Mental Performance
The kick that matters most happens under pressure. Mental performance is how a specialist keeps their technique when the game is on the line.
What it covers
The mental side of kicking, punting and snapping, built on how habits and muscle memory actually form.
New technique takes time
A new habit takes anywhere from three weeks to several months to become automatic, not the 21 days of the old myth.
Games run on muscle memory
On a game-winning kick, specialists aren't thinking about technique. They fall back on what is already engrained.
Change things in the off-season
Big changes, like a kicker's steps or a punter's grip, belong in the off-season, when there's time to build the new habit.
Coach Luke Jackson
Luke started training with 4th Down University in 2015, while kicking in college at Missouri and West Florida. He now coaches kickers and punters for 4DU and works with specialists as a mental conditioning coach.
- First-team All-State kicker in Florida; a top-20 kicker nationally out of high school
- 3 years as specialist coach at the University of West Florida
- 2 All-Conference specialists; 2019 national championship staff
- B.S. Sports Management, minor in Psychology (Mizzou); Master's in Counseling Psychology (UWF)
Founder, Clutch University4th Down Focus · Episode 99
Luke Jackson on mental conditioning for specialists.
Mental Conditioning presentation
Coach Jackson's slides on habit formation, muscle memory and the mindset behind elite specialist performance.
Habit Formation, Muscle Memory and Elite Performance
It's a myth that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. The idea it comes from says it takes at least 21 days (Clear, n.d.). In reality, a new habit can take anywhere from three weeks to several months to become automatic.
Athletes call that automatic behavior muscle memory, and it's why changing technique takes patience.
Make big changes in the off-season
When I work with kickers, punters and long snappers, I push for major technical changes to happen in the off-season, because habits take time to change. If a kicker changes their steps or a punter changes their grip, the new movement fights against their existing muscle memory, and that brings growing pains.
Under pressure, you fall back on what's engrained
On a game-winning field goal, a kicker usually isn't thinking about technique. They're relying on muscle memory and focus on the task. That's why, under pressure, a kicker is more likely to fall back on old habits than to use a new, unfamiliar change.
Habits take time to form, so be deliberate about when you make big technical changes. If you're not sure whether to make one, talk to your coach or another professional who can guide you.
Sources
Clear, J. (n.d.). How long does it actually take to form a habit? Retrieved from jamesclear.com/new-habit
Knapp, E. Toward the better self: Changing habits [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from uwf.edu
Train the mental side
Book a mental conditioning session with Coach Jackson, or pair it with on-field training at 4DU.