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Building the Perfect Long Snapper

December 7, 2011 By

I have been asked countless times what makes up a great Long Snapper. I have taken to an earlier blog to actually spray about it in detail, but I figured I would break down just a tad more. This time I will go from the bottom to the top….literally.

Feet
A Long Snapper tends to have big hoofs and you can usually spot them from behind since they tend to absolutely crush the sides of their shoes from snapping in them. I have witnessed many a Long Snapper actually “blow out” a pair of shoes on the side. Immediate respect from me when I see that occur. Like Sasquatch, very rarely has this been seen live. Usually it is just noticed after that fact.

Ankles
I am happy when a Long Snapper actually has them. Many Long Snappers can break (pun intended) into the “Cankle” territory (calve just blends into ankle, one is never sure where one ends and the other begins). Cankles usually equate to being slow. No embrace.

Calves
They have to be glorious. If this makes no sense to you, you really need to get to one of my camps:)

Hamstrings 
Need to be nice and loose. If they aren’t, this will cause issues with speed and follow through. Being flexible is not mandatory but oh does it help. You should almost be able to use your legs like a bow with the ball being like an arrow. Like I say, anyone that breaks their legs backwards gets a high five from me! Seems like a fair trade off in my book.

Bow and Arrow
hammy option


Hips
Also need to be nice and loose. If you look like my 712 year old grandmother Macaw bending over for her cane to hit someone, you probably should start embracing yoga. Hips can be a deal breaker for a Long Snapper.

Butt
The bigger, the better. It keeps your weight back and gives you more power. Positive for balance as well. I cannot confirm, nor deny, but I am willing to put some cash on the fact that Sir Mix A Lot’s most famous song was about top quality Long Snappers. Some great Long Snappers have had huge cans. Of course, no names will be mentioned as to not embarrass them (wink, wink, wink)

Stomach
Free of butterflies (since we dominate under pressure), yet hairy and very itchy. Not sure why, but all Long Snappers continually scratch their bellies. Some really get their paw into it. Unfortunately, the belly button is not off limits.

Paws
A Long Snapper with freakishly long digits is always a positive. Chubby hands may have issues but usually can be worked around. If the palm of your hand looks like a Double Double and your fingers look like Snausages, you might want to embrace being a kicker.

Embrace long digits on a paw

Arms
Long. Duh

Chest
Possible hair. Very strong for blocking. Massive. Requiring constant attention. No matter where or when, a Long Snapper’s chest is fair game…to him. Hence, why Long Snappers are always pulling their shirts off their chest and readjusting. Might be something scientific. I embrace.

Face
Goatee, double duh. Possible beard of glory in November (if you can’t, please don’t, you are only embarrassing yourself…and no Abe Lincoln option). If you are man enough to pull off a ‘stache, you shall do it. Teeth have to be great since your smile helps out with the ladies. Once the smile reals them in, a simple “Oh you don’t know what a Long Snapper is, let me explain…for the next two hours” locks them down. You’re welcome Long Snappers.

Hair
Really?

(Click HERE to hear me read you this blog)

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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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Filed Under: Article Archives, Athlete, Athletics, Deep Snapper, Humor, Long Snapper, Motivation Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The ABC’s of Being Thankful

November 23, 2011 By
The ABC’s of what I am thankful for this year….
 
A is for Alec – My middle son. He is smart, can break the sound barrier with a whisper and holds the world record for asking the most questions per hour:)
 
B is for Big Queen – Nickname for my mother-in-law. Not just saying this ’cause she can beat me up, but any man would kill for her as his wife’s mom. She is hilarious and feisty. A great one.
 
C is for Cruz – My oldest son. Like I have mentioned, he is VERY similar to Manny on Modern Family. Somehow, someway, he already has girls making him signs and watching him play football. Like father, like….who am I kidding, he is way ahead of me…I was a late bloomer….we’re talking 30’s:)
 
D is for Damon – My youngest son. If you have been with me for over a year, you have grown with him. From the announcement of Jolie being pregnant, to his birth (he came out and stared at me – that was bizarre), to his eating (like a hyper-active pig in tar). Babies either love me or hate me…thank goodness he loves me:)
 
E is for Every Dad – That is a part of their son’s life and is able to walk the very fine line of being involved but not overbearing. You are soldiers and your sons appreciate you very much. If they don’t tell you, it is because they don’t know it…yet. They will and they will be thankful for every single thing you did for them along the way. 
 
F is for Family and Food – You are your family and they are you. No matter how you look at it, you are connected and you need to embrace. You might as well do it sooner, before you regret it later. As for food, if you don’t pass out, in a power sweat, from eating tomorrow, you have problems and you get no hug from me.
 
G is for Grace – Macaw’s real name (not sure if she even knows that) My grandmother who just turned 270 (that’s millimeters tall, lbs and age) and celebrated by walking her dinosaur. Bless her heart. Thank God she doesn’t have a computer or she would beat the hell out of me when she read this:)
 
H is for Harrison – Where the Onion and Big Queen live. It is one of my favorite places in the world. Only a pop of 250ish, no stop sign, beyond slow paced. Huge embrace from me. 
 
I is for Idaho – My home. Major change from where I grew up (Los Angeles) but I love it. I know it is not for everyone and that is great. Don’t come and make it crowded…seriously, you won’t like it:)
 
J is for Jolie – My wife who makes me a better man each and every day. I am working on a blog about her and our history. It is a long, long story. You will be amazed. Promise.
 
K is for Kickers – Yup. I am thankful for them. Why? Because they make Long Snappers look even more athletic and handsome than they already are!
 
L is for Long Snappers – They are the greatest position and have grown so much in ten years. Imagine what the position will be like in another ten!
 
M is for Moms – All of them in general. After watching Damon be born, I am like James Taylor cause “I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain“. You guys deserve whatever you want and then some. Especially want to call out my mom, The Debsters. She has her quirks (always wears black and still limps because she forgot she fixed her knee years ago) but I love her to death. One of the only people I know that can get winded from laughing too hard.
 
N is for Nike – For taking a chance on Sailer and I many years ago. Man, are they smart!
 
O is for Onion – My father-in-law. Many, many layers to this man. My only wish is that everyone gets to meet him. Unfortunately, he never leaves his 80 acres and doesn’t like anyone, so you all lose. (Quick Onion story: got pretty sick a couple weeks ago so Big Queen forced him to hospital, Dr asks him when was last time he had been to the hospital, Onion’s answer: Never. Dr. asked why. Onion’s answer: I never been sick!) God love ’em.
 
P is for Podcasts – I love to tell a story and this allows me to do so to a massive audience.  If you haven’t embraced them yet, you are missing out. 
 
Q is for Quiet – Not just any quiet, but the quiet when it is almost loud. I have it when I am sitting on my back porch, looking back at the fields thinking about how lucky I am. 
 
R is for Referees – For finally coming up with the rule that you can’t just drill the Long Snapper in high school and college (hold strong pros). Seriously, what took them so long? I blame kickers!
 
S is for Sailer – Couldn’t leave this cat off. He is the one that changed my life with one little call about being his partner in the business. The rest is history. 
 
T is for the Triplets – Debster, my Aunt Leslie and my Aunt Donna. You have read about them in a previous blog so you know about them. Word around town is two of three will be in Vegas for 10th Annual Event. God help us all!
 
