Kicking Takes Center Stage at Camp

Brandon Fields remembers eighth grade at Timberston Middle School in Toledo, Ohio.

He was beat out at the punter position.

So he went to camps.

Now an NFL punter for the Miami Dolphins, Fields is passing on the techniques that allow him to boot 60-plus-yard punts and threaten to shave the roof of the Superdome.

The prokicker.com event, held Saturday at 's Hawkins Stadium, featured Fields, Washington Redskins kicker Graham Gano and other former and future collegiate kickers.

Gano holds Florida high school records for longest field goals (65 and 64 yards) for Tate High in Pensacola.

As he taught junior high and high school athletes, Graham considered what it takes go go from a beginner to record setter.

"Flexibility," he said. "Strength and fast-twitch muscle. We do a lot of speed workouts."

The more the NFL is exploding with stars such as Chicago Bears returner Devin Hester who are capable of changing a game, the more demand there is for punters who can pin the ball inside the 10-yard line without a return, Fields said.

And it all starts with techniques taught at the prockicker.com camp, techniques such as catching the snap for punts and the position at which the foot strikes the ball for kickers.

"There's an emphasis now on special teams," Fields said.

Manatee coach Joe Kinnan said the same holds true in high school.

"In high school you want kickers who don't let the guy return the ball," said Kinnan, watching from the sideline Saturday. "We lost a game in Southeast (in 1993) with our punter Robby Stevenson, who later punted at Florida. We were at the other hash mark, it was 4th-and-one, and we told him to try and kick the ball out of bounds. Well, he kicked it to (Southeast's) Peter Warrick, and he returned it 70 yards for a TD."

Kids from all over the state gathered to make sure they excel at special teams in the future. Because one day, there will be another Warrick.

Rick Sang has directed prokicker.com for six years in Bradenton and has been directing camps for 31 years. Prokicker.com travels across the country.

"The great thing is, Graham and Brandon called and asked to work the camp," Sang said. "That tells you they wanted to be here."

Kids no longer are simply trying to be linebackers and running backs. Kicking, it seems, is no longer for the skinny kid who spends practices squatting on a tackling dummy. It's for the trained athlete.

"Kickers and punters are late bloomers — especially punters," Sane said. "If it wasn't for soccer we wouldn't know who had potential."