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New Prep Camp Format!

October 20, 2016 By

You asked for it, you got it!

The Prep Camps will now be run from 8:30 am to 12 pm and will be specifically formatted to get the Long Snapper completely ready for VEGAS XXIX.

You will literally do everything at the Prep Camp as you would in VEGAS. The day will be quicker and the cost will be lower.

For more information on the CA Prep Camp, go HERE

For more information on the TX Prep Camp, go HERE

For more information on the GA Prep Camp, go HERE

See you soon and be ready for the biggest and best VEGAS, ever!

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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, Change, Deep Snapper, Vegas Tagged With: , , , , , ,

It Wasn’t Supposed to be This Difficult

August 15, 2016 By

IMG_0550Headed to college…..

Everything is different now. People are looking at you like you are odd. You are at a whole new place in your life. Family is calling you. Old friends have wished you well. Everything is changing.

You knew it was coming and you worked for countless years to get to this point. You definitely had not done it all on your own. The list of people that have assisted you in getting to this point is gigantic and seems to keep growing.
 
You are amazed with yourself that you actually did it. You planned and planned and planned for this moment, yet, you still are overwhelmed that it finally came to fruition.

You don’t think you will be able to get through it. There’s no way you can. You continuously remind yourself that you are not the first person to do this, and definitely will not be the last.

The days get longer and longer. You look at old photos on your phone. You text. You call. You sob. You check Facebook. Sometimes you cry when people are looking and, a lot of times, when they aren’t. You never thought it would be this rough. This IS what YOU wanted, right?
 
You have spoken to others that have gone through what you are struggling with. You insist there’s no way they could have had it this rough. Times are different. Things are different. This is what you wanted, right? This is for the best, right? This is the next step in life, isn’t it?
 
Yes.

Yes it is. This is the plan. This is the way it needs to be. This is what has to happen in life in order to advance.

Who would have thought being a parent and having your child go to college would be so tough:)

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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 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 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 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, Change, Featured Posts, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

It is time.

April 1, 2016 By

All my life, I have been told I should teach.

People would tell me when I was younger, you are going to be a teacher.

Rubio, they would say, you just seem to have a way to get people to get “it.”

I truly loved my time as a teacher, and I knew this day would eventually come….again.

Leaving something is never easy, no matter what the circumstances

For the past 12 years, I have poured my heart and soul into Long Snapping

Over and over and over, I have battled with this decision.

Over and over and over, I have thought of ways to say this to everyone

Long Snapping will always be a passion of mine, but it is time for me to move on.

Some of you will understand this and someone of you will not. Always just look from the beginning and it will be clear. It is time.

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April Fools Day 2016

(make sure you look closely at the first letter of each line and read down…plus, don’t forget to look at the shirt)

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Change, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Nervous at a Rubio Long Snapping Camp? You Aren’t Alone!

December 15, 2015 By

Sineath, TannerThis essay was written by Rubio Long Snapper Tanner Sineath (SC, ‘2016). His mother sent it to me…I think without him knowing, but who cares:) and I loved it. I think it really does a good job of showing the emotions and feelings that arise at someone’s first Rubio Long Snapping camp. First timers, parents and Long Snappers, must realize you are not alone and for every single GREAT Long Snapper you see on the field, they had a start and it usually wasn’t good…check films:)

Enjoy…..

I walked up to the registration table and gave my name, received my camp shirt and went off on my own to get ready to go out on the field. I looked around wishing I was like the other seasoned campers all gathered together. The campers already had nicknames from the camp coaches. They were walking around in their special gold shirts, and I felt hunger. I wanted a gold shirt, I wanted a nickname, I wanted the coaches to know me, I wanted to go out and show them all who I was. Wait! Was that jealousy? Probably, but I didn’t care. It fueled me. I was focused. I was going to make it happen. I was going to have them notice me.

That is when I was snapped back into reality! One of the gold shirts snapped the ball, and I thought DANG! I have bitten off more than I can chew! Suddenly the hunger was gone, and replaced by doubt. I didn’t belong here. I was never going to have a nickname, or a gold shirt, or to be part of the group. I tried to swallow, but it just stayed stuck in my throat like a wad of peanut butter. There is no worse feeling than wanting to retreat, but knowing you can’t. I told myself what is the worst thing that can happen? I told myself back, you will look like a fool in front of everyone! I then decided well at least no one knows me here so if I embarrass myself no one will remember it tomorrow.

