The Full Throttle Kick Off – Installing the Kickoff Recovery System

A revolution in the kicking game is here. South Haven High School (MI) head coach Sam Nichols broke with tradition and built a completely different way to handle kickoffs: he does not want to give the football up, so he does everything he can to keep it, creating momentum with a system of onside kicks rather than booting the ball away and hoping his coverage unit tackles. This session installs that Full Throttle kickoff system from the ground up.

What you'll learn

• The thinking behind the Full Throttle kickoff and why Coach Nichols refuses to hand possession to the opponent
• How to build a system of onside kicks instead of carrying one surprise call
• Using the kickoff to create momentum and extra possessions for your offense
• Extensive instruction on the drills that develop a kickoff unit capable of recovering the ball
• The teaching techniques required to install the system with high school players
• Game film analysis of the kicks and recoveries against live opponents

Who it's for

For high school special teams coordinators and head coaches who want an aggressive kicking game, especially programs that need to steal possessions against more talented opponents. College staffs looking for a structured onside package will find it useful as well.

About the coach

Sam Nichols was the head coach at South Haven High School in Michigan and spent five years as offensive coordinator at Holland Christian (MI) High School. A graduate of Hope College in Holland, Michigan, he has served as an offensive consultant to teams in eight states.

Part one of Coach Nichols's Full Throttle Kick Off series, with extensive game film analysis. The companion session covers kickoff recovery drills and counter-attacking an opponent's onside kicks.