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Huddle up with one of the greatest players in football history as he shares the techniques, strategies, and secrets of kicking and punting.
In Football Kicking and Punting, Hall of Famer and NFL 75th Anniversary Team member Ray Guy joins veteran kicking coach Rick Sang to provide aspiring kickers and punters with expert instruction found nowhere else. From the fundamentals to advanced strategies, it's all here:
- Field goals, extra points, and special plays such as onside kicks, corner punts, and squib kicks
- 46 proven drills to maximize practice time and ensure improvement in distance, hang time, consistency, and accuracy
- Specialized warm-ups and conditioning programs to improve flexibility, increase leg strength, and prevent injury
- Game strategy preparation, including opponent assessment and defense recognition
So whether it's pinning your opponent inside the 20 or drilling that last-second kick through the uprights, let Football Kicking and Punting elevate your play and ensure winning performance.
Part I. The Placekicking Game
Chapter 1. Placekicking Fundamentals
Chapter 2. Kickoffs
Chapter 3. Field Goals and Extra Points
Chapter 4. Compensating for Conditions
Chapter 5. Placekicking Practice Drills
Part II. The Punting Game
Chapter 6. Punting Fundamentals
Chapter 7. Situational Punting
Chapter 8. Coverage Recognition and Pick-Up
Chapter 9. Punting Practice Drills
Part III. Countdown to Game Day
Chapter 10. Snaps, Holds, and Recovery Plays
Chapter 11. Pregame Program
Chapter 12. Special Teams Preparation
Chapter 13. Coming Through in the Clutch
Chapter 14. Conditioning for Kickers and Punters
Coming out of the University of Southern Mississippi, Ray Guy was the first pure punter ever to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft when the Oakland Raiders selected him in 1973. Guy was a key member of three Super Bowl-winning Raiders teams: Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII. During his career, Guy played in a record 207 consecutive games, averaged 42.4 yards per punt for his career, had 210 punts inside the 20-yard line, led the NFL in punting three times, had a streak of 619 consecutive punts before having one blocked, had a record 111 career punts in postseason games, had five punts of over 60 yards during the 1981 season, and never had a punt returned for a touchdown. Guy was selected to seven AFC Pro Bowl teams, and in 1994 he was named the punter on the National Football League's 75th Anniversary Team.
Guy was also an outstanding punter and placekicker at Southern Mississippi. During his senior season, Guy recorded a 93-yard punt while leading the NCAA with a 46.2 average. As a placekicker at Southern Mississippi, he kicked a then-record 61-yard field goal. Guy was also a starting safety in college and intercepted a record eight passes. He was a consensus All-American, which included being named to the prestigious Walter Camp All-America Team. After his senior season, Guy was named Most Valuable Player of the annual College All-Star game, in which an all-star team of college seniors played the current Super Bowl champion.
Guy has been inducted into both the Mississippi and the Georgia Sports Halls of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the American Football Kicking Hall of Fame, and he was the first pure punter to be nominated for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Guy was known for punts with a high hang time—sometimes as long as six seconds—and once punted the ball with so much hang time that the opponents pulled the ball and had it tested for helium.
As the cofounder and director of the Ray Guy Prokicker.com Academy, Rick Sang is a veteran with over 29 years of experience establishing kicking instructional programs at colleges and universities across the country. This program has produced two Lou Groza Award winners, numerous college All-Americans, and several NCAA and NFL record holders. A former college coach, he was a member of both Eastern Kentucky University NCAA Division 1AA national championship teams (1979 punter and receiver, 1982 kicking coach) and a kicking coach for Arizona State's 1986-87 PAC-10, Rose Bowl, and Freedom Bowl championship teams. During his coaching career, he had a punter win an NCAA national net punting title and a kicker set a record of five field goals in one game. He is a member of the American Football Coaches Association and the Greater Augusta Sports Council.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
Ray Guy explains how to use onside kicks
An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
An onside kick can be a surprise kick or a kick that everyone in the stadium knows is coming. The kicking team executes the onside kick with the intention of obtaining possession of the football. An onside kick can be used at any time to create a big play, but usually these kicks are employed when the game is on the line and the kicking team desperately needs the ball in the hands of its offense.