There it was, they called my name! Time to show them what I have. I felt like I did ok, not great, but at least it didn’t totally suck! I learned a lot that day! I learned I am my own worst enemy. I learned that I am the only person that can hold me back. Then we went to lunch, and I talked to my parents about my feelings. They did their best job of loading me with clichés of doing your best, and hard work pays off. Along with all of the other things good parents are supposed to say. I am in no way saying I didn’t appreciate it, quite the contrary, it was what I wanted to hear from them, but at the same time I was worried, and not realizing the moment was perfect. I was surrounded by love and support, but so bogged down with self-doubt that I couldn’t really appreciate it.

We head back to the camp, and we are reviewing our snapping videos. Rubio got to my video and had positive things to say about my video, and it pretty much made my whole day. Why is it that a strangers words mattered so much more than my parent’s words? Oh yeah, because he didn’t have to say nice things to me. That wasn’t what he was getting paid to do. He is getting paid to teach me. Boy did he! Not just about snapping, but about life, about others opinions, and how even though the world says it doesn’t matter what someone else thinks or says it absolutely does. No college coach is going to call my mom to get her opinion of me, but they will call him. His opinions and words can open or close doors.

What was my point in all of this? My point is that the world is filled with challenges. It is filled with ups and downs. I have no doubt that football has helped me prepare for the real world. This is one example. It is the most vivid example I have. I am grateful for every moment, every life lesson, every friend, and every rival. They have all prepared me for the real world.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Change, High School, Maturity, Motivation, Parenting, Relationships Tagged With: , , , ,

5 Things I Learned From My Travels

August 6, 2015 By

As you know, I travel a ton and during the summer, my flights really pick up. Yet again, I hit over 55 flights again in June and July alone. Needless to say, when anyone moves around that much, you will see many “interesting” things and have the ability to learn a great deal about traveling….and life.

Here are the five things I learned from my travels:

  1. OPEN YOUR EYES!
    You would be shocked at how many people don’t see what is right in front of them. Given, much of the time it is due to cell phones swallowing their brains, but many just look down at the path literally right in front of them instead of having their head up to see other, possibly more intriguing avenues of life. Open your eyes, look up and see the world.
  2. USE YOUR HEAD!
    It seems that everyone has become extremely lazy and not willing to do one minute of work to find an answer. I can’t tell you how many times I saw people ask simple questions instead of taking one second to figure out the problem for themselves (where is the baggage claim?…..um, there is a forty foot sign right in front of you that says where). This simply has to stop or the next generation won’t know how to figure anything out. (You would be shocked at how many times per week I respond to an email, text, tweet, message, etc. with the “All information is on RubioLongSnapping.com
  3. BE APPRECIATIVE!
    In life, whether traveling or not, you will see many people that are working and busting their butt at their jobs. Many of these jobs are not easy and take a lot out of the person doing said job. Be appreciative of them and what they are doing, especially if they are doing something for you. Simply saying “Thank you” can make someone’s day and make yours a lot better as well. Try it and see what happens.
  4. HUSTLE!
    Move forward. Keep moving. Don’t be stagnant. People are behind you. You stop, they have to stop. The world stops. This is not good. The slower you go, the slower everyone has to go. If you are in public and you know people are around you, get a move on and don’t slow down the process of life.
  5. RELAX!
    When you finally get the chance to relax, do it. Sit in a chair, lay down in a bed. Put on some music, lift your feet up. Recharge your batteries. You will be better off for it in the long run. If you don’t take some time to relax, you will be no good to anyone after awhile.

Following these five steps will, hopefully, help you out when traveling and in life.

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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, Change, Featured Posts, Relationships, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Rubio Long Snapper Blake Word Picks up Offer from Alabama St.

November 21, 2014 By

blake-word2571Rubio Long Snapper Blake Word (JC, CA) has picked up a full ride offer from Alabama St.

Blake is a JC Long Snapper that has really used the extra year of eligibility to fine-tune his body and really increase the speed of his ball. Blake has attended over ten Rubio Long Snapping camps and has improved at each one. He is a very strong Long Snapper with a tremendous work ethic.

