Jim Cooper teaching kicking skills at Rowan University.

There are football fans out there who think kickers are just soccer players pulled off the pitch for a few hours every week to kick extra points and field goals.

Those people are wrong. Football kickers make it to the top of their position on the Grid Iron the same way quarterbacks, lineman, defensive backs, running backs, linebackers and receivers do: With passion, drive, dedication, talent a strong work ethic.

Jim Cooper is one of those kickers.

“I began kicking in the seventh grade when our Pop Warner coach asked if anyone could kick,” Cooper said recently. “Everyone lined up and I kicked the ball the farthest with my toe so I was named the kicker. From then on I was hooked. I always had a strong leg dating back to my days in kickball in fifth grade

“I was always the guy that kicked the ball over the fence and scored the most runs. I would watch the NFL on Sundays and I soon became a fan of Mark Mosley from the Washington Redskins. He was the last great toe kicker in the NFL and I strived to be exactly like him.”

Cooper kicked for Mainland Regional High school from 1978 to 1982 setting virtually every kicking record the school had.

Cooper then went on to kick for Temple and made some memorable boots.

“I had a pretty decent career playing for Temple kicking a game-winning field goal against Pitt after kicking a 52 yard field goal in the closing minutes in front of 52,000 fans at veterans Stadium,” Cooper recalled. “Later that season I again faced a game-winning field goal attempt versus the West Virginia Mountaineers. I split the uprights from 37 yards out to beat West Virginia with no time left on the clock. It was the first time in the history of the school that Temple University had beaten Pittsburgh and West Virginia in the same season.”

Cooper got the bug to use his experience back at Mainland High School and to work with a kicker head coach Bob Coffee felt had talent that need to be developed. He had success coaching from the very beginning.

“Ken Dudnick was my very first student and he went on to have a very good career at Mainland and eventually went on to play for Boston College.” Copper said. “Coach Coffee gave me the first opportunity to work with kickers at the high school level and is a prime reason why I am in the position I am today.”

Cooper’s passion grew as did the number of kickers Mainland was producing each year.

Copper says he has had interaction with many retired NFL placekickers and coaches. He has transferred the knowledge into a college coaching gig with Rowan College and his popular kicking , punting and long snapping instructional training through his company “5 Star Kicking” (5starkicking.com).

“What I have is an in-depth knowledge that I have acquired through many years of learning from retired NFL placekickers NFL coaches and kicking guru’s from around the country.,” Cooper said. “I trained my son Jim Cooper Junior since he was eight years old. He has wiped out every kicking record at Mainland regional high school. He finished his career with 33 field goals and received a full scholarship to kick for Temple University where he currently plays. From that point on I have been sought out by many high school coaches and kickers requesting instruction in the art of placekicking.”

Cooper shared a little of his knowledge about how a kicker’s approach can be difference between success and failure.

“Placekicking I feel is about 65 percent mental 35 percent physical,” Cooper said. “I have been training kids and college athletes for over 25 years. I have seen my share of kickers that can hit from as far as 65 yards out on field goals but when the lights are on and the line is rushing in the completely fell apart. There are many kickers that can put the ball on the stick and kick well when there is no pressure involved. Unfortunately football is a pressure packed sport. And you must be able to come through and be successful under pressure situations.

“There are several applications that a kicker can use to deal with the mental side of placekicking. Areas such as meditation, visualization and rehearsal of success can help an Athlete to become a more successful specialist.”

Like any position on the football field, success at developing talent, kickers must be disciplined and take direction from his or her coach.

“The key to successful placekicking is based on proper drill work that is practiced on a daily basis,” Cooper said. “I like to break the field-goal process down into a three-step application.
Once the placekicker can master each phase of the three-step operation he will notice an increase in his overall skill and success. A kicking coach must analyze all phases of the placekick to identify any discrepancies or flaws in the technique. Drill work is the key to mastering proper fundamentals that will lead to overall mechanical improvement which will thus result in increased field-goal accuracy and kicker confidence.”

Cooper talks about his ideas and how to make contact with him for a consultation.

“My goal as a kicking coach is to provide young athletes with the knowledge that I have been fortunate enough to acquire over the last 25 years,” Cooper said. “As a former kicker myself I consider it my obligation as a coach to not only teach proper fundamentals of place kicking and punting, but also to provide guidance in the mental game of football as well as advice towards reaching the next level of football. I offer a full range of recruiting services such as highlight films, emailing to college coaches of programs that would best suit each player as well as communication necessary to secure advancement to the next level.”

Cooper can be reached at www.5 starkicking.com. 609-576-9560. Follow him on Twitter at. @5 starkicking

Cooper is a traveling kicking coach that works with players in New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

During the winter Cooper runs indoor kicking clinics at the Total Turf facility in Pitman New Jersey. He Currently train about 40 kids in the Tri-State area as well as coaching kickers Punter’s and Longsnapper’s for Rowan University.