So, You Didn’t Make the TOP 12, Now What?

For the past couple weeks, you have been watching the TOP 12 Camp Invited Long Snappers get chosen one by one. Daily, you stared at your Twitter feed, Instagram or Facebook waiting for the inevitable clues to be dropped. Each day, a couple people were ecstatic while countless others felt the opposite emotions. A couple days ago, the final members of the TOP 12 Camp Invitees were announced and a balloon was popped for many  Long Snappers. Now what?

Couple ways to look at it….

You can be upset with me for not selecting you. You can be upset with yourself for not performing when it counted. You can even find a way to blame others, but, it is ultimately on you. The only thing you can control is how hard and smart you work. Everyone in Vegas is competing for the same spots. Don’t let anybody outwork you and you will see different results.

You need to use this as motivation to make sure you perform better. This is all up to you. The choice is yours.

If you are a Long Snapper that strives to be the best, you want to be at that TOP 12  camp during the summer. Any single athlete that has been there (scholarship Long Snappers, All-Americans, NFL players) will tell you it is, by far, the best camp they have ever been to in their life. What you need to do is get back on the horse. Work smarter and harder.

Many great Long Snappers did NOT make it simply because in Vegas they didn’t feel they could. They did NOT have confidence. They were HOPING they would snap well instead of KNOWING they would snap well. Sound familiar?

Just because you didn’t make the TOP 12 does NOT mean you are a bad Long Snapper at all and that you should just stop. It means that you need to work harder and smarter at VEGAS XXXIV to be selected to the next batch of TOP 12 Campers to be invited. Remember, I will be choosing twenty more there and then those forth will be narrow down at the camp to see who really is THE TOP 12 LONG SNAPPERS.

You need to knock my socks off. THE RANKINGS CAN BE ADJUSTED ANYTIME I SEE YOU LIVE. You need to show everyone this spring as I pass through the country that you are the best. Dominate. Know you can do it AND do it!

The best of the best ALWAYS step up.

Are you one of them? Time to decide. Prove to me, and the rest of the world, that you belong.

Or don’t.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS…..

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Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 13 years,  Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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ASK RUBIO – Athleticism, Flexibility & Strength in the Off-Season AND Confidence vs Cockiness

Dear Rubio….

What are your recommendations for improving athleticism, flexibility, and strength during the off season, which is normally coupled with spring football workouts,
-Sincerely, don’t think just snap!

Dear Don’t Think Just Snap….
YOGA, YOGA, then more YOGA…make sure you are in the back row. You’ll thank me later.
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Dear Rubio….

You always say you love when you have an extremely confident long snapper and tell us all to show off our ranking and be very confident no matter who you’re up against and to be a good snapper you have to be very confident.  In snapping and in life where do you draw the line between self pride/confidence and cockiness?
– Puzzled Long Snapper

Puzzled Long Snapper….
It is a VERY, VERY fine line and you have to know what it is. It is actually for every person. I want my Long Snappers to be toeing that line and have the killer instinct of a shark. When you go head to head with another Long Snapper, you should almost feel bad for them since you know you are going to crush them. Confidence is backing what you say up without being an idiot about the whole thing. Cockiness is bragging about what you are doing while being an idiot about the whole thing.
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Remember, if you would like to ASK RUBIO a question on any topic (honestly, it shouldn’t be on Long Snapping since you can find almost all questions answered on my blog and on RubioLongSnapping.com, just go ahead and send your question(s) to Rubio@RubioLongSnapping.com with the subject line: ASK RUBIO.Ask Rubio

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The Process of Being Great

EVERYTHING MUST WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS

 

HEART
Not matter how many people want it for you, if you don’t – it will never happen. You will never reach your potential. If you aren’t the one truly pushing yourself, you will never give it your all. You must have the heart and desire to want it and you have to want it all. It’s actually quite simple, you will be as good, or great, as YOU want to be.

FAMILY
This doesn’t just mean your immediate family. It is anyone that encompasses who you are and will help you along the way. No one achieves greatness on their own. No one. Family can be friends, coaches, teachers, etc. and they are all in your corner. They push you, sometimes nicely and sometimes not so nicely. They know what you need sometimes more than you do. You can survive without them, but it isn’t pleasant and they make your journey much more fruitful and obtainable.

ATHLETICISM
Can definitely put you in the drivers seat but will not keep you there. Eventually, the athleticism will wear off and then you will have to work smarter and not just harder. Your body, which houses your athleticism, will eventually wear down and then what are you stuck with? It is an important gear but not as imperative as others as it won’t keep you in the lead forever.

BRAINS
Really are the glue of it all. Will help you understand what to do and when to do it. Lack of brains will crush your chances for a long and fruitful career. Brains are a major gear and can stop or start the whole process of being great.

PERSONALITY
Getting along with others is not just a good thing, it is a necessity. Friends and family are one thing, but it is others that will enable you to achieve greatness in the long run as well. From trainers to journalists to managers to simply someone you meet along the way. Everyone can offer you something, just as you can offer something to everyone. Your personality will last much longer, and have more of an affect on others, than your athletic ability.

CONFIDENCE
The final touch. What takes a person over the top. The knowing you will dominate. The knowing you will get it done under pressure. The knowing you have “IT.” Confidence is the one thing that can heavily overpower the other gears within this system.

EVERYTHING MUST WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS

Do you have everything working together, in your life, to ensure YOU achieve greatness? 

Feel free to add a gear below in the comment section and explain why you feel it is needed to make you great…

 

Click HERE to have this blog read to you.