Congratulations to Blake and his family!
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Filed Under: Article Archives, Change, College, Deep Snapper, Long Snapper, Motivation, Recruiting Tagged With: , , , , , ,

No Matter Where You Are, Someone Gave You A Boost

September 3, 2014 By

Here is an article that I wrote for my local newspaper, The Lewiston Tribune, that I thought you would enjoy….

If you’re reading this, thank someone. I don’t care if it is a higher power, your parents, your kids, your neighbor or even the person you got the paper from, thank someone.

They deserve to hear it and you need to say it. Think about it: Without others, you are nothing. I don’t care how great an athlete, businessperson or student you think you are, you did not get there on your own.

You had help along the way. Everyone does.

A world-class Olympian sprinter doesn’t come out sprinting. They fall, they crawl, they walk, they jog and then they run. There are steps and there are always people assisting along the way.

A top-tier business owner didn’t get to the top on their own. I don’t care if you invented the perfect “widget,” you had help along the way. From someone teaching you to read, to someone showing you how to write, to the manufacturing of the “widget,” you had help. No one does anything completely on their own.

Those people who are assisting you have been there and they have done that. Usually, of course not always, people don’t just talk to talk. They talk for a purpose. They talk to be heard. They want to help.

You have been helped. You need to thank someone.

Then, after you thank that person or persons, you need to ask for more advice and really listen. The next step is key: Make a plan and don’t stop until you get there.

It doesn’t matter how tough the first part of your plan will be – never stop. Champions don’t stop until they get to the championship. That is why they are champions.

The great ones have taken advice from many along the way, they have implemented the advice, they made their plan and they did not stop until they reached their goal.

Everything is hard when you first start. Suck it up. Get over it. Learn from it. Move on and then dominate it.

If being a champion, in anything, was easy … everyone would do it.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Change, High School, Maturity, Motivation, Parenting, Relationships Tagged With: , , , ,

The New Website!

April 22, 2014 By

After a long, long time, the new RubioLongSnapping.com site is officially up!

As you obviously know, the old site had been locked for some time to build the new site. (It is a whole bunch of techo mumbo jumbo that I can explain later to you if you really care to know why we couldn’t just build a separate site with old one still running)

We have made it so that it is much cleaner, more professional and easier to navigate. I think, no, I know, you will love it.

The site actually went live last night at about 9:30 pm past. They say it can take up to 48 hours for the new site to show up all over the world but it rarely does. I was able to see it within 5 minutes. Bottom line, if you still see the old site, don’t stress, the new one is coming to you shortly.

As for rankings from IL, NC and GA camps….I have all of them done….on paper. I still have to transfer them to the backend of the site and that will take me a couple of days (cut and paste, cut and paste, cut and paste, etc.). Double bottom line, all rankings will be updated, as promised, by this Friday.

Enjoy the new site & welcome to an even better Rubio Long Snapping!

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Change Tagged With: ,

New Rubio Long Snapping Target

March 31, 2014 By

Over the past decade, I have been using the Rubio Long Snapping Target at all my camps and events across the country.

At regional camps, the Long Snappers go through a bracket type competition while at my Vegas Events, they go through a much more intense full on testing format where they compete against all and not just one other Long Snapper.

At every camp, I have noticed the Long Snappers keep getting better and better (mostly because they are coming younger and younger) and, in turn, the scoring on The Target has gone through some major changes. Battles in the bracket style format go much quicker (not a lot of wasted opportunity) and the overall scores in Vegas have skyrocketed.

A top score in Vegas used to be in the low teens and not is not an uncommon to see high teens, low 20’s, high 20’s or even in the 30’s. This is just crazy. I mean really insane.

Finally, after speaking it over with Chris Sailer of Chris Sailer Kicking and some of my senior staff members, I have decided The Target needed to be revamped. This new target will make things a bit more difficult but I do believe it will give me more of a true feeling of the abilities of each and every Long Snapper that goes head to head with it. It won’t be about simply hitting the target. It will be about hitting the exact spots a Long Snapper should be hitting.

Scoring will also be adjusted with a 3 pointer will be only in red areas and 2 pointer only in yellow. No points for in between any more.