Kicks are considered onside kicks if they go at least 10 yards (enough to be legally recoverable) and provide the kicking team an opportunity to recover the kick and secure possession of the ball. Kicks that can be used for onside kicks include the high-bounce kick, the classic drive kick, and the drag kick.
High-Bounce Kick
The high-bounce, or lob, kick is angled toward the sideline, bounces off the ground, travels high in the air, and comes down at a point just beyond 10 yards. This kick gives the coverage team an opportunity to catch the ball before it hits the ground. To get the high bounce, the placekicker positions the football in the same way he normally would tee up the ball for a kickoff, with the exception of turning the tee backwards. This allows the football to immediately hit the ground without making any contact with the tee. He takes a position to the left side of the ball (for a right-footed kicker), about two and a half steps away. From this position, he faces down a line that connects his plant foot, the ball, and the spot he's kicking to-a spot 10 yards away. The approach is similar to that for an extra point or field goal. The placekicker leans, jab steps, steps, and plant steps past the ball, allowing the kicking foot to strike down on the upper third of the football with the inside tip of his toe. He sweeps the kicking leg across his body so the kicking foot doesn't hit the ground or the football as it ricochets upward. This contact forces a quick rotation of the ball into the ground, causing the ball to bounce high into the air as it heads toward its target. Ideally, the football should go at an angle from the tee, gaining distance as it heads toward the sideline to a point 10 yards down field. The football must come down toward the sideline but not too close. It needs to remain in the field of play to ensure an opportunity for the kicking team to secure possession.
Drive Kick
The drive kick is one of the most common onside kicks. It has been seen often in the last seconds of a football game when everyone in the stadium knows it is coming. A tee especially designed for this particular type of kick includes a notch that supports the football with its tip on the ground. The placekicker positions the football with the tip on the ground and leans it back on the tee considerably more, presetting the ball in the exact position he wants the ball to travel-angling toward the sideline on a low line and continually touching the ground, causing an erratic skip effect as it travels 10 yards. This kick must be hit with some force to generate the unpredictable motion needed to get results. The objective is for the tip of the ball to hit the ground as it skips, causing the ball to jump up in a split-second, making it extremely difficult to predict or handle. This gives the kicking team time to get in position to recover a mishandled ball or to obtain possession before the return team does. The placekicker aligns the same as he did for the high-bounce kick. The difference is that he strikes the football just below the tip, closer to the center, in order to drive it across the top of the ground. Remember that the tip of the football is touching the ground as the ball leans back and rests on the front of the tee.
Is He Offside?
It might appear that the placekicker is offside when he executes the high-bounce or drive kick because his plant foot is ahead of the football at impact. However, it's understood that a placekicker who's performing a kickoff cannot be offside prior to making contact with the football.
Drag Kick
The drag, or dribble, kick is a tremendously effective onside kick that can be used any time. It's especially useful when the kicking team sees that the front line of the return team is vacating their area prematurely in preparation to block. The placekicker positions the football and aligns as he would if he were kicking a regular deep kick downfield. This is one of the main reasons the drag kick can be so effective. Another reason is that the kicker is designated to recover his own onside kick. To be effective, the kicker must appear to be building up speed to drive the kickoff downfield as he approaches the football. At the last moment, as he prepares to swing his leg through to perform the kick, he quickly lifts his leg and simply drags his kicking foot across the top tip of the football. This causes the football to bounce alongside him, traveling at the same speed and just slightly ahead of him as he continues downfield. As he approaches 10 yards downfield, the football is practically waiting for him. All he has to do is recover and down it. The key to this onside kick is for the placekicker to be a great actor and make the kick look like a regular kickoff. This causes the front line of the return team to anticipate a deep kick and quickly vacate the area, allowing the kicker to recover the onside kick untouched. All the onside kicks discussed in this section can take advantage of the element of surprise. The kicker simply aligns as he would if performing a normal kickoff. He then adjusts his steps at the last second and catches the return team off guard.
Techniques vary for punting a football
From punting to the corner, to out of the end zone, situations and objectives differ when punting a football.
Punting to the Corner
Situation
The football is near the 50-yard line (figure 7.4). Because the football is near midfield, an intense punt rush by the return team is less likely because of the increased probability of a fake punt by the punting team.
Objective
The punter wants to angle his punting approach toward either sideline at a point between the 10- and 5-yard line markers to place the football inside the opponent's 20-yard line at a position nearest the goal line.