U is for Uncle Jim and Uncle Joe – You read about them last week and I can assure you they are real people. I received so many inquiries about them, I might do another blog on those two. Yes, it involves death and food (they’ll be pumped)
 
V is for Vegas – For holding the biggest snapping and kicking event in the country….see how I put Long Snappers first there:)
 
W is for Winter – Because the cold weather allows my Long Snappers to not sweat so much at random times on random locations on their bodies. Bless their heart.
 
X is for X-Rays – Without one, I might not have know how badly I destroyed my back in college. Had it not been spotted as soon as it was, I might have some real issues now with the old spine.
 
Y is for You – You have no idea how thankful I am for you (yeah you) each and every day. The fact that you are still reading this all the way down to the letter Y means you are involved, curious and part of the Rubio Long Snapping family. Thank you.
 
Z is for Zzzzzz – The sound of you sleeping tonight AFTER you tell at least three people that you are thankful for them AND why. This “assignment” will only take a couple minutes and you will make three people’s days. If you are truly thankful for someone, don’t let another day go by without letting them know.
 
From my family to yours, Have a wonderful holiday!

(Click HERE to download and/or listen to this blog as a podcast)_________________________________________________________________

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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Who Makes Up Rubio – Part 2

November 16, 2011 By
Many, many posts ago, I told you about “Who Makes Up Rubio” to let you in on a bit  of my personal life. Within it, I covered just my immediate family. I have decided there are simply way too many characters I know to stop at just my nuclear family and will now present to you, my Uncle Joe and Uncle Jim. They are not only related to me, but, without a doubt, two of the best men in the world. Let the games begin….
 
Macaw and Uncle Joe…they just won the
lottery and are showing their emotions.
Uncle Joe – My grandmother, Macaw’s, younger brother. Please note: younger than Macaw means sub 95. He lives in a very blue collar suburb just outside of Pittsburgh, PA called McKee’s Rocks. He actually lives in the same house he was born and raised in and his father built. This home is also where his father passed away and he has no problem embracing and showing you exact spot. Since he is Italian, he absolutely loves death and treats every one (someone dying) like a party. I am pretty confident he and Macaw trade the little “death” cards you receive at funerals in lieu of money. Not kidding.

One time, Sailer and I went out there for a camp and we had dinner at my Uncle Joe’s house. Here is how the night went…
  • Upon arrival, we are given full tour of home. Tour includes, but is not limited to, showing exact room and location where my great grandfather tapped out. Key part was when he went into detail about final moments. 
  • As the tour continues, Uncle Joe points out a framed photo of the Pope signed “To Joe….You’re the best! Love, Pope John Paul II” I am not kidding. Seriously, I am not kidding. I even called him out on this one and said there is no way the Pope would sign a picture like that and it was fake. He told me to shut up. I embraced. (Side note: pretty sure the Sharpie was written on the glass instead of on the photo under the glass) 
  • In the basement of the home, I am pretty sure there was a body, but I cannot confirm nor deny.
  • Another guy was with Sailer and I during the tour (friend of ours) and he has ears that stick out a tad. My Uncle Joe proceeds to ask him, to his face, why he looks like a cab with the doors open. Amazing. He wasn’t joking or trying to be mean….he really wanted to know. Nothing better than an old Italian that just lets it rain.
  • After the tour (lasted over an an hour even though house is about 1,000 sq ft….not 10,000 sg ft, just 1,000) is when we began to eat. There was approximately five people in the house for dinner and I would bet there was easily enough food for thirty people. Not kidding. Two to three pizzas, pounds of pasta, gallons of sauce, cookies, cakes, pies, etc. It was amazing. They (all the Italians) FULLY embraced Sailer because every….single…time they asked him if he wanted  something, he would reply with Yes! No matter what they offered, he took it and ate it. It was amazing. Sailer ate like he was going to the electric chair and they loved him for it. It was a true mini United Nations since they are beyond Italian and Sailer is beyond German. I ate, watched, laughed, ate, watched, ate and laughed. It was an incredible spectacle.

Yours truly and Uncle Jim at his
barber shop. I was given a discount.
Uncle Jim – The youngest of Macaw’s siblings (16 total kids…yet again, not kidding) and looks almost identical to her but with just shorter hair and hasn’t spent time in prison for beating people with a cane:). He also lives in McKee’s Rocks, PA and is all about his family. Uncle Jim has owned his own barber shop for over 50 years and it hasn’t changed one bit since the day he moved in. It is like a time warp. Fantastic. Uncle Jim is easily one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and very affectionate. Side note: affection to an older Italian man equals violence. No matter the difference in our age and size, he would try to fight/wrestle with me. I think I have beat him once. Maybe.

The best story ever of Uncle Jim is when he came down to visit Macaw back in the late 90’s. I was in my final year of college and came down to witness the Uncle Jim show. First thing to know is Uncle Jim travels a certain way. He always has two massive suitcases. One for clothing and one for meats and cheeses. You can almost smell Uncle Jim’s luggage before you see him in the airport. I’m talking 50 pounds of salami, pepperoni, provolone, etc. I can’t even begin to tell you how much the suitcase ferments over a 6 hour flight. 
 
So, we finally get Uncle Jim from the airport to Macaw’s house and he asks me if I am hungry (side note: even if you are not, answer that you are or he will ask every two to three minutes until you say you are). Since this isn’t my first rodeo with Uncle Jim, I say I’m starving (he embraces) and pulls out suitcase o’ meats and cheeses. Olympians with a gold medal aren’t as proud as Uncle Jim is when he brings out said suitcase. He organizes all the food on the counter top in the kitchen and tells me to make a sandwich. I proceed to make a monster sandwich that is easily the size of Andre the Giant’s head in the movie The Princess Bride. Uncle Jim looks at me, my sandwich and shakes his head in disgust.  Here is our conversation and the epitome of Uncle Jim…
 
Me: What’s the matter Uncle Jim?
Uncle Jim (shaking his head and on the verge of a growl): I thought you were hungry. 
Me: I am Uncle Jim. Look at the size of my sandwich!
Uncle Jim: Aren’t you smart? Aren’t you a college guy? I thought you were really smart?
Me: Yeah. I am smart and I am in college. What’s the problem? I’m hungry and I made a massive sandwich. Seems like I will be solving my problem soon, Uncle Jim.
Uncle Jim proceeds to grunt, get a knife and cut my sandwich in two and says: Now you have more food.
Me: Um, Uncle Jim, it is the EXACT same amount of food. All you did was cut my sandwich in half. 
Uncle Jim (now completely disgusted with me): Good Lord Christopher. I thought you were smart and all college guy. If you are so smart, why don’t you tell me what number is bigger….one or two?
Me: Two.
Uncle Jim: Now, look at your sandwich. How many are there?
Me: Sandwiches? Still one.
Uncle Jim: Christopher!!! Look again. How many?
Me: One cut in half.
Uncle Jim: Which makes?
Me: Two?
Uncle Jim: See! Now you have two sandwiches and two is more than one, so you obviously have more food. Two is better than one Christopher…always remember that!
I stood there, dumbfounded, and tried, again and again, to explain how the food was actually the same. He wouldn’t listen to me and just kept saying “two is better than one, Christopher. Two is better than one.”
 
