INTERVIEW WITH PAUL ASSAD, THE "KICK DOCTOR"
Paul, over the last 6-8 years you have become a name synonymous with Kicking and Punting. You are on a first name basis with many of the special team coaches in the NFL, you have a wide range of contacts in Arena Football at all levels. For those of you who have not had any prior experience with you, briefly take us through your background.

Answer: I grew up in Modesto, CA, also known as the "Central Valley". I was a baseball, and standout high school and junior college soccer player before I started kicking football at Modesto Junior College. I wanted to kick in High School but our school already had a kicker, and he was my friend and soccer team-mate. We used to kicked together practicing long range field goals with soccer balls everyday, and it was him ironically that encouraged me to start kicking at the junior college level.

I had some bad luck with injuries back then. In fact, I was near-death several times they say. I was injured in 3 really bad car accidents hurting my back repeatedly and then a jet ski accident that resulted in a skull vault "forehead", nose and orbital (eye) fracture. I was fighting overcoming medical clearances and it was difficult to get stronger when I was just fighting to get back to “square one” all the time. This continued through my college years at Sacramento State and eventually knocked me out of the program, but I had this “never say die - I won't be denied attitude”; I joined a club football team that finally gave me some game experience and after a few years of that I really was coming around, but I knew I was “on the clock” to break into the NFL.

I spent my entire college summers traveling and instructing for Ray Pelfrey's PKS Camps back then. I had the opportunity to work with some talented players like Ryan Longwell and Joe Nedney and many others through the camps. I made great friends and it was the ultimately the foundation for what I am doing now ironically.
I had the opportunity to tryout at several of the Free Agent Camps and follow up workouts in mini-camps and training camps with the Chargers, Raiders, Rams and Cardinals and many of the World League-NFL Europa teams but by the time I was overcoming the lack of experience factors - my age caught up with me, so I took a position as the Director of Scout Camp Pro Football Regional Combines evaluating Draft Eligible College Seniors and Free Agents for Pro Football for nearly 5 years before I started the National Combines Scholarship Development Camps for Kickers & Punters - now known as Pro College Football. Good thing there was no room on the shirts for all that.

I started working with mostly post-collegiate free agent kickers and punters, then long snappers mostly with pro ambitions and hosting our first Pro Football Free Agent Camps that pro coaches started attending.

I was working mostly with "Sleeper" types of players exclusively back then. I identify with "overlooked" players. Probably my first break was the opportunity to work with former Packers Kicker Chris Jacke. He was already among the top three All Time Accuracy Leaders in NFL History, but was pushed out of the league because he didn't kick off strong so here we were and I had 2 weeks to prepare him for our NFL Free Agent Camp. He was packing plenty of attitude but he listened up and got it. When his first kick off hit the upright at the tryout camp - it felt like every NFL Coach looked at me with approval. I even started getting NFL Assistant Coach offers but I was committed to building a program where I could coach all players not just the ones on the roster.

Then more and more of the free agents started breaking into the NFL making rosters and I was earning a good reputation as an “agent’s resource”. More and more agents started sending players and doors were opening for me everywhere. Even the NFL Combine where I started consulting, several teams rating players as they worked out live in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, I was sitting alongside the Kansas City Chiefs and former Rams Super Bowl Winning Head Coach Vermeil for several years. I would start talking about each player as he was charting and coaches would chime in and it was this give and take of commenting among the leading "experts" of the game I suppose. I really enjoyed it. I feel that we all learn from each other so I am particularly focused on listening to everyone before I dismiss anything. I wouldn't want to miss out on something that would help me become a better coach. I've carried on the tradition every year at the Senior Bowl, Combine and our Free Agent Camps.
We have had a great run and I've been lucky to have met and worked with so many great players and friends. It's surreal for me to think about where this started and the journey to this point.

You have worked with many kickers over the years; some have made it to the next level. When you see a kicker for the first time, what are you looking for to distinguish that kicker from the crowd?

Answer: I am immediately attracted to "explosiveness" and "athleticism" referring to balance and fluency, but also a confident person with a chip on his shoulder – having something to prove. I see these players having a huge head start and start thinking about how we can polish the player with the smoothest transitions, but if his attitude is right I know I can challenge him to break-thru complacency periods.

We all know there are many good kickers that never get the break, or opportunity. What does a kicker need to do to increase his opportunities, to get that break?

Answer: A great coach once told me that you get the next job and the future jobs from the first job, so put your efforts into the everyday process and try to accomplish objectives and goals. Having said that I try to emphasize to players that the players who have been successful in this program ultimately were the ones who stopped talking and started doing, demonstrating hard work and results and trying to put themselves in positions to let their performance do the talking (NFL Free Agent Camp). It also seems to lend perspective of what all we can ultimately control which is our effort, attitude and surrounding ourselves with good people for our goals.

We have numerous kickers participating in the Beyond Sports Network. Some kick six months a year, some kick twelve months a year. Some go out and kick fifteen balls, some fifty in a workout. Do you recommend a regiment to stay sharp, or should every kicker's workout routine be different?

Answer: I'm mixed on this subject actually. Some players need to kick a lot and they actually become stronger as they kick others get worse. I think when a player is tired his fundamentals break down and then it gets in his head. Over-kicking in camp often bites rookie on the backside. You'll see that most high level players kick 20-50 balls typically, and spend lots of time working on recovery, flexibility and strength gain.

For a high school kicker, at what age (year) should he be starting to look at personalized training, "one on one instruction?"
Answer: I think when he's 12 years old a player is ready to start with personal training lessons for kicking, punting or long snapping. It depends on his coordination ect. Sometimes I give soccer lessons in groups to kids 8-18 years old and we work on the basics - the main point is balance and creating leg speed or long snapping arm - wrist speed.

There has always been a big discussion about being able to kick and punt, and how you can't do both at the next level. What are your thoughts on this?

Answer: I did both. I think if you ask players who did both like Jason Hanson, Lions long time kicker, who was also an outstanding punter at Washington State or Jason Elam, another outstanding All WAC Punter at Hawaii, they would say they enjoyed it. The NFL is very attracted it seems, to Punters that can kick off, because they can keep a veteran kicker longer. You saw several players break in punting and kicking like Craig Hentrich, Lee Johnson and Todd Saurbraun. As for all three, at the Pro Level there's this fear of fatigue, injury factors or focus, so other then the Falcons experimenting with Michael Koenen, you haven't seen it too much and I don't suspect you will anytime soon.

Lastly, I am sure all of the aspiring Pro Kickers & Punters out there who would appreciate your insight. Any closing remarks or points you would like to add?

Answer: I encourage all athletes to set very personal goals without restriction and consider that it's the decisions we make in every moment that influence the speed of that course.
I wasn't a great student in high school and therefore had no confidence in my academics. I had to understand and start applying myself, and increase my work ethic to my studies on a day to day basis before I started seeing results in the classroom like I get on the field. I had to re-navigate my ship you might say.
Athletes have so many resources to help them these days. It's mostly about deciding they want to be successful and staying committed, as indicated by the decisions they make in every moment, to workout or study, but also to make a higher decision of respect to their very personal goals which often means avoiding bad things.

Paul, Thank you for taking your time to share with Beyond Sports.
Thank you, and best of luck and success with Beyond Sports and to all the athletes you help!