I know some (many) of you might be flipping out right now but I truly believe this is for the best and you will be fine. Trust me.

With no further adieu, I present to you, the new Rubio Long Snapping Target for the rest of 2014 (take some time to really inspect every aspect of it and it’s gloriousness) and beyond…..

April Fools Target

UPDATE: PLEASE CHECK BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER OF PICTURE OF NEW RUBIO TARGET:)

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Change, Deep Snapper, Long Snapper, Maturity, Motivation, Recruiting, Relationships Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

MAJOR Update Regarding Registrations and Website

March 13, 2014 By

For the rest of the month, you will need to email me directly at Rubio@RubioLongSnapping.com to register for a camp. I will personally send you a form and your registration will be done the same way with a credit card from that point on.

It will all be a very simple process and it will run smoothly.

The reason for the change is that Sailer and I are currently going through a MASSIVE overhaul of the website. This has been in the works for SEVERAL months and, at this point, the old/current site has to be locked down. In locking the site down, all rankings (NC/GA Camps) will have to be postponed and now will be up April 27 (IL rankings from 3/30 will be up by April 27 as well).

The new site will, guarantee, be the best looking and most efficient site you will use. We have gone through every aspect of the new design to make sure it is clean, precise and easy to use while still delivering the most exposure through its content for our athletes. It is going to look gorgeous and be very smooth.

Be ready as it will be up by the first week of April. You will NOT be disappointed.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Change, Long Snapper, Recruiting Tagged With: , , ,

We Can Do More to Support Our Young Athletes

June 5, 2013 By

Here is an article that I had published in the Lewiston Tribune on June 5, 2013 that I thought everyone might like to check out. Enjoy!

 

Imagine an extremely large city. A city bustling with restaurants, entertainment and sporting events. This city has hundreds of high schools, countless students, tons of possibilities. People are everywhere and there is always something to do.

Throughout the year, the city’s population continuously huddles and rallies to support its local teams and, in correlation, the student bodies.

The cheering just depends on the season. In the fall, it’s football. In the winter, it’s wrestling and basketball. In the spring, it’s baseball, softball, track and golf. Even one of the colleges in the city has a festival of sorts for a spring time sport. The massive metropolis embraces it all.

The restaurants in the city work together to support the young athletes. To increase attendance at the games, the restaurants in proximity to the school playing offer discounts if a customer brings in a ticket stub from the game they just attended.

During the week of the game, the restaurant may even have highlights from the previous game playing on its waiting room TV. This is simple to do since the nearby high school’s media class supplies the tape to the restaurants. They work together for one common goal.

Not to be outdone, the school’s events offer a discount to anyone who shows a receipt from the collaborating restaurant(s) from the day of the game. They work together for one common goal.

Games, no matter the sport, become events for each and every family in the large city.

Everyone is working together to build spirit and pride in the youth. They, the adults, know that the next generation will be better off with support from all generations and, in turn, it will trickle down to even the younger generations. The more the adults show the students they are behind them, the more the students want to give the adults something to support. It is one big, fantastic cycle.

Schools support the restaurants, the restaurants support the schools. Even the local high school coaches go down to help out or just be seen at the elementary and junior high practices. The youngest kids love this and so do the parents. It shows the coaches truly care and it only takes a couple of minutes of their day.

Everyone is helping one another in this immense city. As hard as it is, they all work together.

Now, imagine the city is smaller … much smaller.

Instead of hundreds of high schools, thousands and thousands of students and countless restaurants, there are just a handful of high schools, a mere couple of thousand students and a spattering of restaurants.

Imagine a community like ours. With a much smaller number of schools, students and businesses, it would be much easier for everyone to work together to put overflowing pride back into the community, the schools and, most importantly, the children.

But you don’t even have to imagine. This is happening in communities all across the country.

Why aren’t we doing it here?

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Athletics, Change, Coaches, High School, Parenting, Relationships Tagged With: ,

Athletes at All Levels Can Get Use Out of Twitter

April 8, 2013 By

Here is an article that I had published in my local paper, The Lewiston Tribune, a couple week ago, that I think you will enjoy. Embrace:

 

Last Wednesday, the Lewiston Tribune printed an article by longtime coach Nick Menegas. The article spoke of social media, Twitter to be specific, and the negative effect it has on today’s athlete and society.

