Your Typical New Years Blog...Ok, Maybe Not.

Well another New Year is upon us. I know it sounds so cliché, but really...where has the time gone?? It's crazy.
While many are writing down their New Year resolutions (even more cliché), let's talk about some things to think about in the New Year. So I now present you with: a blog for the New Year touching upon all of the usual cliché suspects! - FITNESS, MONEY, FASHION/STYLE, NUTRITION, MEMORIES OF 2013, ENTERTAINMENT and clearly, your LOVE LIFE...the ultimate New Years cliché blog...ok...maybe not...maybe just AAK's version of it.


Fitness

Leg snap speed is an essential factor because it determines power and distance in your kick.
So it's always a good thing to increase your leg speed and you do that by increasing your fast twitch muscles in your thighs. Doing lots of exercises that move your legs quickly - stadium stairs, sprints, going fast on an elliptical or stationary bike - that will help with that.

Stretching increases your range of motion, which means you'll have more follow-through on your kick, and you can put more push into your kicks without tearing anything because you kicked too high. On the long shots, you see a golfer swinging all the way through, you don't see him stopping right after he hits the ball. Think of it that way.

Strengthen your lower body and core. This'll help improve balance, leg speed, and kicking power. Stability ball exercises are great for core strength and throw those single-leg squats in as well. Make sure you're strengthening those quads and hip flexors for that distance.



Fashion/Style

What do you have on your feet? Make sure those cleats/shoes fit snugly. Many kickers wear a kicking shoe that is one-half size smaller than their normal shoe size.



Love Life

Time for a solid bro-mance with your snapper. Get him out on that practice field with you as often as you can. Buy him lunch. Let him win on Madden. Whatever it takes to get him out there with you.



Nutrition

Lay off the sugar. That's all I've got.



Money

If you believe in yourself as a product, and you want schools to believe in that product as well, then invest in yourself. Equipment, camps, lessons etc...the new FIFA just came out? What's that priority list lookin' like?



Entertainment

Fantasy Football...what's more entertaining than that? An interesting look at how it affects your finances...maybe not so entertaining after all.
Check this out.

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-fantasy-football-affects-your-finances-2013-11



Memories of 2013

Avoid dwelling on past misses this season. Try to get over any failures as quickly as possible. Being preoccupied with a past miss won't help you. This thought process also applies to the huge successes you might have had this season. Remember that those big kicks you nailed right between the goal posts aren't winning any games for you in 2014. It's a clean slate. Check that ego at the door and focus on the work ahead. So as far as the "memories" go...for a kicker, it's super helpful to have a short memory. Just remember what worked, what didn't work...and for 2014, work on being better.

Here's to a fantastic one!




TEAM AAK
Train With The Best...To Be The Best.