Long Snapping Lesson with a Lindenwood Lion

By: Long Snapping Coach Mike Famiglietti

In June 2014, I stumbled across a young long snapper named Andrew Bair on Facebook due to our mutual long snapping connections and being located at nearby colleges.

Andrew Bair is a great sized long snapper who recently finished his freshman year and hopes to earn even more playing time for Lindenwood University this fall! He snaps with a lot of force and power that definitely shows in his frame. On July 9, 2014 we met up for a long snapping lesson that will really help Andrew be able to start almost anywhere in the country

When Andrew first approach me, I was very surprised at how tall he was. Andrew has a very long set of arms and torso that would make snapping very easy for him. At the field we warmed up and during his first snaps, I was very surprised at the flexibility he has in his upper body during his snaps. When he snaps through, it almost looks as if his shoulders will go back behind his legs, it is incredible and at a very high speed as well.

During this initial warm-up set of snaps, I noticed how he could get some more power into his long snaps as well. While he did have powerful snaps, they almost floated or pushed through the air, rather than a smooth, yet fast glide. When he would set up to long snap, he would almost squat down too low and had a tendency to settle on one leg more than the other one, giving a very unbalanced appearance, changing the direction of his snaps.

This was more simple to correct than it would appear and wasn't a large issue, but one that had to be corrected sooner rather than later. At first, pre-snap, I had him shift his hips into a better position. Once this became more natural, we had to figure out a better balance between the two legs, so we did a few slow motion and balancing drills that helped Andrew figure out that part of the long snap.

This also helped Andrew get more power from his legs and hips in his long snap, where before he wouldn't use his legs, and when he did, his feet would narrow in a V-shape during the snap. We then corrected his timing with his arms and hands by slightly changing his guide hand positioning on the ball. This gave his elbows a better follow through and a more natural release.

Overall though, Andrew is an amazing human being and great long snapper who only needed a few quick fixes to which will make him an even better long snapper. The sky truly is the limit to this young long snapper. I want to be one of the first to see where he goes next as a long snapper. I believe he would be ready to snap in any college game, today!

Coach Famiglietti

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