I read it and was confused. Although there are some negatives with Twitter, as there are negatives with anything, there are also tons of great aspects about it that I would like to shed some light on.

Who am I and why listen to me? I was a long snapper (the guy who snaps the ball to the kickers) at UCLA. I am now a private football coach who is based in Lewiston. I train long snappers at camps across the country.

That is merely one aspect of my job. I also rank them and help them get to colleges. Last year, I had over 75 of my long snappers go on to play college ball. I am a very avid user of social media. I encourage my athletes to appropriately use social media to stay connected and promote themselves.

Twitter (think of it as merely mass texting in which you get texts/info from those you choose to follow) is a great thing that can be a valuable asset for people and businesses. In the Lewiston sports world alone, think how much easier it would be for parents if the local high school had a Twitter account to immediately announce highlights, pictures, scores and players during the games to family members who maybe can’t be in attendance at every single event. Imagine simply looking at your computer or cellphone and getting updates about your son’s/daughter’s game since you couldn’t make it all the way up to Coeur d’Alene. Wouldn’t that be great?

Twitter can be used improperly, of course. Just like anything, put it in the wrong hands, bad things can happen. Can it hurt an athlete’s image? Absolutely. Here is the best part about Twitter: If I am a parent and I don’t like what “Joe Athlete” is saying on Twitter, I simply don’t follow them. If I don’t follow someone, I don’t know what they are saying and it doesn’t affect my children or me.

Twitter can also benefit professional athletes and their fans. Coach Menegas mentioned how all he knew about Jim Brown was what he read about him on the sports page. That is true, but why wouldn’t you want more from someone who you admired? Imagine how much more he could have benefited from Jim Brown if he was allowed a bit more into his personal life. Maybe see him as more than just a jock? Maybe showing a fun personality? Maybe hearing Jim Brown offering up advice on football or life? Maybe hearing his thoughts on a movie, a restaurant, a game, etc.? Maybe making him more accessible and therefore more human?

And, in saying that, imagine how much Jim Brown could have benefited from Twitter. More fans mean more endorsements, which, in turn, would mean more money for him and his family.

Twitter, and social media in general, should not only be utilized by professional athletes. Social media needs to be embraced whole-heartedly by the youth. It is a way for them to follow their dream school, maybe a college athlete they like, a coach they would like to contact (the NCAA has not sanctioned against this, so why not utilize it?) or even have a conversation with other fans.

The world of sports, like the rest of the world, has changed drastically since the days of just reading about your favorite athlete in the paper. Think about it. You now have several all-sports channels on TV and radio. And, with Twitter, the sports world has become even more visible and immediate. Society wants things now and Twitter allows that for the fans and the athletes.

The world is advancing, changing and getting quicker. It is not stopping and either you get on the train or be prepared to get ran over.

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”

– Benjamin Franklin

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Change, N.C.A.A., NFL, Recruiting, Twitter Tagged With: , , , ,

Rubio Long Snappers Finch and Ballinger Dominate Other Sport

April 4, 2013 By

Rubio Long Snappers and staff members John Finch and Kevin Ballinger (formerly of Purdue and bottom two in picture) and their Dodgeball team, the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers, have won their adult league dodgeball championship on the GUS League in Houston!

This is a story worth telling since Long Snappers are not known for being the fleetest of foot so this is quite an accomplishment. Also, if you have ever experienced these two at a camp, you can only imagine the spray these two probably generated towards their competitors throughout each match. On that note, word around town is they were verbally abused, a couple times, by a lady, but this can’t be confirmed nor denied.

For some reason, I could not find any highlights on Espn (yes, I even checked The Ocho) but you have to trust me that they won.

Bottom line, I embrace these two continuing their winning ways, trying to stay fit and representing well.

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

What Does a Graduating Long Snapper Do Now?

February 26, 2013 By

Say you are one of the lucky ones that will be playing football next year for a four year university, what do you do now?

You get better! You don’t rest on your laurels. You make sure you are as prepared as possible when entering college so the coaches know you are serious and ready to take over the reigns for the next two to four years of your life. Nothing will upset a coach more than a recruited athlete coming in unprepared. That is essentially your first impression to the new staff at your new school and that can easily set you up, in the wrong way, for years to come. Don’t be that guy!

