Kicking System Blog

July 10th, 2010

For the third year in a row, The Kicking System, will be presenting at the San Diego Hall of Champions Coaching Clinic. Coach Tom Bass had asked TKS owner, John Matich,  to present of the fundamentals of kicking.

We look forward to this event every year and hope to see over 150 coaches there.   Many TKS Kickers will be in attendance. If you are interested in signing up please visit our website.  www.kickingsystem.com

See you there!

July 9th, 2010

I recently read this article and I had to post it. Thanks Filip for the great words!!

From Filip Filipovic
THEKICKINGCOACH.COM

I recently had an opportunity to work with a punter who has been out of college and trying to make it to the NFL for the last 5 years. It only took about 2 kicks for me to see why he hasn’t made it yet. I thought to myself, “I can see why you haven’t made it yet?” His mechanics were so unnatural that:

1) NFL coach would never give him a chance &
2) There is no way that his consistency will ever be in the 80%+ range that NFL teams require

We changed few simple things – relaxing the steps, softening the grip, adjusting the grip, moving the drop more outside, etc. Few hours later, he was punting the ball consistently and looked like an NFL punter. It is rare that someone is able to make major changes and improve right away. But it was easy for him because he made changes that immediately made his movements more natural and comfortable.

He has been working hard on his punting skills his whole life. He has a strong leg, tough mind and good work ethic. He’s been to number of kicking camps. Why hasn’t he made it? Unfortunately, he has been coached by people who are better salesman than coaches.

Conclusion:

1. Be careful of who you are learning from.
2. Do some research on your kicking coach. Contact people who have worked with them in the past. It is amazing how many kicking coaches have bad reputations and still run successful(profitable) kicking businesses.
3. Stay away from coaches who claimed to have developed some revolutionary way of kicking that will increase your power by million percent. They usually have some clever catchy name for their style. These guys are ripoff artists. They are successful kicking industry businessman because there is a turnover in athletes every year.

You do not have much time to develop your skills and make it to college or pros. Don’t waste time by working with guys who have a fancy website and promise you the world.

In its relatively young soccer history, the claim that the next game for the United States’ national side is “the most important game it’s ever played” has grown a bit tired. When referring to tomorrow’s match against Algeria, however, such a proclamation may just be accurate.

The American team seems to have finally captured the attention of the country it is proudly representing in South Africa, first with a stirring draw with England that featured the now infamous Clint Dempsey goal <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxspfInbLV8>  that will burn in the memory of goalkeeper Robert Green forever, and second with the furious comeback turned robbery at the whistle of referee Koman Coulibaly against a feisty Slovenian side.

Yet with England’s head-scratcher of a tie against Algeria last week, the United States faces an enviable position in tomorrow’s game, which airs on ESPN at 7 a.m. PST: win, and they’re through.

While the current FIFA World Rankings <http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ranking/lastranking/gender=m/fullranking.html>  suggest that the United States (ranked 14th in the world) should easily advance with a victory over Algeria (ranked 30th), the Americans’ susceptibility to giving up early goals and having to regularly come from behind has reveals an obvious achilles heal. A loss tomorrow would likely send American soccer back into relative obscurity for four long years.

John Matich, owner of the Kicking System, knows a thing or two about soccer at the international level. Matich played for both the U-17 and U-20 American national teams before turning his full attention to football, starting for Boston College for four consecutive years. Today, Matich delivers his expertise to young athletes looking to progress in the specialized practice of kicking.

The connections between football kickers and futbol players are obvious. The most common field goal kicking technique is commonly referred to as “soccer style” and virtually every Division I and NFL kicker has a background rooted in the Beautiful Game. Kickers around the country will be turning on their televisions tomorrow morning in hopes of witnessing the first victory for the United States in the 2010 World Cup.

If NFL kickers feel the pressure under the spotlight of the Super Bowl every year, imagine the intensity of emotion facing the American players tomorrow as they kick off what could be their final game in the world’s greatest sporting event. While the Super Bowl is played every year, these athletes have trained for four years to reach this stage and surely have no intention of leaving South Africa after failing to escape the group stage.

The Americans will play with passion tomorrow and should show similar tenacity to that which the world saw in the second half comeback against Slovenia last week. These players will be working against history – the United States is 0-7 in World Cup game three’s – but should deliver superior ability on the field to send them into the round of 16.

One thing is certain, however. The country, and its kickers, will be watching.

June 8th, 2010

The wait is over – Its World Cup week! Join The Kicking System Radio Host, John Matich, with former Tottenham Hotspur Goalie, Ziggy Zigante. We will talk about predictions, tactics, Team USA, and much more. This will be your guide to the World Cup in South Africa.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kickingsystem

Visit us : www.kickingsystem.com

June 5th, 2010

The Kicking System soccer team played in the Kick for a Cure soccer tournament this past weekend. We played our hearts out and won 2nd place. An overtime loss in the finals was heartbreaking but we had a ton of fun and looking forward to next year. Thank you Helena for putting on such a great event.

