do. Everyone wins... but know that it's not the "be all end all" thing many think it is. The real trick is that you get to see how you stack up against kids just like you. As a specialist, you're lucky to get a handful of the scouts who've come there to watch the kickers. They're there mostly to find one good QB, receiver, runningback and big man. You're the after-thought. However, at this week's Minnesconsin MEGA CAMP at UW-River Falls, I headed up the testing and ran about 30 kids through the kicking and punting gauntlet in about an hour and a half. My job was to give them the chance to be seen. We had some really good kids there... and some who need a lot more training... but ALL got the chance to feel some pressure, get official stats and as I said before... you get to see how good you really are. For many, it's an eye-opener, for some, it is a BIG CONFIDENCE BOOSTER. *"friendly" - meaning they don't invite coaches from their own conference, so they have friends in other divisions typically, who come in. In the case of UW-River Falls, you won't find UW-Whitewater or UW-La Crosse there (WIAC), but you will see U of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, South Dakota State, Northern Michigan and schools like St. Olaf and Minnesota State.

On Friday, we had our ALL-DAY camp in Sparta, WI where we had drills and instruction in the morning, then broke for lunch and a film evaluation session. After lunch, we headed back out to the stadium to get charted in kick offs, punting and field goals... along with some additional pressure practice to better handle game anxiety (hint: your brain can be told whether to have anxiety or simply be excited for the chance — choose the latter)! Then, on Saturday, it was back to a half-day kicking and punting camp in DeForest, Wisconsin. We had a smaller group of specialists on a sunny (but windy) day. Just know that our camps are always ON... if you play in it, we practice in it. And windy days are a great training tool. Instead of kicking exclusively WITH THE WIND, go DIRECTLY INTO IT. Yes, you'll kick or punt with less distance, but the wind magnifies your mistakes. If you don't make mistakes, guess what? The ball flies straight ahead. If it hooks or fades, you get instant feedback about foot or shoulder position at impact. NEXT CAMP: UW-River Falls "Minnesconsin MEGA CAMP" on Wednesday, June 17th. It's a combine with about 50+ college coaches in attendance. Some players get signed on the spot. Everyone gets a fair shake. Good experience with a lot of bodies (1,000 kids last year with about 50 specialists). NEXT MFKC CAMP: Woodbury, Minnesota on Saturday, June 20th. Still spots available. Sign up at: kickerscamp.com

In between camps, I get some 1-on-1 time. This was with Cason Brennan, a kicker at Concordia University of Wisconsin. Cason kicks a nice ball, but has a tendency to overstride that produces both a pushed and pulled ball. By keeping him in his K-ZONE, he gains confidence to make the kicks his team absolutely needs him to make. (35 yards and in). When you aren't straining to get the ball there, your natural style can take over allowing for better more consistent contact. A great bit of knowledge is to film your kick from the goalline. How far from your kick to the APEX of it's flight? Know this number. Once you do, you can use it to your success. How? The K-ZONE is individual to each kicker. Where (in a game) would you feel 3-4 confident to make the kick? Pressure, weather, wind, crowd, game score... 3-for-4? For real. Not "hope", "know". It is typically a lot closer than each kicker thinks it is. Get your ego out of it and start training your brain to WIN GAMES for your TEAM. Knowing your APEX DISTANCE means that your ball won't move much at all from where you aim TO THAT DISTANCE. You can smoothly strike the ball and know that it's within the uprights. Distance becomes a NON-FACTOR. Only AFTER your kick reaches it's APEX, does it rapidly lose power, height and distance. This is where kicks that "looked and felt" good at contact become misses because you didn't play for the conditions on your kicked ball AFTER APEX. Do you get it? Not sure.... inquire further, right here. 🤔