Your season is done... football is long forgotten...you have only the bowl games to keep you interested in college football.  BUT -- you felt you had a great season.  You lead your conference in points, field goal percentage or punt average. You compared yourself to the other kickers you played against and felt that you had an edge on them.  Coaches and teammates are telling you that you have what it takes to play pro ball.

Then the questions comes.... How do I get in the NFL?

You consider yourself a solid prospect. You’ve talked with more than a dozen schools, all of which have signed other kickers or don’t return your phone calls anymore. You had a great year, had great statistics and feel you will have no problem kicking off the ground. Your problem: You’re still seeking a scholarship. If this sounds like you, then welcome to the world of recruiting for football kickers and punters.

Around this time of the year (National Signing Day: Wednesday Feb. 4), I often get emails and phone calls about potential kickers and punters still looking for a playing home. It happens every year. Usually, players have waited too long hoping for a DI scholarship to come through; they failed to follow-up with some NAIA or DII schools that could have offered scholarship opportunities. Now, these coaches have found other kickers.

Specialists often have the hardest times getting noticed by college recruiters and coaches.You often hear about kickers from a small school in Nebraska or Idaho that hit a 65-yard field goal and are listed as the number one kicker in their class on Rivals.com because of that kick. Kickers are also often the last position to get recruited and there are thousands of good kickers across the country. So,what can set you apart?

By John Matich

 During my latest Yoga Retreat in Mexico, I went through numerous stretching, balancing and posture exercises. The list included yoga poses, foam roller positions and posture movements with tennis balls. I highly recommend this to any Pop Warner, high school college and professional kicker. I also noticed a greater emphasis on my breathing. The internal breathing I performed warmed me up; I was drenched after each yoga session. I realized not only can yoga help increase range of motion, but it also grounded me mentally and increased my focus.  I brought home six great exercises that can help you in your kicking game.