June 1st, 2010

This is Andrew Beinbrink with SportsForce (www.sportsforceonline.com).  We would like to cordially invite you and your family to one of our upcoming FREE College Sports Night Seminars. * SEE EVENTS DETAILS BELOW

In 1 hour you will learn from a SportsForce college sports expert on how to best prepare for college sports and better understand the college recruiting process. We also provide advanced tips and strategies that help maximize interest from college coaches.

Are you looking to potentially play college sports?

If so we highly recommend you attend one of our upcoming events (registration details below). Parents, athletes and coaches are giving our educational seminars very positive reviews.

* View a SEMINAR VIDEO PREVIEW by clicking on a registration link BELOW

The fact is that college coaches are recruiting earlier and earlier (freshmen & sophomores). Learn when and what to do to best prepare for the college recruiting process.

Also, colleges often don’t have the budget to recruit many players in person. Learn how to affordably market yourself to right school anywhere in the country.

These events are highly recommended for freshmen through senior student-athletes to attend with their parents.  Everyone who attends a seminar will also be emailed a FREE College Sports Recruiting Guide.

UPCOMING EVENTS & FREE REGISTRATION DETAILS BELOW

SCRIPPS RANCH HIGH SCHOOL EVENT DETAILS:

WHAT: SportsForce College Sports Educational Seminar

WHEN: Thursday May 27th at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Scripps Ranch High School (10410 Treena Street San Diego, CA 92131)

REGISTRATION: Click Here: Scripps Ranch HS College Sports Seminar

UNIVERSITY CITY HIGH SCHOOL EVENT DETAILS:

WHAT: SportsForce College Sports Educational Seminar

WHEN: Wednesday June 2nd at 7:00 PM

WHERE: University City High School (6949 Genesee Ave., San Diego, CA 92122)

REGISTRATION: Click Here: University City HS College Sports Seminar

EL CAPITAN HIGH SCHOOL EVENT DETAILS:

WHAT: SportsForce College Sports Educational Seminar

WHEN: June 8th at 7:00 PM

WHERE: El Capitan High School (10410 Ashwood Street Lakeside, CA 92040)

REGISTRATION: Click Here:  El Capitan HS College Sports Seminar

RANCHO BUENA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL EVENT DETAILS:

WHAT: SportsForce College Sports Educational Seminar

WHEN: June 10th at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Rancho Buena Vista High School (1601 Longhorn Drive Vista, CA 92081)

REGISTRATION: Click Here: Rancho Buena Vista HS College Sports Seminar

*****SPACE IS LIMITED, RESERVE YOUR SEATS NOW! *****

At these seminars you will learn about the:

- Keys to success

- Overview of the recruiting process

The SportsForce team has professionally profiled athletes in almost every high school sport including baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, volleyball, and water polo.

Click the profile links to see a few of our athlete profiles that are moving on to play college sports:

Nick Melka – 2010 – Football – http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/nmelka

Wes Wallace – 2010 – Baseball – Mt. Carmel HS – http://sportsforceonline.com/athletes/wwallace

Kaitlin Dick – 2010 – Girls Soccer – Beriean Christian – http://sportsforceonline.com/athletes/kdick

SportsForce has assisted over 1,000 student-athletes and families and have had over an 80% success rate over the last 3 years. We are NOT a recruiting service. Our staff has over 80 years of combined college and professional sports experience and clearly understands the needs of today’s student-athletes, sports parents and college coaches.

* See what our clients are saying about our services:

http://www.sportsforceonline.com/resources/resources_related_links_testimonials.html

If you have any questions regarding this event please email us at info@sportsforceonline.com or call: 858.350.5889

May 28th, 2010

Save the date – June 4th, 8:30 am PST

Nathan Briner, Yoga guru, from True Balance Dynamics, stops by The Kicking System radio show to discuss the importance of incorporating a flexibility program with your kicking. He will also discuss how to open up your hips and add power to your kicks! Hosted by John Matich of The Kicking System.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kickingsystem

Visit: www.kickingsystem.com

May 28th, 2010

Save the date – June 1st, 6pm PST

I cant wait for this one! There’s nothing I love more than discussing the importance of special teams. Toby Neinas will be joining us on the show. We will talk about what a special teams coach looks in recruiting a kicker/punter, what the current trends our in college football in special teams and what he does on a day to day basis. Hosted by John Matich of The Kicking System

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kickingsystem

Visit: www.kickingsystem.com

May 26th, 2010

Here is a cool video with Chad Ochocinco kicking a kickoff and extra point.  He does a great job filling in for the Cinnata Bengals.