Now you have met my two more members of my family, Uncle Joe and Uncle Jim. Bless their hearts:)

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

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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Dealing with Pressure

October 19, 2011 By
As I have mentioned in one of my previous Long Snapping blogs that discussed my first snap, I am an over-thinker. And, in being so, I know that it can get you into a lot of trouble in Long Snapping, sports and life in general. When I was playing, I quickly realized that I needed to be able to calm my thinking and just focus (while not thinking) on the task at hand. This can be hard to do, especially when you start thinking about not thinking. Thankfully, I had a Meyers. 
What is a Meyers you ask? Meyers is a human (allegedly) that was an offensive guard when I played at UCLA (key word: offensive). He is, by far, the meanest man I have ever come across in my life. I could devote an entire year’s worth of blogs simply to him and I guarantee half of the stories you would swear are fake when they are all dead on true. He was approximately 6’6″, 350 lbs, with a gap in his teeth that could hold 35 cents (no dimes), skinny legs, a barrel chest (jacket size: 60), sweated so bad he would have to change his entire uniform at half and had a chip on his shoulder the size of Vermont. 

 

Meyers crushed this person…
then went after his family…
and then had ribs….
Anyway, Meyers and I were in cahoots (thank the Lord) and I requested he be right next to me on p.a.t.s. This was good and bad. It was bad for a couple reasons. First, Meyers would yell (imagine an angry trucker that was raised by wolves) at the defensive players which in turn made them upset and want to crush me (remember, I played when you could hit the Long Snapper). Never really understood why they would take out their frustration on me, but they did. Meyers was also famous for letting a defensive player get about half way past he and I, simply so he could try to really take out their knee and/or break their leg. Meyers didn’t seem to care that he would essentially slam the guy into my knee as well. I tried to explain this to Meyers and he just grunted and told me to shut up. I embraced and thanked God he was on my team. 

The good about Meyers was that it gave me someone to talk to and that is how I handled my nerves. From the time I got out to the huddle (we huddled on field which was great for TV time) to the time I snapped a perfect ball, I spoke to Meyers. I would ask about plans after the game, if he was hungry, what was his favorite movie and why he was so sweaty. He really hated the sweaty comment and would always proceed to tell me it was because he was an actually player and not a Long Snapper. Of course, I would ask why he was so sweaty the most:). The point is, by speaking to Meyers, it took my mind off the task at hand. I knew I worked right (not just hard) at practice and I knew was capable. The only thing that would stop me was, well, ME. I would be so enthralled with the conversation and what would come out of Meyer’s mouth, that the play would be over before I even had a chance to think about it. Did it work? Yup. I never had one bad snap in college.

Right about now you are thinking, “But I don’t have a Meyers, so what should I do?” Couple things have worked with my Long Snappers over the years. I advised one of my Long Snappers before each snap to look into the crowd, find the best looking girl and point directly at her. He was a major over-thinker and this helped him immensely. He would break the huddle, walk slowly to the ball while looking to the crowd. Given, in being a Long Snapper, he was built like a god and looked like Brad Pitt’s better looking brother, so the ladies already loved him. Once they figured out what he was doing, they would clamor to be the “one.” This method worked perfectly for him in Long Snapping and with the ladies.

Another thing that has worked for my Long Snappers is to simply get down with your perfect form, get your hands on the ball and say something absurd. From “sexy avocado” to “flapjack wilson” to “Rubio is sexy.” A Long Snapper will be so intrigued with the off the wall statement, they will forget about thinking…which is always a good thing.

If you are prepared correctly and have worked right, there is no reason to think during the game. Couple great examples of this are John Wooden and Phil Jackson. Both coaches are legends and were the best ever in college and the pro’s that basically did NOTHING during a game. Seriously, if you ever watched an older UCLA game or a modern day Lakers game, those two didn’t even look like they were paying attention or could care less. Why? Because they prepared their team correctly before the game. The bottom line is you want to make sure you are prepared enough before the game that there is no need to think during the game.

Got you thinking now, don’t I?

_________________________________________________________________

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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Tips for Long Snappers

September 21, 2011 By

Being a former Long Snapper that has been told he “worked the system better than any other human being in the history of the world” and by dealing with hundreds of them per year, I tend to know a bit about the subject. Therefore, I have created a list of pointers for all of the Long Snappers out there. Here you go:

No TV Time
Long Snappers only play about 10-15 plays per game. Hence, not a lot of TV time…..until you read this blog! Couple ways to work around this one…..

First, when you are not in the game (about 99% of the time), stand next to the head coach. That cat is always on the tube. Make sure your helmet is off and you are looking sharp. That will get you a ton of tv time during the game. Be careful though, if the coach or that manager who holds the cords next to the coach spots your antics….you are finished.

Second, Long Snappers are smart. And, in being so intelligent, you know you want the big time spots….highlight footage that will air countless times over the next couple of days! This one takes some work and hustle (shoosh, it will be worth it). You really have to watch the game and not the stands (stadiums are like a fish bowl of lovely ladies come game time). In watching the game, eventually you will see a big hit or catch come towards your sidelines. Immediately jog, no running unless chased is my rule, to the commotion and help the teammate up. This serves two purposes….1) you will get on the tube for highlights and possibly even plays of the week. 2) When picking your teammate up, you arm will be flexed for the crowd. Bam! You’re welcome. 
Third, walk (this is key to max jumbotron footage) off the field with your kicker. Given, you will have just snapped a great ball and your kicker will want to thank you for making his “job” so embarrassingly elementary. When he comes to you, embrace him and proceed to walk off the field, slowly, with him. Cameras are always on the kicker after the kick, so if you hang out with him, they will also be on you. Sailer and I were legendary for a very slow stroll, possible slight back massage, wave to the camera or a tap on the bum as we left the field. It got so bad my senior year, that the coach actually tried to reprimand me for taking up too much screen time. Key word: tried. 


No Gear
A Long Snapper is basically like the Rodney Dangerfield of the football team. They get no respect. Therefore, you tend to not get a lot of the top gear: abundance of cleats, wristbands, extra socks (trust me, you’ll need them), better off-season shoes, etc. This can be changed…..There is one man that controls this booty (pirate terms, not physical) and that is the equipment manager. First thing to know about the equipment is that it is usually free to the school per the sponsors. For instance, if your team is sponsored by Nike, then Nike will give the school eleventy billion pairs of shoes. Second thing you need to know, ALL equipment guys believe they have paid for all of the equipment out of their own paycheck and are beyond stingy with it. I mean to the point of shocking. You are nodding right now if you are a college Long Snapper and will be if you are a Long Snapper in high school.Since you have an abundance of free time (not a lot of meetings or practice), you need to befriend equipment guy. He just wants to be loved and not be taken advantage of. You need to realize that every single person wants something from him. By being the one guy that doesn’t want something from him, you will make yourself unique.

Offer to help him with some of his jobs (most can be done sitting, so you can embrace). You would be amazed at how much they expect him to do in a short amount of time. He will love the fact that you helped him and guess what… he will make sure you get the best of all the equipment and maybe even a little extra for your buddies and ladies back home:)

No Press
A Long Snapper rarely gets any press (unless you are a Rubio Long Snapper, then you are embraced) and that is simply unfair and wrong. Of course, there are ways around this and here they are……

After you have stretched, done your drills and snapped perfect balls during the live time of practice, there tends to be a good deal of downtime. One way to rectify this is cruise around and check out the other positions. Bad move. First off, very boring and it pisses the other guys off. See, they are all very salty it takes them so long to master their craft that it bothers them to see you breeze through yours. Also, the coaches see you watching and they will immediately put you to work. The last thing you want to do during practice is hold a bag or be the fake center to the qb drills. What you need to do is hang out with the press. The press is always at practice and usually the same group of people. You see, they have assignments and usually the same person will have the same assignment all year. A little friendly banter with these chaps will go a long way. 

