Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo using unique workouts to stay consistent
SUWANEE, Ga. - Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo has become a fan favorite. Making 92% of you field goals will do that. It will also get you a 5-year extension like the one the Falcons gave him this offseason.
To make sure he stays at a Pro Bowl level, Koo is doing a tailor-made workout at Georgia Sports Performance in Suwanee.
"The creative ways Joel does exercises, it kind of exposes the deficiencies in my body," said Koo.
Joel is Joel Seedman. Since getting his Ph.D at the University of Georgia in 2013, he has been training athletes in all sports at Advanced Human Performance in Gwinnett County.
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"I tried to look at various mechanisms of strength and conditioning, muscle physiology and biomechanics and the neuromuscular physiology of strength training and say 'how do we get athletes better at what they're doing and not just get them better in the weight room?' At the end of the day, we're not trying to turn them into weight lifters or power lifters. We're trying to basically get them better at their sport," said Seedman.
Seedman has trained hundreds of athletes, but he says one of his favorite success stories was with Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who revived his career as the starting quarterback for Washington in the 2021 season.
But training a kicker, like Younghoe Koo is different, and his workouts are unique.
Seedman has even created a "Koo Pull-up" where Koo swings his leg forward, holds it and does a pull-up. Seedman said the movement is the same as Koo's kicking motion and the exercise causes Koo to keep his core tight and keep his posture locked in.
Koo has been locked in for the last two plus seasons. He hit 27 of 29 field goal attempts in 2021 including 3 game winners and every extra point. For his efforts the Falcons just gave him a 5-year contract extension. And part of this custom-made workout is to ensure that consistency continues.
"It's huge. I am really grateful, first and foremost. I am really thankful for the Falcons organization for giving me a chance and an opportunity to stay around here for a little bit and try to provide my best on and off the field. Being able to stay within this routine is huge," said Koo.
"It's not just about getting you stronger and getting you bigger, he's past that. This is, 'Hey I want to be in the NFL for another 10, 12, 15, who knows even 20 years as a kicker.' It's the long-game is what we're playing, so it's all about being smart, being strategic with the training," said Seedman.
So I asked the obvious question, Koo has been known to make some vicious tackles on kickoff coverage, so does is this newfound strength going to be put to use that way too?
"No, I'm just going to do what's best for the team. If it comes to that, I'm there to be the eleventh guy on the defense on kickoff, but I'm just going to focus on making kicks through the uprights," said Koo.