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Chris-Rubio-2Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 12 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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Rewind

Right when you released the ball, you knew it was bad. The worst thing that could have happened, happened. You launched the ball over the punter’s head to give the other team a safety, the victory, and the state championship, as time expired on the clock. Your heart was pounding. The team was looking at you. You felt as though every single set of eyes on the home side bleachers was piercing your skin. You attempted to not look up. You had one job and you didn’t do it. You failed. Your team lost. All….eyes….were….on….you….

Rewind 15 minutes….

The crowd looks great. It was a huge game for the school and the city. Everyone was there. The usual spot where all the good looking girls hung out was overflowing. A couple times during the night, you had actually made eye-contact with some of the finer ones. It was a good night. Football was secondary at this point and long snapping was even lower on the list. The game would take care of itself. No need to stay focused, loose or get some snaps in. You knew what to do. It was just snapping. You are, as people reminded you, only the long snapper.

Rewind 20 hours…..

Nothing like a meeting of the minds on the night before the biggest game of the year. By “meeting of the minds” everyone knew it meant a get together at a buddies house. By “get together” everyone knew it meant house party turning into a full blow out! You were just going to stay a bit. Ride the wave of excitement and popularity one gets from being a member of the top team in the land. It didn’t matter that you were just a long snapper. You were a member of the team and would be wearing a championship ring after your team won the next night. All was great. You would stay a bit longer. No worries. You were just the long snapper. The season was in cruise control. It was ok to stay out later. You are just the long snapper. It won’t come down to you. The game, championship and rings are a lock. No worries.

Rewind 30 days….

Your coach actually believed that you were going to go in to watch some film and get some drill work in. What an idiot! Seriously, who watches film on just a long snapper or really does drills to get better? Like it is hard or something. You bend over, grab the ball, look back and throw the ball. Anyone could do it and you were the best on the team so what was the worry? There was none. Nothing could go wrong.

Rewind two months….

You just weren’t feeling it yesterday. It was your first Rubio Long Snapping camp and it was a bit overwhelming. There was some excellent long snappers there. Guys that had been to many of Rubio’s camps and listened to his every word. Even the parents were involved. You had been to other guy’s camps but this was night and day different. Everyone was involved. The guy talked about Long Snapping like it was the greatest thing in the world. Didn’t this guy know it was just long snapping? Didn’t he get that anyone could do it? All of the drills were actually pretty amazing and got the job done, but who needs those? It is just long snapping and what could go wrong? This Rubio guy needs to relax. You don’t need to listen to him. What does he know? It is just long snapping! What could go wrong?

(Click HERE to listen to this blog as a podcast)

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Chris-Rubio-2Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 12 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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How to Speak to a College Coach

The expression “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is never more prevalent than when you introduce yourself to a college coach. From the second they see you, they are eyeballing you up and down to see what you are made of from the bottom of your feet to the top of head. You remember that scene in the movie Madagascar (come on, don’t act tough, you know you have watched it) when the lion sees the zebra as just a giant steak?

Welcome to your world of college recruiting. Side note: you aren’t the lion. 
Don’t blame the coaches, I would do the same thing. Their job/pay is based on how they recruit and how well those that they recruited do within their program. If you turn off a coach right off the bat, it is hard to get back into their graces. Here is how to start off on the right foot……
  1. Stand tall. In football, size matters. Plain and simple. When you are about to approach a coach, breathe in. It makes you look taller. Careful, there is a fine line between breathing in to look a tad taller and breathing in and looking like a complete idiot that is trying too hard. Example: look at 99% of the kids in a high school football program and their head shot. You know how they are leaning back and trying to make their neck look fat and thicker? Really, really lame since everyone at the upper levels knows that trick and mocks it.
  2. Look the coach DIRECTLY in their eyes. I mean directly. Almost piercing. Look right through him as though you are in no way intimidated by them. They will respect you for your confidence.
  3. Shake it to break it. A hand shake is one of the things that will immediately separate you from the pack. Coaches are former football players and football players are usually strong. They will not have a weak grip and will judge someone who does. Open your paw, reach out and engulf their hand. Hold it until he relinquishes and keep your eyes on his eyes the entire time. Don’t look down to where it looks like you are surprised you have such a great hand shake. Do the exact same thing to the women you meet on your trips, but just hold off on the pressure a tad. No need to crush their hand but you also don’t want to do the finger grab thing. You aren’t on the set of the Titanic so knock off the pomp and circumstance.
  4. Little on the thin side? Wear thermals on the top and bottom. You won’t look like you have toothpicks for legs and you will look thick throughout your whole frame.
  5. Wear appropriate clothing. A collared shirt is always acceptable. Don’t look sloppy. If you are going for the rahah angle, wear the appropriate school’s gear. For instance, and this may seem like a no-brainer, but, unfortunately it is not, if you are going to visit say Alabama, don’t wear a Auburn sweatshirt. That is just ignorant and shows no respect for the coach or the school.
  6. Don’t fidget. After you gave a good shake and you are standing tall, keep your paws to your side or on your hips. Do not put them in your pockets or pick at your hands. In pockets, conveys you are hiding something and picking is a distraction and will take the coach’s attention away from your whole body and only to your nervous habit. 
  7. Speak slowly. I know you are nervous. They know you are nervous. When someone is nervous, they tend to speak a lot quicker. Slow down and speak clearly. For instance, when you tell them your name and where you are from you need to realize that is something you have said a zillion times and almost have a pattern. They wont know the pattern or be familiar with your distinct name and hometown. To avoid a back and forth game of “huh” and “what” just slow down.

There you go. You are now prepared to speak to a college coach. Now, get focused on your grades, your body and your form to make your dream of getting to the next level a reality. 

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Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Rubio has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the USA Today, Deadspin and countless other publications.

Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world, Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 14 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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