Do not ask them to write a story. It will come to you. Eventually, they will be tired of writing the same old, same old stuff about how some fast guy ran somewhere or some big guy tackled someone. Just gets old and stale. They will eventually need a fluff piece to win back the hearts of their readers. Who should they choose to write about? Yup, that friendly stallion o’ the gridiron that is always hanging around with the great personality:) Trust me, it happens to Long Snappers.

That’s all the info I am giving out right now. I am fully expecting to see my Long Snappers dressed in the finest gear, while holding a newspaper with their story on the front cover all while getting some massive coverage on the TV:)


Chris-Rubio-2

Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Rubio has been featured in the Washington Post, 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 18 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 1,700 Long Snappers earning full scholarships and preferred walk-on opportunities to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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You are a Long Snapper if…..

August 3, 2011 By
I deal with Long Snappers. Lots and lots of Long Snappers. To say I know them well is the understatement of the year. In the past couple of weeks on Twitter, I have been spraying about certain “personality traits” I have noticed amongst my Long Snappers. One particular comment set the Long Snapping world into a tizzy. This wonderful, and true statement, was:
 
 “A true Long Snapper can’t do a head first slide, climb a fence and/or do a proper somersault.”
 
Given, many o’Long Snapper has disagreed with me and said they, in fact, could do all three (please note: I have not seen one do all three AND have actually witnessed a top tier Long Snapper cut himself, on his belly, attempting to climb a fence).
 
Needless to say, I have been creating a list (couple have been put on Twitter) that I am certain will be continuously updated (feel free to add your own on this blog’s comment section). Here you go. Enjoy:
 
You are a Long Snapper if…
·     you can’t grab a football without immediately placing your hands on it the way you snap
·     you have waited for a significant amount of time for an elevator instead of just taking the stairs
·     you have burned your mouth on pizza, yet continued to eat the pizza
·     you tend to over-think things
·     you have thrown up from eating too much.
·     you have ever searched and searched for a chair simply so you can sit down instead of standing while working
·     you have a ton of female friends (and usually end up with the hottest one as your lady friend)
·     you have blacked out from eating too much
·     you have spilled on your shirt and proceeded to lick it up rather than use a napkin
·     you are a phenomenal dancer
·     you are always tugging at your shirt to pull it away from your belly/chest (this one is a flat out epidemic amongst Long Snappers)
·     you are smart – if you weren’t, you’d be a kicker:)
·     you have tried to hide a “good ball” at a camp so no one else would use it.
·     you like ranch dressing….on everything.
·     you have tried to snap other objects besides a football (rocks, pine cones, children, etc)
·     you have the ability to power through a brain freeze to not waste a good Slurpee
·     you have entered a belly flop contest.
·     you can throw as good, if not better, spiral than your starting quarterback
·     you think you can punt
·     you tend to walk very slow
·     you have more knowledge about Long Snapping than your head coach and, odds are, so do your parents
·     you are superstitious
·     you have responded to a waitress with the word “Yes” when she asks what type of cheese you would like on your burger.
·     you have the air conditioning in your car always turned on
·     you immediately sit in a car and point the vents directly at you showing complete disregard for all other occupants.
·     you have never ordered anything less than a large…in anything.
·     you tend to scratch your stomach a lot (side note: a true, true Long Snapper has been know to let his scratching get carried away and has been seen with a finger in his belly button at times and, yes, they will always smell it)
·     you don’t realize how heavy you actually breathe and often tend to grunt
·     you have raged while watching a football game on TV because they didn’t show the snap.
·     you have snapped a ball at a party
·     and last, but certainly not least, you have used being a Long Snapper as a pick up line with the ladies_________________________________________________________________

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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Filed Under: Article Archives, Athlete, Deep Snapper, Humor, Long Snapper Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

A Long Snapping Fairy Tale

July 20, 2011 By

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away there was a man named Rubio. One Saturday, many moons ago, he was doing his usual which, of course, meant molding a youth or two into modern-day heroes, otherwise known as Long Snappers. As he concluded his session of enlightenment, he meandered off the field and noticed a confused, but eager child. This child, appeared to be around ten years old, was doing something that immediately caught Rubio’s eye. He was playing a good ol’ game of catch with his dad. No big deal? What was odd is that he was playing catch upside down and backward.

Rubio took a double take and couldn’t help but stare. Could there really be a random youth performing the glorious art of Long Snapping on his own just a mere hundred feet or so from the older gladiators o’snapping? Rubio stood and watched and watched and watched (side note: little creepy now that I think about it). The child was doing his best but was definitely beginning to get frustrated. He would drag the ball, launch a ball, wobble a ball. All  the while, his father smiling and encouraging. Suddenly, Rubio found himself perusing towards the child. The youngin’ had just launched one over his father’s head and was becoming overwhelmed.

Rubio simply could not take any more of it. If this little rascal was willing and able, then gosh darn it, Rubio would have to make sure he knew what he was doing! There is no need for bad Long Snappers in the world you know.

Rubio got to the child while his father was about 15 yards back, turned around, picking up yet another wayward snap. The kid was flabbergasted with his snapping and a little shy to Rubio (double side note: I am pretty sure I would be too if I rolled up to me out of the blue when I was ten). Rubio explained to him who he was and what his job entailed. Right around this time, the father came back to see what was happening with his child and this random male. The father was a little taken back about the big, bald, man speaking to his son but quickly relaxed once Rubio explained the situation.

Conversation continued for a couple minutes and information was exchanged. Days went by and the father called Rubio to set up a lesson. The first sessions were interesting. The kid was very small, but willing to listen and had a very spunky attitude. Rubio loved his fire. The young Long Snapper was quiet but when he spoke, he sprayed venom. Rubio was enamored with his attitude.

Months passed. Years passed. The young Long Snapper’s form became impeccable. He went from the worst at a lesson, to someone Rubio could use as an example of what to look like to be perfect. He went from the young one, to the old one. He went from quiet and a follower, to vocal and a leader.

He grew. Maturity grabbed his body and threw him into manhood. His Long Snapping became dominant. He worked even harder and harder. He became more and more focused. He never backed down from a challenge and had no problem initiating one to prove his dominance. He was “there” with his Long Snapping.

This frustrated, small, reserved, quiet Long Snapper became one of the most dominant in Rubio Long Snapping history. Who is he?

 

Click HERE to see who this true story is about…….Will the next fairy tale be about 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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Filed Under: Deep Snapper, High School, Humor, Long Snapper, Maturity, Motivation Tagged With: , , , , , ,

In or Out?

July 13, 2011 By
When I was just a youngin’, I used to spend a good deal of time at my grandfather’s  home during the summer (his antics have been mentioned at the end of this blog). While being “watched” by my grandfather and Macaw (mentioned in this blog), I used to spend a lot of time outside (they have a huge yard). After a bit of time, I would get hungry and thirsty (five mins after I started playing…remember I was large and embraced elastic) and want to roll back in. My grandpa, who was as deaf as you could be, would rage anytime he heard the door re-open. 
Grandpa / Big Al


So, after one or two times, he would storm down from his upper living room and meander to the front door. He would stand at the door, looking like Big Al from the Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland, stare down at me, and say “What the hell, Christopher!!! Either you are in or are you are out!!!” I would mumble a bit and say “Huh, what do you mean Grandpa?” His response was “Enough of all the noise (please remember, a bike could hear better than him). EITHER YOU ARE IN OR OUT!!!” And, right at that moment, I would have to make a decision that would last the rest of my life – or until lunch….Macaw was a softy:) Well, being a young boy and wanting to check out his massive yard (even had a creek!), I would say out. He would not bat an eye, shut the door, turn the knob and click….door was locked. Done. I was out and that was that.

