Post by TheShadow on Jul 8, 2007 9:37:59 GMT -5
www.gazette.com/
BY BRANDI PEREZ, THE GAZETTE
More than 40 kickers, punters, holders and snappers turned out at Colorado College’s Washburn Field on Saturday morning to learn from one of the game’s legends.
Ray Guy, the punter who was on three Oakland Raiders teams that won Super Bowls, was in town to help run a two-day football camp that bears his name.
The Ray Guy ProKicker.com Academy, which began in 1995 and travels to 32 cities from mid-April to early August, stresses the importance of fundamentals.
"We break everything down,” said Guy, the academy’s co-founder. “We might take one fundamental and break it in half. We take each individual kid and work on their mechanics to increase their ability.”
Guy said stance, leg swing, balance and the gripping and lining of the ball are some of the basics players need to learn.
“The mind controls everything,” he said. “We can train them and correct them, but they’re the ones that have to change and adjust.”
Players are divided into five groups and participate in drills catered to their specialty. Then, after lunch, they review video taken during the drills.
“The video analysis slows it down and shows the kids exactly what we’re talking about,” said Matt Reagan, a first-year coach at the academy and a sophomore kicker at Memphis. “We throw a lot of stuff out there in two days. We give them the drills and fundamentals to take back home.”
With a coaching staff of seven, athletes get plenty of individual attention, said Rick Sang, director and co-founder of the academy.
“We have professional role model-type coaches that are very passionate,” he said. “I just love kicking a football. I’ve turned it into a livelihood.”
Last year, 140 athletes who participated in the academy received athletic scholarships, Guy said.
“I enjoy working with the kids, to give them an opportunity of what I got to do,” he said. “I tried coaching at college, but coaching here is more personal. The reward is what you leave behind.”
Sixteen academy alumni are playing in the NFL.
Guy, 57, was the first punter to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
He played in seven Pro Bowls, including six straight, and averaged 42.4 yards per punt in his 14-year career. He never had a punt returned for a touchdown and only three of his 1,049 punts were blocked.
“I try to model my technique the way he used to kick,” said Colorado State senior punter Jimmie Kaylor, who was attending the academy for the fifth time. “I come just to work with Ray. He’s the best ever.”