The Success of a Season is determined in the Off-Season

By Doug Brien, NFL
Placekicker and Founder of
Kicking.com

Over the course of my 15-year kicking career I have noticed a strong correlation between the vigor with which I attacked my off-season program and my success during the regular season.  For those who subscribe to a strong work ethic, this will come as no surprise.  Although many kickers and punters may have a reputation for being lazy, all of the good ones I know are
far from lazy.

Developing a Plan 

Each off-season I sit down in January and decide if I am passionate about playing another season.  If I am – and so far this has been the case – I create a plan of attack.  With the help of many great strength and conditioning coaches who have helped me throughout the years, I come up with a workout regime that will get me where I need to be come opening day.

A plan is helpful for many reasons.  First, it gives me something to follow and work for.  Even though it often gets hard to follow my plan day in and day out, having a plan helps.  Because my plan is very comprehensive I know I am working efficiently and that I am not neglecting any aspect of my training.  Second, by having a written plan I can track my successes and failures.  For example, if my kick-offs faltered at the end of the season, I will adjust my regimen and possibly kick a little less in the off-season or camp.  I might also look at improving the stamina in my legs by doing higher repetitions in my weight lifting.  If I did not have a written plan, it would be difficult to go back and make adjustments.

Confidence through Hard Work

I also believe hard work breeds confidence.  When I go out to kick during the season I know that I have done everything in my power to prepare myself for that kick.  This goes a long way.  Self-doubt can be deadly with a position that requires as much mental fortitude as kicking does.

Hardwork also earns the respect of my teammates.  For all of the negative stories I have heard about kickers, I have never encountered any problems.  I believe this is because my teammates respect the professionalism I display in my
approaching my job.  This is not just good for me, but for the entire team.  As you know, a team is only as strong as its weakest link.

Professional Level off-season programs

My off-season program – and the one I give the members of the Kicking.com Network – is very comprehensive.  Neglecting any element of what it takes to be successful can overshadow an otherwise great off-season.  The areas I focus on in my off-season training are kicking, running, weight training, mental training, and diet.  Each one of these elements is critical to
a kicker or punter’s success.  Each of these areas must be adjusted each month in order to ensure “peaking” at the beginning of the season.  This type of accuracy in a program can only be achieved with the help of the NFL professionals and a lot of tweaking from year to year.  I believe the program that former NFL punter Tommy Barnhardt and myself have developed for the use of the Kicking.com Network are as good as they get.   We did not make up these programs to help kids.  We created our programs to survive in the NFL.  And they really work!  So helping kids by sharing our programs is a bonus.

I highly recommend that you encourage your kickers and punters to work in the off-season.  If they do not, they are letting themselves as well as their teammates down.  If you believe they need help in developing a program, I suggest you send
them to Kicking.com to investigate what Tommy and I are doing.

Good luck !

Doug Brien