Great story Rubio, but what’s the point? Like my Grandpa said to me at the door, I need to say to you right now. Are you in or are you out? Not necessarily being in regards to a house, but to your Long Snapping. Sit back and really think about yourself and your glorious craft. Are you in or or out with your snapping?

Are you just going through the motions and out?  Does this sound familiar: showing up at a camp or two, snapping some average balls, acting like you don’t care if someone beats you in a competition, never doing any drills on your own, waiting for someone to ask you to snap?

Or….are you in? Coming prepared to each camp, snapping some great balls, always doing your drills (come on man, how hard is it…I have given you tons that you can do in an air-conditioned room!), begging people to catch your snaps and really, truly wanting to be the best Long Snapper in the country?

If you fit more into the first category, you might as well stop wasting my time, your time and your parent’s money. Like I always say, if you are going to do something, you might as well go full speed and do it right!

So, what is it? Are you in or out?

_________________________________________________________________

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.

Rubio_Card_frontMAGNET

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Humor, Long Snapper, Maturity, Motivation Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

You’re a Long Snapper? That’s Not Even a Position!!!

June 22, 2011 By

If you are a Long Snapper or connected to one somehow (side note: if you aren’t, I double embrace you for reading this blog) you have undoubtedly heard a statement like the title or even worse before in your glorious upside down and backwards life. Imagine my world when I try to explain my job to someone….you know how many times I have heard, “Oh, I thought the center just did that”

The issue arises in how to deal with these people. The above person is just ignorant and just doesn’t grab the whole football concept. They should be simply dealt with by providing a quick explanation so they are enlightened and can now live a full life.

Those that are just plain mean and degrading should be dealt with differently. I like to handle them in two ways that I have found work well for me.

  1. IGNORE THEM. Give a slight little you-are-a-moron-and-you-know-it smirk and a possible nod so they realize how lame they really are at this point in their life.  This usually upsets them since they are not getting a rise out of you.  If they continue and aren’t grasping the fact that they need help, I will let out a big, fake, over the top chuckle. Sometimes, I even throw in a good “woooo” while losing my breath and a knee slap to really lay it on thick.This person is very similar to the old elementary school scenario where the little boy likes the little girl so he hits her. He doesn’t know better and is simply looking for a response. No response equals him spreading out and moving onto the next person he likes/wants to harass. If the person continues to bother you, it is time to move onto the second option.
  2. PLAY CATCH. I used to do this a good amount in college when the guys would give me a rough time (for some reason they were a little salty that my practice was only five minutes. Hey, not my fault Sailer and I could master our skill so darn quickly). Tell the joker to catch a snap if it is such a lame position. Play it up a bit, “Come on, if anyone can snap, than surely anyone should be able to catch a snap.” Now, put them at 8-10 yards. They will say it is too close. You say you aren’t warm. Focus on every single thing I have ever taught you and LET IT RAIN! If done properly, you should knock the wind out of them:) This is where they will try to do it and look like a idiot. Game over.

My grandpa (the stories I could tell you about this man would be amazing and have to be on cable) gave me some good advice for situations like this. Little background on him for reference:

  • Passed away almost 20 years ago.
  • Lived across the street from a golf course. Still drove there so people could see his monstrous Cadillac.
  • Cadillac, sans seat-belts in back, would have so much Armor All on seats that sitting in the back would be like being in a pinball machine since you would slide back and forth to crash into sides. Don’t worry, at least he would yell at you to stay still while you careened back and forth.
  • His method of parking was idling until he hit whatever was in front of him “That’s what bumpers are for you _______”
  • He taught me how to twirl spaghetti only three times on my fork….Me, “Why only three times grandpa?” Grandpa, “any more than that and you are an _______.” Appreciate the detailed explanation.

He said, “Christopher, when you find out that someone doesn’t like you it is one of the greatest days of your life.” Given, I asked why and he responded with “because as soon as you know someone doesn’t like you, you no longer have to be nice to that ________ and can move onto better people that are worth your time.” What great spray and advice that I have used countless times in my life.

Be proud of being a Long Snapper. Very few people in the world can actually do it and do it right. If anyone attempts to mock you with a comment such as…You are not athletic, It is not a real position, It doesn’t take talent, Anyone can do it, You’re technically not on the team, You are not a real football player, You don’t even matter…. realize they are just jealous and ignore them. Of course, if that doesn’t work, grab a ball and simply play a nice, little game of catch:)

Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Rubio has been featured in the Washington Post, 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 1,000 Long Snappers earning full scholarships and preferred walk-on opportunities to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Humor, Long Snapper, Motivation Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The People I See on My Travels – 5

May 6, 2011 By
If you are a regular reader of my blog (well done by the way), you have to be a little bit excited by this post simply by the title. You know that I am about to report on one of the “humans” that I encounter on my travels. This post will be different. I will not be mocking someone that clearly deserves it. Side note: don’t judge me for judging…you know darn well all those people deserved what they got. I will actually be completely embracing someone. Seriously, I will. And, after this post, I bet you do too.
 
Let me introduce you to Mr-I-Am-The-Coolest-Cat-This-Year-And-The-Past-Eighty…(face not blurred because I am hoping someone knows this guy to high five him)

 

Please let the R on the bag mean he is a long lost Rubio
I saw this gentleman (given, he gets that title right off the bat from me) on a flight from Salt Lake to Dallas. We were both in first class. I was upgraded due to the ridiculous amount of flights I embark on and he was undoubtedly begged by the airlines to fly with them due to his coolness. He sits down a row in front and to my left. I stared. I stared some more. Here is what I saw:
  1. A pink/salmon/peach blazer (with matching tie) that was pressed to the highest extent possible. A naval Sargent would have been happy with the smoothness on this thing.
  2. Enough jewelry to make Liberace and Mr. T drool. Somehow, he made it look classy and not gaudy. Fantastic.
  3. Some sort of shiny alligator type shoe that was so polished you could easily see your reflection.
  4. Matching his shoes, of course, an alligator type briefcase that was equally as shiny. My assumption is four bottles of Armor All were used daily on that baby.
  5. A monogram on his sleeve that read “God’s Gift.” I am not even kidding. What a soldier. One has to believe that is a label many a lady has bestowed upon him and that it’s simply his title now.
  6. A fedora. Do I really even need to talk about how cool you are if you are sporting a fedora? Indiana Jones and this guy. Done.

He never made eye contact with me on the three hour flight or I would have made conversation. I would’ve had to spray him to simply tell him just how cool he was.

He strolled off the plane, given he didn’t walk like an average person, and stayed just long enough for me to catch him in action. As you can tell, he is looking right me and probably not even shocked that someone was taking his photo. God knows it is probably a daily occurrence for this cat.

RUBIO

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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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Filed Under: Article Archives, Humor Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The People I See on My Travels – 4

April 25, 2011 By

Another airport, another person to marvel at.

The setting is DFW (Dallas Fort Worth Airport for you non-travelers). I’m scrambling through the airport searching for my flight. I get to my gate and I see the check-in desk, the ticket-taker person, chairs that people are sitting in, a big open area that people walk through in order to get to check-in desk and/or ticket-taker AND Mr. I-Really-Really-Want-People-To-Notice-Me (face has been blurred)

Please take a gander at this genius:

Where do I even begin?

Let’s look at the facts with this guy. He was….