The coffin corner is either corner of the playing field formed by the sideline and just in front of the end zone. A punter might try to place the ball so that it lands and goes out of bounds or is downed near the corner, thus forcing the receiving team to play very close to its goal line and maximizing the distance the receiving team must travel to score.
The coffin corner punt is a controlled drive punt normally driven at a lower trajectory out of bounds with the intent to pin the opponent deep in its own territory. The punter tends to hold the football on his approach slightly lower and longer before the drop. This natural adjustment produces more of a drive punt that's more proficient in accuracy and distance. Because the objective is to have the football land completely out of bounds and off the field of play, minimal hang time is needed (because there's no threat of a return).
Sometimes a punter attempts to punt for the corner when he's outside of his range; in this case, the ball might simply roll dead deep in the opponent's territory before going out of bounds. This might prove effective, but the coverage team must be alert in case of an attempt to return the football.
Punting to the Right Corner
When punting to the right corner, the right-footed punter needs to consider aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's closer to the goal line, preferably the 5-yard line. When punted correctly by a right-footed punter, the ball will spin clockwise and tend to fade to the right as it noses over. By aiming tighter to the goal line, the punter plays the natural fade and allows room for the punt to be effective. For example, if the punter truly aims at a point directly over the 5-yard line, as the football turns over and begins to fade, it should go out of bounds within the 10-yard line, well within the 20-yard line objective.
By aiming over the 5-yard line, the punter gives himself a 5-yard cushion to either side. This allows him to play it safe and keep the football out of the end zone, avoiding a touchback. This strategy enables him to place the football well within the 20-yard line and actually closer to the 10-yard line.
Punting to the Left Corner
When punting to the left, the right-footed punter considers aiming at a particular point out of bounds that's more away from the goal line, preferably the 10-yard line. Again this allows him to play the fade. As it noses over, the punt will fade naturally toward the right and go out of bounds, ideally near the 5-yard line mark or even closer.
A left-footed punter will need to reverse these instructions. The football will spin counterclockwise, tending to fade to the left as it noses over. This means a left-footed punter will need to aim closer to the goal line over the 5-yard line when going for the left corner and aim more toward the 10-yard line when going for the right corner.
Punting Out of the End Zone
Situation
The football is generally within the punt team's 5-yard line (figure 7.5), creating a tight punting situation in which the normal depth of the punter's alignment is minimized. The likeliness of an all-out rush increases the closer the punting team is to its own goal line. In this case, a hard rush is expected because the punter is standing deep in his team's own end zone.
Objective
Because a heavy rush is expected and the normal stepping pattern distance is decreased, the punter adjusts his approach to quickly get the punt off. Punt distance is desperately needed to regain some field position and get the punting team out of the hole. More important, hang time is crucial to minimize a return.
Obviously, punting out of the end zone tends to bring the most intense rush. Because the punt team has a limited distance to protect, the punt-return team has a greater opportunity to block the punt and a chance to speed up the punter's rhythm and force a bad punt. The punt-return team also would anticipate a mishandled snap allowing them a quick opportunity to score.
In this situation it's challenging for the punter to punt the football toward the numbers outside the hashmark in order to use the sideline to minimize the coverage area, especially because an intense rush will likely come from outside the protection and up the middle. Thus the punt team must first protect the punter and second release and cover effectively. Because of the likely rush pressure from outside, the punter should punt straight ahead to maximize protection. By maximizing hang time and distance, he provides a greater opportunity for the coverage team to protect and be more effective getting downfield to minimize the return.
Even if the return team is unable to block the punt, it can cause the punt team to do a poor job of covering downfield by forcing them to focus more on protection of the punter.
When punting out of the end zone, the punter focuses on his alignment and stance. He's deep in the back of the end zone and close to the endline. He needs to position his feet well ahead of this line and not right up against it while in his stance. If a punter inadvertently moves his foot back as he receives the snap and steps on the back line, he would be ruled out of bounds. This is a technique that the punter develops through practice. By aligning at least a foot ahead of the back line, he minimizes the risk of stepping out of bounds, especially if he uses proper technique by moving forward to meet the snap.