Yes, you are allowed to, and could be attending my Long Snapping camps from now until you report to camp for your school….and you should. Going to a camp right before you head off will polish off the rough edges, fine tune you and build your confidence.

You want a more advanced camp with only college level Long Snappers? You can attend the College Camp for Long Snappers on July 19-21 in CA. It will be structured just like the TOP 12 and EVENT ELITE camp but with no current HS players. All participants will be either 2013/JC heading to a four year university or a current college Long Snappers already doing what you believe, think and hope you are ready for in a couple short months.

Regardless, be prepared and don’t just sit. You got into college, but you have done nothing there….yet. See you soon!

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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, Change, College, Deep Snapper, Graduating, Graduation, High School, Long Snapper, Maturity, Motivation, Parenting Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Importance of Repetitions and a Performance Mindset in Long Snapping

February 18, 2013 By

Three (must have) keys to success in Long Snapping are good instruction, practice and repetition, and most importantly – trust in your skills.

Repetitions train the mind and body to learn a specific skill set like Long Snapping. It allows you to execute the perfect snap time and time again, because your body is essentially programmed this way.

There is a false assumption about learning a new technique such as Deep Snapping and Accuracy that athletes should be able to apply it right away. Likewise, some players believe that they should be able to make adjustments in their game, and have it pay off right away. Change doesn’t happen overnight. When you expect change to happen overnight, you are setting yourself up for failure. Athletes must practice what they learn in order to put it into action. Why? Old habits are hard to change. So anytime you learn something new (or teach something new), it takes a lot of repetition to change.

Repetition trains the body to mechanically achieve the desired result of a “perfect snap”, but the mind is a whole other mechanism that is as equally important.

You might have outstanding form or technique, but you must trust in what you have learned in practice in order to apply it in competition. A lack of trust in ones skills is the top reason Long Snappers can’t repeat – in competition – what they do easily in practice every day.

Several mental barriers can get in the way:

  • Fear of failure
  • Perfectionism
  • High expectations
  • Focusing on results, rather than the process
  • Pressure of the moment

The concept of trust applies universally from youth to professional Long Snappers. To perform your absolute best – with consistency – you must trust in what was learned from practice.

So, how do we trust our skills in competition?

First, overcome the mental barriers mentioned above and perform at a high level. This is called the performance mindset.

Top Long Snappers have both a training/work mindset and a performance mindset. When you combine the two you develop a “flow” that allows your body to almost effortlessly execute at the highest level.

Change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes good instruction, practice and repetition, and trust in your skills to be a top Long Snapper.

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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, Change, Coaches, Deep Snapper, Long Snapper, Motivation Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Adjusting to Something New

August 15, 2012 By

All over the country, Long Snappers are right in the mix of starting their football seasons. They are meeting new people, learning new things and possibly even living in new locations. Many are experiencing the exact same things and don’t even know it. I am going to clarify some glaring issues for all….

“My coach is not the same to me now as he was when he was recruiting me”
Well, of course he isn’t. He got what he wanted (you on the team and not playing for someone else) and you are essentially locked in. He did what he did to get you and now YOU have to prove yourself to HIM. He proved himself to you to get you there and now the rolls are reversed. He is the general and you are his soldier. You have a war coming up (season) and he is using you to do the fighting. He NEEDS to make sure you are ready on all accounts. If you are not, he looks like an idiot for recruiting and playing you. If he looks like an idiot, he gets fired and doesn’t get paid. You are with the big boys now and the stakes are higher. Deal with it.

“The other players are treating me like crap because I am a Long Snapper”
This is standard. You know how many of them think what you do is stupid and anyone can do it? You know how many of them are upset you took a scholarship from either a buddy of theirs or even them personally? You know how many of them can’t stand the fact that you get as much stuff (scholarship, gear, etc) as them, yet don’t have to go through the same type of practice as them? Hint: The answer to all is almost 100% of them.