  1. Completely sprawled out so everyone HAS to see him. Come on man! Yet again, do people not know the difference between public and private?
  2. Wearing the shoes that make people have to stop and stare. Given, I have already sprayed about my hatred for said shoes. The more prevalent they become, the higher up the list they are getting towards Crocs and Uggs.
  3. Talking ridiculously loud on cell phone. If you weren’t staring at his shoes, his manner of sprawled-outness or his positioning on floor for sprawled-outness, his cackling on the horn was sure to get your attention.

Best part, he was not even on my flight. He was just parked in a random spot. His gate was elsewhere. Amazing. Rethinking this one, I should have “accidentally” tripped and landed on him and just said “oh sorry man, I never thought someone would be sprawled out RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WALKWAY.” Well, I guess I can live and learn:)

_________________________________________________________________

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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Filed Under: Article Archives, Humor Tagged With: , , ,

Baby D______ Contest!

April 18, 2011 By

Unless you have been in a cave (ie. not following me on Twitter – side note: boo to you) for the past eight months you should know that my wife, Jolie, is pregnant and due May 23. Also, if you know me, you figured there was no way I would let this get away without having some sort of contest. Well, let the games begin my friends.

Here is how this will work. I am looking to see who can guess the weight of the baby and, as a tie-breaker, the time of arrival of Baby D_______ (name is not being revealed since all names we were throwing around people were telling us they were dumb – thanks a lot family members). I will do Price is Right style with the numbers…meaning, you go over and you lose…I don’t care how close you get, don’t overbid.

Embrace him already opening paw to guide ball


This contest will be open to anyone but you can only enter once. So, for instance, if Cory Cheadle enters, so can his mother Michelle, his father Frank and even brother (I don’t know his name, but I assume he also embraces camouflage slippers so I’m in).

To enter, simply email me (one entry PER person PER email address – so, in the above scenario with the Cheadles, they would need to have sent me four different emails from four different email addresses) your entry. As an example, stellar Rubio Long Snapper Reid Ferguson would email me an exact weight and time in email like this: Hey Rubio, my entry for the contest is that the baby will weigh 7 lbs and 7 oz and will be born at 12:57 pm. PS. I love your camps & I can’t believe how much they have benefited me. Yours truly, Reid.

The winner of the contest will receive $100 off a Rubio Long Snapping camp of their choice (TOP 12, Small Group Session & Private Lessons excluded). Obviously, you can pass the win to a Rubio Long Snapper if you are not a Long Snapper (parent, grandparent, brother, etc.).


I will post all weight guesses as comments on this blog. Therefore, it will be continuously updated so keep checking. I will not post the times that people submit as I don’t want any one to trump another person’s guess by cutting off their time frame (I see that John Smith put 11:57 so I will just put 11:56 to block him).

The contest will run until the baby gets here. Game on!

Well, as you know if you follow me on Twitter, the baby has arrived! Damon Dale Rubio rolled in last night a perfectly healthy, wide eyed boy. He literally came out with his eyes wide open. Gotta tell you, kind of disturbing seeing your kid come out and immediately mad-dogging you:)

So, back to the contest. Damon was 8 lbs on the dot when he was born and entered the world at 9:32 pm. Now, if you look at the comments on this blog you will see the person that actually pegged the exact weight was my mother, the Debster! (Side note: she guessed that weight as that is how much yours truly weighed). Since I am a fair man, and my mother actually doesn’t know any Long Snappers personally to give the win away, I am giving it to the next closest guess (without going over, in true Price is Right fashion) and that person is………..Melissa Etheridge with a guess of 7 lbs 15 oz – double side note: Melissa is Tucker Etheridge‘s mom and pretty sure not the singer:) Congratulations to her and her family!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________________

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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Filed Under: Article Archives, Contest, Humor Tagged With: , , ,

The People I See on My Travels – 3

March 19, 2011 By
Another flight, another person for you. As you know, I travel all over and see a ton of people. This one even baffled me. Let me introduce you to Mr-I-REALLY-Think-I-At-Home guy:
Please note: this is not an actor. He really rolls like this in public!

Can’t tell what this guy is doing you say? Let me clear it up for you…..he is cutting his nails while everyone is waiting to get on their flights! I really wish I was kidding, but, unfortunately, I am not.

Once again, as was with this guy, I simply couldn’t divert my eyes. I was staring into an eclipse with binoculars on but I didn’t care. This was something that needed to be viewed and analyzed. I was starting to get a little nervous that he would catch me, but then I realized, am I really the one that should be embarrassed? Absolutely not. Therefore, I embraced.  This guy is so off with his social norms that he needs to realize how clueless he is. I was hoping he would see me. He did not.

He was so blatant with his clipping (I was approximately seven feet from him acting like a paparazzi and he didn’t bat an eye), it made me really hope it was in the summer. That would have opened up so many opportunities with the obvious sandal option. This cat was at an airport I frequently hit, so I am really pulling to see him in a couple months. Keep your well manicured fingers crossed.

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Chris-Rubio-2

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 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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Filed Under: Article Archives, Humor Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Why Not Coach, Rubio?

March 17, 2011 By

One of the hardest habits I have to break on my Long Snappers has absolutely nothing to do with snapping. It has to do with that they/you call me. Like I have said, I am a private football coach that teaches Long Snapping. So, therefore, one would want to call me coach.

Please don’t.

“But Rubio (see how I am already training you here), you are a coach so we should call you coach.” True, but I am out with it.

Here are my reasons…..I won’t just coach you about Long Snapping. Anyone that has spent any time with me knows this for a fact. I make it a point to get to know each and every Long Snapper (and quite often their parents if they embrace) I encounter and my spray of Long Snapping is just a tiny aspect of what I actually do and teach. If you have been with me at a camp, lesson, event, on the phone, through Twitter, whatever and think all I do is coach Long Snapping, you seriously need to have your head examined.

Here are a couple images to show different things that I have taught my Long Snappers:)

Modeling poses with Drew Ferris (FL)
How to be a Harlem Globetrotter
How to send out a quality Twitter message with Harrison Elliott (Air Force)
How to be a table
And who can forget, getting ready for prom with Corey Gibas (Texas A&M)

Being an athlete (former, unless you count the domination of random Long Snapping contests, ping pong, wiffle ball and arcade basketball as maintaining my athlete title). I have had MANY experiences with coaches as I am sure you have as well. Now, I want you to think back to all the coaches you have had. Go ahead and think. Now, out of all of them, how many bring a massive smile to your face? Maybe ten percent….if you are lucky? I’m not talking about a smile because you “remember just how crazy Coach _____ was” but a legit, “man, Coach ______ was just a flat out great guy” type smile. Getting my point?

Most (not all, but most and this is my point….the bad ones leave a terrible taste in your mouth and I don’t want that stigma associated with me) coaches can coach but they can’t speak. What that means is that many/most coaches know the games in which they are leading but have lost, and choose not to gain, the ability to speak to another person/their player as a human being. Side note: pathetic and sad. 

What I like to do, and would have appreciated being done to me, is to treat each and every one of my Long Snappers like they are my own child. That is what I do….always. Is that what a coach will do….not always. 

Will I say some outlandish things every once in awhile? Yup. Do I speak like that to Alec, Cruz and Damon? Yup. Will I get in a Long Snapper’s face every once in awhile? When needed, yup. Am I mean or rude about it? Nope. No need to be. I can convey my point with words and not berating or yelling. In my opinion, those that yell and intimidate those that are younger (players on their team) are insecure and essentially really don’t know what they are doing. They need to yell to show their “power” and “dominance” because they can’t do it any other way. I am beyond out with that. (note: not all coaches are like this and if you are solid coach, I respect you and will give you a big hug the next time I see you)

You know that coach you had that did tackling drills all practice long? Guess what, he had no idea what he was doing. When you advance and have good, solid coaches (yes, they do exist and I have had several) you will rarely do tackling drills. Not because you don’t need to know how to tackle, but because you can learn without abusing your body, and often your demeanor and/or mentality, over and over and over again. I am beyond out with that. There is no need for it. How about speaking to the player and simply explaining what you would like them to do? If a coach can’t explain what they want a player to do in great detail and in a way that they (the player) can comprehend, maybe they shouldn’t be coaching.

