Sport Psychology Hour with Dr. Andrew Jacobs

12/5/21 - FLASHBACK - Dr. Jacobs Talks With KC Chiefs Kickers Harrison Butker and Tommy Townsend

·40 min·3 clips

Harrison Butker didn't watch football growing up and only started kicking in college.

Dr. Andrew Jacobs hosts the Sports Psychology Hour, interviewing Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and punter Tommy Townsend. The episode explores the mental aspects of their specialized NFL roles. Butker shares his unconventional path, starting with soccer and basketball before discovering kicking in college through a camp. Townsend discusses always having NFL dreams and being mentored by Saints punter Thomas Morstead. Both players talk about the pressure of being one of only 32 people in their positions worldwide. Butker explains his philosophy of treating every kick, even warmups, as a 'big kick' to build consistency. He distinguishes between a 'good miss' where technique was sound and a mental failure where routine breaks down. Townsend echoes this, noting that a well-hit punt with a bad bounce isn't a failure. Visualization emerges as a key tool; Butker uses it to get mental reps without physical strain, while Townsend adapted techniques from golf. They discuss how empty pandemic-era stadiums were surprisingly challenging compared to packed crowds. The specialists' relationship with long snapper James Winchester is highlighted as crucial for field goal operations. Confidence-building strategies include focusing on quality over quantity in warmups and trusting offseason preparation. Butker and Townsend agree confidence precedes success, though nervousness doesn't necessarily indicate lack of confidence. The episode concludes with their emphasis on controlling controllable factors and blocking out distractions.

As heard by us

A grounded conversation about judging kicks by preparation, response, and result instead of result alone.

A missed kick gets handled here with a useful amount of patience. Harrison Butker describes how a kicker can follow the mental routine, trust the technique, strike the ball as planned, and still have wind, a slip, or some other disruption change the outcome.

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Why you'd press play

You will hear Chiefs specialists explain why a missed kick is not automatically a failed one.

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