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A LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS // UWBADGERS.COM Simplification has French finding his form 14 chance meeting with Green Bay Packers placekicker Giorgio Tavecchio at a summer camp reinforced what Wisconsin's Kyle French had already begun processing on the art of field goal kicking. "I'm planning on giving him a call,'' French said, "to pick his brain some more.'' It was no coincidence that they both spoke the same language and could relate on many fronts. Tavecchio was tutored in college by Cal assistant Jeff Genyk, who's now French's coach with the Badgers. "He (Genyk) has helped me out tremendously with the mental side of the game,'' said French, a redshirt junior from Menomonee Falls, Wis. "He has really simplified every kick for me. "We sat down numerous times to write something up that I could constantly repeat in my head to make sure that I'm treating every kick as the same exact kick.'' Genyk emphasized during their sessions that this checklist would hold true regardless of the conditions or circumstances. "Mentally,'' French affirmed, "you have to be in the same exact place.'' Last season, French converted on 10 of 16 field goals. It was among the fewest makes in the Big Ten. Two misses ― from 40 and 44 yards ― were costly in overtime losses to Ohio State and Penn State. "First of all, I felt Kyle was really pretty fundamentally sound and technically sound as a kicker,'' said Genyk. "As you watch him physically, he does all the things the top- // VARSITY August 15, 2013 flight kickers do in the country." But Genyk, a former head coach at Eastern Michigan, also observed, "I really felt he needed some help mentally. He needed to be able to focus on the execution and not so much on the result.'' Both agreed that "self-talk'' can erase self-doubt; a factor in the game day environment for a kicking specialist who's getting limited "I WILL TELL MYSELF, '8-IRON' WHICH MEANS 'DON'T TRY AND CRUSH IT,''' FRENCH RELATED. "I'M JUST TRYING TO BE SMOOTH WITH MY KICK, I'M REALLY TRYING TO HIT A CLEAN BALL. I'M NOT BRINGING OUT THE DRIVER.'' snaps versus a position player who's getting between 50 and 80. While setting up for a field goal attempt, French will have an internal conversation. "I will tell myself, '8-iron' which means 'Don't try and crush it,''' French related. "I'm just trying to be smooth with my kick, I'm really trying to hit a clean ball. I'm not bringing out the driver.'' The driver is for kickoffs since "I'm just trying to put it through the end zone,'' he said. The owner of a strong leg, French generally crushed the ball and had 27 touchbacks on 49 kicks last year. After the 8-iron reminder, French will pump up his confidence. "I'll tell myself something simple like 'I'm the best kicker in the Big Ten,''' he said. "I also like to tell myself, 'All eyes are on me.''' It's a good thing, he stressed. "Because it will give me that spark to say, 'All right this is my time to shine,''' French said. "After that, I will tell myself, 'The wind does not affect a well-struck ball.'' Genyk, an avid golfer, got that line from Jack Nicklaus. "The golf analogy for a kicker and punter is very much on cue,'' said Genyk, a former college punter. "It's a pretty solitary environment.'' Once again this season, French is not alone on the practice field, where he's being pushed by Jack Russell, a sophomore from Waunakee, Wis. In 2012, Russell missed his only two field goal opportunities. "The big difference for me between this year and last year is confidence in myself,'' French said. "I'm fully confident that at any time they want to put me on the field ― for any kick ― I will make it.'' He also mentioned an urgency to prove himself to others. "I want to make sure I'm a reliable source on this team,'' said French, "That's my main motivation. Last year, my first true year of starting, I don't think that I was able to be too reliable. "I really want my teammates to believe in me. I know I believe in myself and Coach Genyk believes in me as well. That has been the driving force to truly win back my teammates. "I'm getting there,'' he said resolutely, "to gaining that trust back.''