Getting my point? I’m not saying that all coaches are evil demons that remind you of the Sergeant on Full Metal Jacket, but many are. It is not always their fault. Many have been raised that way in their sporting life, but one would think they would want to break that cycle. God knows I did.

Bottom line: You will have hundreds of coaches in your life, some will be great and some will be bad, but, I promise you this….you will only have one Rubio!

 

___________________________________________________________________

Chris-Rubio-2

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 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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Filed Under: Coaches, Humor, Long Snapper, Maturity, Relationships Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The People I See On My Travels – 2

March 15, 2011 By
Well, I have been to a couple of airports since my last entry and oh do I have some winners for you (I’m only going to tell you about one right now). Let me introduce you to Mr-I-Have-No-Idea-That-I-Am-Wearing-A-Backpack guy. Please take a second and look at the following picture I have added for all the visual learners out there:

The Enemy
This guy is the person you see in the airport wearing a monster backpack. Seems innocent enough and you almost feel bad for him. Don’t ever feel sorry for this person. They are the enemy. They can take a person and/or magazine rack out with one turn of their body. Their backpack is usually filled with at least one laptop, and from the damage they create, one would assume at least a cinderblock or two.
This particular man was on a flight with me and sitting across the aisle. I noticed him right off the bat as he is a rare “double bagger.” Basically, he carries a monster backpack the normal way and then carries another bag with his paws. The extra bag just adds to his dangerousness because he will pay more attention to the bag in hand instead of the weapon he carries on his back (which does enough damage on it’s own, let alone when he is double unfocused).
He took out at least two small children simply walking down aisle of the plane. I was smart enough to see him coming and fully embraced the person next to me to avoid his wake. He sat down and tried to stuff his backpack/weapon under the chair in front of him. Given, it didn’t fit so he had a personal ottoman all flight. He almost cramped up he was in such a fetal position for so long. I was really hoping the cramps set it in so he would wait to get off the flight. They didn’t.

When we landed, I tried again to snuggle with the person next to me to make some room for Godzilla’s tail but I couldn’t get out of the way quick enough and was nailed several times. I am not sure if the guy was warming up for a hula-hoop contest or what, but he was spinning like a wild man and connecting with me on each turn. After four of five blows to my grill, I decided to just embrace hoping he would knock me out cold to end the misery. I was literally ducking and diving like a boxer.

Bottom line: you see a person on your travels with monster backpack, get away. You see a person with monster backpack and bag in hand, run for the hills.

_________________________________________________________________

Chris-Rubio-2

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 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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Who Makes Up Rubio?

March 9, 2011 By

How did I get to be me? Who influences me? Who is a part of my everyday life? Kind of odd questions but ones that I think would make me seem a little bit more open to many of you. I am going to open up to you and give you bit of insight on my family. This blog is going to introduce just a couple of these characters to you. I choose to use the word characters instead of people because that is what these people are….characters.

Jolie – My wife. She deserves an entire blog (or better yet, a book), but all I am going to do is show you a picture of the two of us and let your minds go crazy. I may, or may not, come back to her and this story (easily one of the best you will ever hear) later. Trust me, it is amazing.  Here is your picture:

Jolie and Yours Truly

Cruz – My oldest son. Full of personality. Excellent athlete. Easiest way to explain him is if you watch the show Modern Family, Cruz is Manny. No doubt. Cruz has the personality of a 25 year old gigolo. I keep telling him he is nine.

Cruz

Alec – Eight year old son who is an artistic genius, extremely bright, kind and talks louder than anyone I have ever heard. It is almost shocking. He might be an off-spring of Will Ferrell’s character Jacob Silj from Saturday Night Live. I can’t wait until he can work Vegas for me simply to call out names.

Alec

The Triplets – Mother (Deb), Aunt Donna and Aunt Leslie

They actually aren’t triplets, or so they say. They are sisters that act and look identical. They wear black EVERY SINGLE DAY of the year. Christmas…check. Weddings…check. Baptisms…check. Funerals…..kidding? They love them. It is like the SuperBowl since they are finally in style. Quick run down:

My mother (Deb), Aunt Leslie and Aunt Donna on Easter Sunday.


Mother (Deb) – Often called Deb because, for some reason, she does not respond to mom. I could say mom all day and she wouldn’t hear it one time. I say Deb and she is all of a sudden like the dog from the movie Up when he smells a squirrel. She is the leader of the triplets. She just had one of her knees replaced. Still limps on it. Think she forgot she replaced it. She wears black.

The Debster

Aunt Donna – Easily the nicest person you will ever meet. She won’t say a bad thing about anyone. Literally, someone could be talking about the devil and Aunt Donna would say, “Um, well, he um, at least he looks good in red.” A little absent minded at times (at times = 23 hours and 59 seconds of the day)….adds to her charm, but I guarantee you will never, ever find a nicer person. She wears black.

Aunt Donna

Aunt Leslie – The funniest of the three. If you ever get a chance to hear her tell a story, usually making fun of the other triplets, you will die laughing. Always loyal. Hilarious. According to her, she has never had a good day….in her entire life. She wears black.

Aunt Leslie

Barb (The Big Queen) – Mother-in-Law. Great listener. Amazing person. Loves to hear a good story and is all about the pulse of the people. Not sure how, but she can watch 15 TV shows per day, TiVo another 20 and watch those too. She pretty much defies science and can bend time.

 

Big Queen and yours truly

Dale (The Onion) – Father-in-Law. Nickname is because he has so many layers (well done Marcus J). Doesn’t speak to anyone he doesn’t like….please note: doesn’t talk much:) Absolutely hilarious when he does speak. Shockingly poignant. Doesn’t use real names. Only nicknames. I can’t tell you mine unless you are over 17. I embrace.

The Onion. Given no face option.

Ruth (The Gypsy) – Grandmother-in-law. Nice as can be. Barb’s mother so she can also defy science. Therefore, she is in her mid 80’s but is able to act and looks like she is mid 50’s. Changes outfits on the hour for some reason (jacket you see in photo on the below was immediately taken off and replaced with blue top for a group shot). Has a knack for predicting the predictable. For instance, when we told her Jolie was pregnant, she had no doubt, through her powers, that it would be a boy….or a girl. True story.

Ruth

Macaw – My grandmother. She is 94. I think. She thinks. Anytime you ask her she bumps it up simply to be the oldest person around. She hates when she is not the oldest. I always try to point out someone that looks older and tell her they are older (I don’t even know the person, just do it to keep her fired up). She then proceeds to hit me with her cane….which she really doesn’t need and only uses it for abusing her grandson…me:) Yet again, I embrace since hitting me with it keeps her spry.

Macaw, her cane & Cruz

 

 

That is all I will do right now. I can do friends next time. The characters go on and on and on…..  Hope you have a little better feel of who I am.

