Dear Snappers,

Spring ball has me fired up for more snapping! It's finally time to put the pads back on and get on the field with the rest of the unit. I want to focus on how we can get the most out of every day of spring ball, or any day of practice for that matter. These warm-ups and in-practice drills are things that can be done every day. In fact, they should be done every day! I want to encourage all the snappers out there to find a good routine that works for you that you can accomplish every day. Here are some of my favorites that you can add to your routine.

Warm-Up

1. Playing Catch: Hopefully, you all have another snapper or maybe a punter that you warm up with before you start to snap. I like the warm up with a since game of catch back and forth. It feels good to feel the ball spiral out of your hand. You want to think about that same spin when you are snapping later on!
2. Under Hand Throws: Imagine a softball pitcher throwing a football. That is the motion you are looking for. Don't got too crazy with a wind up or anything like that, but a solid toss back and forth. This will help to warm up the shoulders and gives you a little more of a challenge to get a nice spiral on the ball. Really focus on getting those shoulders comfortable and loose before you move on from this warm-up.
3. Over-The-Head Snaps: A staple of any good long snappers warm-up is the over-the-head snaps. I begin by stepping into the throw like a bounce pass and really focusing on the wrist action. You should see a tight spiral, just as if you were snapping it between your legs. After a few good throws, I will keep my feet even with each other and spread out as if I was in my long snapping position. This engages your back and your hips a little more than stepping into the throw will.

Buddy might only have half a ball, but at least he can show you the basics of an over-the-head snap.

Snapping

I will always start with a 10-yard snap, no matter what. It works best for me to work my way from 10-yards to 15-yards by snapping two balls from each yard marker. I throw 10 balls and then I am at the full 15 and ready to go. It isn't an incredibly long or drawn out warm-up, but it gets me ready to go. Any time that I am not feeling smooth, can't get the ball to spin right, or just need a few more reps for confidence, I will adjust and add in some shorter reps.

I have never been one to count reps. I don't usually feel like arms get fatigued when I snap during the season. However, I have over done it in the summer before, but that's when I get 200+ snaps in a day (I don't really recommend that anymore). Thanks to a few new members of our team, I have started to play around with the idea of counting snaps. This spring, I am trying to find the ideal spot to get the best snaps possible, but I am not there yet. Please feel free to let me know what you think about counting reps in the comments! I would love to know if any of you have a range that you like to hit before games or during practice.

What About Short Snaps?

I don't do a lot of shorts before practice. The way that practice is set up for our specialists never has PAT / Field Goal to start off the day. It is something that I work into my sideline work during practice. This gives me something to do during practice and it lets me focus on one type of snapping at a time. 95% of the time, if I can feel confident about 15-yard punt snaps then I will feel good about PAT snaps. Never overlook them though!

Thank you all for reading this week! Please hit me up in the comments or on Twitter and let me know what types of warm-ups work best for you!

Also, I never warmed up before I got to Northern Iowa, so I want to thank Trent Simpson for teaching me all the different techniques that I still use today. For all the young snappers out there, make sure to learn from the older snappers. One day you will get your opportunity and all that knowledge will help you.

As always, hit me up one Twitter with your thoughts on this blog, what you do to warm up for practice, and anything else long snapping related. Let's have a great year!