Why not train your kid to be a punter in the NFL?

Sally Vix wrote:

Virtually NO ONE as a kid aspires to be a punter in the NFL. Assuming your son (or even daughter) is a healthy kid, train them like Todd Maranovich's dad did with him.

Punting is NOT that hard. Take a decent gymnast and he could be kicking 50-yard punts in no time. NOW you start off your kid at 5 to be a gymnast and at 10 transition him to be a world class punter. 3 hours a day from 10 to 18 and he WILL be a very great punter. He can skip college and make WHAT? a million a year for 20 years? Game over.

If looking for a niche, a long-snapper is the way to go. Defensive players are no longer allowed to touch them and that is all they do with the exception of being expected to help punt coverage although it is not their main duty.

I coached a below average HS shot putter & FB player. He received a full scholarship to a mid-major as a long snapper.

The position is overall less competitive and on average a longer shelf life than a punter.

Perhaps he would enjoy a more satisfying career by training to be an engineer, doctor, or lawyer. Lifetime earnings would probably be better than being a punter too if he didn't end up being in the top half of NFL punters. There are a lot more job openings for doctors, engineers, and lawyers though, so there is a better probability that he would find a job.

Don't you think that there are at least as many kids whose mind this thought crosses as there are college football teams though? College age is young enough to dedicate yourself to punting and become the greatest if the opportunity was really there and it was as probable as you make it sound.

elvid32 wrote:

Perhaps he would enjoy a more satisfying career by training to be an engineer, doctor, or lawyer. Lifetime earnings would probably be better than being a punter too if he didn't end up being in the top half of NFL punters. There are a lot more job openings for doctors, engineers, and lawyers though, so there is a better probability that he would find a job.

Don't you think that there are at least as many kids whose mind this thought crosses as there are college football teams though? College age is young enough to dedicate yourself to punting and become the greatest if the opportunity was really there and it was as probable as you make it sound.

How

How many top associate attorneys at top firms burn out after working 60-hour weeks? They are not making that much and many are tossed aside if not partner material

We call it soccer. You get cut from your varsity team in high school or college and still want to be on a team, then what? Punter/kicker is the perfect position for you.

Virtually NO ONE as a kid aspires to be a bowler in the PBA. Assuming your son (or even daughter) is a healthy kid, train them like Todd Maranovich's dad did with him.

Bowling is NOT that hard. Take a decent gymnast and he could be sinking 4-6-7-9-10 splits no time. NOW you start off your kid at 5 to be a gymnast and at 10 transition him to be a world class bowler. 3 hours a day from 10 to 18 and he WILL be a very great bowler. He can skip college and make WHAT? a 100k a year for 30 years? Game over.

https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/pete-weber-net-worth/#:~:text=How%20much%20is%20Pete%20Weber%20Worth%3F&text=Pete%20Weber%20net%20worth%3A%20Pete,net%20worth%20of%20%243.5%20million

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Sally Vix wrote:

Virtually NO ONE as a kid aspires to be a punter in the NFL. Assuming your son (or even daughter) is a healthy kid, train them like Todd Maranovich's dad did with him.

Punting is NOT that hard. Take a decent gymnast and he could be kicking 50-yard punts in no time. NOW you start off your kid at 5 to be a gymnast and at 10 transition him to be a world class punter. 3 hours a day from 10 to 18 and he WILL be a very great punter. He can skip college and make WHAT? a million a year for 20 years? Game over.

All sports, including even distance running, require natural ability. The amount of talent required to be an NFL punter would eliminate over 95% of the population.

Bowling is the only true sport wrote:

Virtually NO ONE as a kid aspires to be a bowler in the PBA. Assuming your son (or even daughter) is a healthy kid, train them like Todd Maranovich's dad did with him.

Bowling is NOT that hard. Take a decent gymnast and he could be sinking 4-6-7-9-10 splits no time. NOW you start off your kid at 5 to be a gymnast and at 10 transition him to be a world class bowler. 3 hours a day from 10 to 18 and he WILL be a very great bowler. He can skip college and make WHAT? a 100k a year for 30 years? Game over.

https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/pete-weber-net-worth/#:~:text=How%20much%20is%20Pete%20Weber%20Worth%3F&text=Pete%20Weber%20net%20worth%3A%20Pete,net%20worth%20of%20%243.5%20million

.