 

_________________________________________________________________

Chris-Rubio-2

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 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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The People I See on My Travels

March 1, 2011 By

Anyone that knows anything about me knows that I travel….A LOT. I average roughly over 100 segments of flights per year. Delta Airlines loves me. For those non-frequent fliers, a segment is a section of flight between layovers. For instance, if I travel from my home in Lewiston, ID to LSU it will be four segments as I will venture from Lewiston, ID to Salt Lake City, UT to Dallas, TX to Baton Rouge, LA. Bottom line, I get around and, in meandering around the country, I see some interesting characters along the way. This blog is going to be short and talk about one person, unnamed and I don’t know (thankfully or I would have said/say something immediately), that I see. I will say almost 100% of the people I will report on will be from airports. If you haven’t been to an airport lately, I highly recommend it for people watching. They are a reality show waiting to happen. This section will undoubtedly be added to over the year.

If you have been following me on Twitter (well done by the way) you already have read about some of my encounters in my travels. As previously stated, the Rubio Long Snapping blog is going to be like my Twitter – just on steroids. I will obviously be able to go into more detail as I am not limited to 140 characters (max you can put per Twitter message, I know it is called Tweet but I protest that word so don’t expect me to use it ever again. Only reason I used it this time was to clarify. Don’t worry, I just hit myself for going against my own protest and it won’t happen again) and can really spray about the places and, more importantly, the people I see along the way. Hopefully, this blog will be passed around to people you know so they can be educated on how to function in society since it is obviously not a given.

First person I want to discuss is the I-Am-The-Only-Person-In-The-World-And-I-Think-I-Am-At-Home guy. Please take a gander at the photo of this guy (I was nice enough to blur his grill so no would recognize him).
Seriously, who sits like this in public!? I am not even sure I would lounge this way in my own home while watching Man vs Food contemplating how bad Sailer, Marcus J and/or  I would crush his challenges. This guy isn’t at home, he is waiting to board a plane! Come on man. Have some couth. Before you even say, “Rubio, he is saving the seat for someone,” let me reassure you he wasn’t. I sat there and watched him. It was like a car accident, I couldn’t look away and it wasn’t because he was sporting a scarf either. Bottom line: have some common sense when you aren’t at home. Plain and simple.
That’s all for now. Please spread the word on sitting properly in public. I thought it was simply a given, but apparently I was wrong. Maybe if we all get the word out, people can be fixed.
More to come as my travels continue……

_________________________________________________________________

Chris-Rubio-2

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 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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Rubio Spray

February 25, 2011 By
I figured before I continue with these Rubio Long Snapping blogs, it might be time for a little background on the words and phrases I use in my spoken and written word. I definitely have my own sort of language. Many are confused by it while others embrace. Either way, I keep spraying so you better get used to it. Here is a key for you to get by:
EMBRACE: Definitely one of my favorite words. Originally started off as a saying between Sailer and I. Began as “accept and embrace” since we believe you should accept and embrace each and everything in your life. Keep that motto and life will be easier for you. Trust me. You will hear/see me use this word a ton. It can be used in place of several words and can be used for pretty much anything. For instance….
“I embrace so hard” translates out to “wow, that is really, really great.”
“Embrace” translates out to “love it”
The possibilities of this word are endless.
DONE: This word is used at the end of a sentence to finalize something. Quick and very to the point. Example would be being in a restaurant and asking the waiter/waitress if meal A or B is better? When they reply that meal A is better, you simply say “done.” Translates out to “that is perfect. I appreciate you telling me that and I will take it.” People get a little confused by this one as they are usually waiting for a follow up word. One must really hold on and let “done” do its work.
SPLASH: Means a little bit. A Long Snapper can have a splash of nervousness and needs to relax.

YES: Simple and to point. This word for me is used with a ton of gusto and always in an exclamatory fashion. Nothing is needed to follow it and a simple YES! will suffice most of time time. This one started back in the day when Sailer and I were running a camp in PA and ran into my relatives in Pittsburgh. Needless to say, they had a 87 course meal waiting for us and every time they asked him if he wanted something to eat, he simply answered YES! They were astonished and he just kept embracing (see, this time embrace is used differently…hopefully you are grasping the concept now). I will use this a ton after seeing an exceptional snap.

SPRAY: Means talk. You can spray someone with words or knowledge. The trick is to not get sprayed too much. Plane rides can cause a code red for being sprayed since you are trapped and usually can’t get away from the sprayer.

GANDER: Means to look at someone. One can “take a gander at a Long Snapper from a distance”

GLORIOUS: Means really good. Great if you will. Why don’t I just use the word great? Because I don’t want to. “That snap was simply glorious”

FANTASTIC: Means what it means but not a lot of people use it so I chose to embrace it. Try it next time someone asks how you are doing. Respond with fantastic. It really rattles them. On the phone is also a great time to use it. “Hey Rubio, how are you doing today?” “Fantastic, and you?” Given, I try to do it all the time to hear/see the reactions.

208: Refers to all of Idaho because the entire state has only one area code. I think this is amazing and can’t get over it. You will often her me call someone a “208er” or say “that is so 208”
WELL DONE: This one can get tricky since you already read about DONE and want to correlate this one with that one. Stop. You are wrong. This one translates to “You did a terrific job” I could look at a Long Snapper have a great snap and simply say “well done” and that is more than enough praise in Rubio terms. Well done is not said with a lot of excitement. There is no need to as it is strong in it’s stance.

SOLDIER: Means a great person. Someone who gets things done immediately. Someone you can trust. “You are a soldier! I can’t believe you finished all of the work so quickly“CAT: Means a guy. I heard a jazz musician spray it once. I embraced. Done. “That kicker is one odd looking cat”

WINNERS AND LOSERS: Another key phrase Sailer and I use. Simple and clears things up for people. In everything, there are winners and losers. Figure that out and life will be just a tad simpler for you. “You lost your prom date to another Long Snapper? Winners and losers my friend”

CAVEMAN: When a Long Snapper is very strong and extremely raw. Basically like a caveman. Tons of potential just don’t know what they are doing…yet. “That kid is a caveman. He is going to be good once he figures out how to do it”

HUGE WIN: Means what it means. A huge win would be having a Long Snapper that is extremely talented AND has fantastic grades.”You just snapped a .68 and have a 4.5 gpa! That is a huge win!” I prefer to really hold the huge for emphasis.

FARM: This one was created by Marcus J (Sailer’s brother). To farm or farming is a long process of doing something. Getting recruited as a Long Snapper is basically like farming. You plant a seed (snap well) and watch your crops grow (recruitment). Sometimes you need to stop the crop (move onto a different school) and sometimes the crop is right for the picking (you found your school). TOP 12ers have a different meaning for farming and you will have to ask them about it.

SPREAD OUT: I love this one. Spread out translates pretty clearly and simply means to move away. People crowd you? Just say spread out. “Alright, alright….you are all too close to me, spread out.” Used it a ton while teaching 6th grade. Originally used in The Three Stooges. It is a phrase that works wonders.

GIVEN: I use this when something is, well, a given. “Are Long Snappers more important then kickers? Given.” As one can see the word is very powerful and needs no partners with it. Easily stands on it’s own like “done” and “yes”

SIDE NOTE: Since I am a Long Snapper, I tend to be a higher level thinker. In being that, my mind works quickly and is all over the place. I will use the phrase side note usually when I am telling a story and then, all of a sudden, another story pops into my head. Instead of simply waiting until the end to spray the sub story I will say, in the middle of the story, “Side note” and then tell the sub story. Then, without hesitation, jump right back into the main story. It can cause confusion, but since I am speaking to mostly Long Snappers I know they handle it:)

Hope that clears some things up for everyone. I think that is most of the phrases and words I use in abundance. Let me know if I missed any and I will add them to this glorious list.

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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