Kickers seem oh so irrelevant until a team finds itself in a tight spot with little time left on the clock. Now, it’s the job of the kicker, who has hardly stepped foot on the field, to walk out and boot a 50-yarder for the win. This is, hypothetically, easy. In reality, it is not.
Kickers have to block out all the pressure and noise from the fans and opposition and have to understand that if they take one wrong step and get out of timing, they will cost themselves and their brethren the game or potentially the season. This type of pressure weighs a ton and requires the strongest minded people to negate that, or even utilize it into motivation.
Daytona Beach native and long-time NFL kicker Sebastian Janikowski had a success rate of 80% on field goals over a 19-year career in the NFL. When asked how he deals with the adversity that goes hand-in-hand with his job, Sebastian is quoted as saying: “Sometimes I’ve gone out there and thought to myself, ‘Don’t miss this one. Don’t miss it.’ I don’t think about that anymore. It just comes natural.”
Separating the mind from the body is imperative to the mechanical process kicking requires.