You need to be yourself and take pride in what you do. Don’t act like just a long snapper, you need to act like THE Long Snapper. Take pride in your job. Don’t look down on it. Don’t publicize it too much (they won’t embrace right off the bat) but let them know (by action) that you take a sincere amount of pride in your job (extra drills, always perfecting your craft). This will pay off once they grasp the concept that you aren’t robbing the system, are actually very beneficial to the team and they won’t be able to win without you.
“I am not ready for the speed at this level!”
Very few are right off the bat. It takes time, you just have to be on a strict learning curve. Think about it this way: often, a team will bring in a top notch quarterback, has that quarterback been absolutely flawless? I am betting he has not. Everyone needs some time to adjust and you will as well. The trick is to putting in some extra work the right way (drills, film, meetings with coaches) to ensure that you are learning to deal with the speed at a quicker pace than others. Being overwhelmed is acceptable at the start . Being overwhelmed and not doing a thing about is not.

“I am having a tough time dealing being away from home and making new friends”
It is time to put on your big boy pants. As I stated in my last blog, if you are obsessing about the past, you can’t live in the present and make your future. It is wonderful to have a ton of friends back home and, with the onslaught of social media, it is easier than ever to remain in contact with them. But, now that you have moved on, and hopefully they have as well, it is time to spread your wings and meet new friends. Welcome to the real world and learning to associate with people outside of your comfort zone. Meet new people, learn new things, embrace differences. A couple of my greatest friends in college were not football players and it was definitely a nice change of pace. Once school starts, the possibilities are endless for meeting new people. Try to jump out of your normal routine to find new folks and see what they are all about. You might just be surprised. Remember, it is not what you know, but who you know and how well you know them:) 

I am going to end this blog with some words I took, by permission, from the first Long Snapper I have trained. His name is Casey Hales and he played at Duke back in the day. He looks nothing like a Long Snapper (think surfer that has been sleeping on the beach for a solid decade) but holds the record for most starts at Duke and is an absolutely terrific person. Here is what he had to say about the above statement:

As a freshman in college it’s easy to get frustrated when you’re finding your way in a new environment.Being away from home, in a new state or even across the country can be/is overwhelming at times. You don’t know anyone, you’re doing your best to get around campus, and from time to time you get lost.In this situation it is easy to look back at the comfort and familiarity of your hometown HS relationships and feel even more uncomfortable with the transition to making new friends in College. This is completely natural, but can be a slippery slope if it prohibits you from branching out. 
Adapting to college culture right out of high school is a process. Right out the gates you are holding on to what you know: your home life, HS friends and “remembering what that was like.”As you begin to get settled in and embrace college, you start to slowly let go of the times and experiences from HS to make room for new ones in College. This brings up two important topics to keep in mind: Attachment and Detachment. You will always have your friends from HS, but it’s crucial to make sure you’re not too attached to them, it can consume your energy by dwelling on missing those relationships. It is common to feel the bond of attachment to home and all that is dear to you, but keep in mind the the stages of human development. We must be free and able to detach and search for new friends and experiences. Change is happening all the time all around you, and you need to flow with it. The big key here is to be aware of these feelings, and recognize when you are too attached to something or someone that is preventing you from living an independent lifestyle.In this case, a need to detach yourself from the past to embrace the present i.e. College and everything that awaits you.Don’t sit on the sidelines, there are no spectators here, College is about participating and taking advantage of new opportunities. You will be amazed at what learn about yourself during this time.

I spoke with Casey about this topic last week and wanted to use him as an example. Not because he speaks so well and just dominated college life, but just the opposite and this is something very few people in the world know about him. In the second semester of Casey’s second year in college, he came into my home with his mother and told me he was done with football and school at Duke. He was going to transfer and knew exactly how he was going to do it. He couldn’t handle being away and was having a very rough time adjusting to college life and football.

He and I basically had it out right then and there in my home. We went back and forth with me explaining to him exactly what he was about to throw away (free education and new experiences in lieu of paying for education and experiences he already had). He listened and listened well. He decided to stay at Duke and ended not coming back on his allotted time (spring break, summer, etc) because he was having such a good time out there once he learned to accept and embrace it. He dove head first into college and experienced every single thing it had to offer him.

Never ever forget……
You make your life. Good or bad, you are in control of it. You make it what it is and what it will be. 

_________________________________________________________________

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, Change, College, Freshman, Frosh, Graduating, Long Snapper, Motivation, Recruiting