Improving your game, no matter the sport, is always important. There are no easy outs to improving your skills, and this is especially true as a kicker. The art of kicking a football is truly not for everyone. There are cynics out there that believe all you do is 'kick the ball', that it is entirely physical and that anyone with strength can do it.
The 'perfect kick', the kick we are strive for, takes a lot more than brute force, you need to understand how and where to hit the ball, the angle, velocity and the step method for kicking it. There are also many mental aspects that go into being a kicker, and a lot of stress. The truth is that one bad kick can doom a game and can even swing an entire season down a rocky path.
So what is the single most important thing you can do to improve your game? It's no secret, it's practice. There is a reason they say practice makes perfect, and even if perfect isn't a very reachable goal when it comes to kicking, practicing and understanding how to best kick will go a long way.
If you really want to get the most out of your game, consider enlisting the aide of someone else who understands kicking. Look for a coach or mentor that played football at any level as a kicker, since they've played the game, they know how to best analyze your kick and make adjustments to improve your game. Where are you going to find someone like that, you wonder?
Actually, in the last several years 'football kicking camps' have started to pop up throughout the United States to help kickers of all levels – junior high, highschool, college and pro – improve their abilities and provide the guidance needed to bring things up a level or two. Whether you are in a team already or planning to try out for a team, getting a little guidance to improve your kick is never a bad idea. Unfortunately, some camps have popped up that use the idea of improving your game to get you to pay them money but don't really deliver worthwhile advice.
When it comes to finding a good camp, you need to understand what 'camp' is. This can be a literal 'camp' or simply a set of paid lessons that analyze your kick and provide you tips. Either of these methods can be perfectly legitimate and help you grow as a player, the key is in the coaching involved.
Who is teaching the courses? What makes them able to help you? The fact that they say they area a coach shouldn't be enough. Ask the tough questions, what past coaching or, even better, KICKING experience do they have that makes them able to help you? If your coach's experience doesn't go beyond playing fantasy football on the web, do yourself a favor and move on to a different camp/course.
Finding a good Football Kicking camp doesn't have to be hard, there are many great courses and tips from places like Elite Kicking that can help you improve your kicking abilities.