Well done.

It's funny, way back when I coached 5th and 6th grade flag football, and I actively encouraged them to consider punting or kicking - everyone was into it and one eventually went on to a D1 scholarship. It's still so competitive though, that he was a long shot to make pro and of course didn't do it.

mar828 wrote:

It's funny, way back when I coached 5th and 6th grade flag football, and I actively encouraged them to consider punting or kicking - everyone was into it and one eventually went on to a D1 scholarship. It's still so competitive though, that he was a long shot to make pro and of course didn't do it.

There are 800 colleges that have football teams and maybe four guys that are drafted each year. Before that, probably 10% of HS punters are good enough to play in college.

How? Easy answer: decent salary and a much longer career.

What is the likelihood that this theoretical punter kid that you're talking about ever actually gets paid anything by an NFL team?

(Obviously this kid could do both and work a normal job after his short NFL career ends. A kid that can dedicate himself to make it to the NFL could dedicate himself to get a graduate degree is he also happens to be smart.)

Bowling is the only true sport wrote:

Virtually NO ONE as a kid aspires to be a bowler in the PBA. Assuming your son (or even daughter) is a healthy kid, train them like Todd Maranovich's dad did with him.

Bowling is NOT that hard. Take a decent gymnast and he could be sinking 4-6-7-9-10 splits no time. NOW you start off your kid at 5 to be a gymnast and at 10 transition him to be a world class bowler. 3 hours a day from 10 to 18 and he WILL be a very great bowler. He can skip college and make WHAT? a 100k a year for 30 years? Game over.

Bowling is way harder than you think it is. The lane conditions they bowl on aren't what you're used to in your beer league. Also, I've seen gymnasts bowl and they CAN'T do it.

SDSU Aztec wrote:

God and country wrote:

My son is 6 and this has totally crossed my mind before. I go back and forth between forcing him to punt or placekick for 6 hours a day.

The odds are that he would waste most of his life before age 18 and not even play in college.

Beyond this, kids that get super specialized then usually suck at things that could be fun for decades if they played enough to become half-decent when they were young like basketball or soccer. Sure, almost every kid won't make it to the NBA, but just becoming moderately good during high school will allow you to have fun playing throughout your life.

Heck, if you can become slightly above average at basketball and soccer, and get a good degree, then you can earn more than most NFL punters (considering that their careers are short, of course) and have fun playing sports.

It's not exactly the most manly pursuit in the world. You could train him to be a ballerina too, and make lots of money. But would it be worth it in terms of his stature among his fellow men?

Everyone knows how it worked out for Todd Maranovich.

malmo wrote:

Everyone knows how it worked out for Todd Maranovich.

One person. Are you telling me a trained gymnast who trains for 5 years can't do punting for an NFL team?

There are 16,000 high schools in the US with a football team. So there are 16,000 HS punters working hard to have the chance to play college ball, yet alone the NFL.

Take a number, wait in line.

Why would gymnasts make great punters?

If you want to read about a guy who really wanted to be a punter, read about the brother in David Foster Wallace's great novel, Infinite Jest. He really goes through torture.

Sally Vix wrote:

Virtually NO ONE as a kid aspires to be a punter in the NFL. Assuming your son (or even daughter) is a healthy kid, train them like Todd Maranovich's dad did with him.

Punting is NOT that hard. Take a decent gymnast and he could be kicking 50-yard punts in no time. NOW you start off your kid at 5 to be a gymnast and at 10 transition him to be a world class punter. 3 hours a day from 10 to 18 and he WILL be a very great punter. He can skip college and make WHAT? a million a year for 20 years? Game over.

The depths you sink to go out of your way to prove your cluelessness knows no bounds.

Sally Vix wrote:

malmo wrote:

Everyone knows how it worked out for Todd Maranovich.

One person. Are you telling me a trained gymnast who trains for 5 years can't do punting for an NFL team?

Male gymnasts top out at about 5'6" so at least half of the snaps would go over their heads.