Teach Young Kickers To Hit Higher Deeper Kickoffs!

By Guest Coach Taylor Mehlhaff

Taylor Mehlhaff was a 2007 first team All-American Kicker at the University of Wisconsin. He was a sixth round selection by the New Orleans Saints in the 2008 draft. Taylor has previously coached at The University of Tennessee, Pittsburgh and is currently working with the Special Teams at the University of Wisconsin.

This week I wanted to touch on kickoffs. In the video attached, I talk about the importance of finding the perfect kickoff steps. These steps will be slightly different for each and every kicker. In the end, making great contact on the sweet spot of the ball is what will make that ball go the furthest

Related: Teaching kickoff Coverage With Defensive Terminology

A general rule of thumb: When talking about making that perfect contact on the ball in relation to the sweet spot, the longer the approach, the more room for error. The faster the approach, the more room for error. For the guys who consistently make great contact with the ball, they can challenge themselves a bit more by increasing their tempo to the ball.

More From Taylor: 2 Eyes Better Than 1 Leg

For most high school kickers, I typically encourage them to begin their approaches no further than 8 yards from the ball. Check out the video!