Another aspect of punting out of the end zone that needs to be considered regarding alignment is the distance from the line of scrimmage. If the football is inside the 5-yard line, the distance separating the punter from the oncoming rush is reduced as well. (This is commonly called a tight punt situation.) The more inside the 5-yard line the football is spotted, the less room the punter has to take his normal steps during his approach to punt the football downfield.
The best way to approach this type of punt is for the punter to shorten his steps to cover less distance. By practicing this technique and allowing it to develop naturally, the punter can still maintain a quick, rhythmic get-off time. This technique allows him to use his normal stepping approach (two or two and a half), which keeps the approach consistent with his normal stepping pattern.
An advantage of punting from a tight punt formation inside the 5-yard line is that the snapped football has less distance to travel and thus will be received by the punter quicker than usual. This faster snap assists the punter, along with his shorter and quicker steps, allowing him to offset the closer distance between the block point of the punt and the oncoming rush.
Visualization and imagery techniques key training for kickers and punters
Whether they realize it or not, kickers and punters are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Building a Mental Plan Into Your Routine
The skills of kicking and punting are based on directing a kicked or punted football at a target or toward a particular position on the football field. To accomplish these objectives, the kicker or punter first aligns in a precise position to effectively direct the flight of the ball. Throughout the alignment process, the kicker or punter uses natural aiming points and landmarks as reference points. Each time they refer to these positions on the football field, they have an opportunity to set an immediate goal and visualize the football reaching that target. Whether they realize it or not, they are constantly preparing to succeed by first seeing the results of their efforts before they ever kick or punt the ball.
Kickers and punters can incorporate visualization and imagery techniques into their everyday routines in many ways. This is a natural approach to the mental aspect of the game and should be incorporated as part of the skill-training process. These techniques can effectively increase the kicker's and punter's abilities to perform under pressure by increasing their confidence. Through gamelike experiences, kickers and punters use these techniques to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of training and give them the edge they need to perform at an optimal level.
Every time the kicker or punter aligns in position to kick or punt and focuses on his reference points, he should quickly visualize the flight path of the football going directly to the target. For example, the placekicker has the opportunity to visualize when he's determining his point of placement, when he's toeing the line to determine his vertical alignment, and when he checks his target from his stance.
The placekicker can develop the ability to read his mechanics by seeing and feeling his body position (kinesthetic feel) during the postkick check phase to learn the precise path of the football. He develops this technique so thoroughly that he anticipates the exact location of the football simply by evaluating the reference points of his body.
As his eyes ascend, he'll be able to extend the arm on the side of his kicking leg upward in a direct line toward his target, pointing as if he were touching the football in flight.
As part of their pregame preparation, the kicker and punter should check the field surface, assess weather conditions and wind direction, and study the general layout of the facility. This is especially important before away games. They should identify certain landmarks or stationary objects to use as aiming points and become familiar with the environment. The pregame is also an excellent opportunity to align on various spots of the field and simulate game situations in order to visualize successful kicks and punts. This active form of imagery can be done anywhere on the field.
Attentional Focus and Distraction Elimination
Getting properly aligned provides a great opportunity for the kicker or punter to focus his attention on his target and then ensure every step of his alignment aligns precisely with his target. This process is the basis of kicking and punting a football in a precise direction.
The routine of alignment requires focused attention that also serves to eliminate distraction. The alignment routine gives the kicker or punter something constructive to do when the game is on the line and the kicker or punter must focus solely on the kick or punt.
As the kicker or punter runs onto the field, he should
- know the game situation and focus on the official's spotting of the football at the line of scrimmage;
- locate his target according to the placement of the football and precisely align in a position that ensures optimal direction and placement of his kick;
- check his target once he's in his stance and quickly visualize a successful kick, which can be a simple positive affirmation toward where he'll direct the football, before acknowledging his readiness to the holder or snapper; and
- keep things simple by limiting his thoughts, allowing him to focus entirely on performing at the optimal level he has prepared for.
The progression of running into the game, determining his target, aligning precisely, visualizing the objective, and performing optimally demands total concentration. The entire process requires attention to details and allows the disciplined kicker and punter to eliminate outside distractions.
Enduring the Opposition's Icing Attempts
When the game is on the line and a pressure kick is coming, you can expect the opposing team to try to disrupt the kicker's focus by calling a time-out to delay the kick. This is known as icing the kicker. The opponent wants to make the kicker consider the magnitude of the kick. The delay also provides an opportunity for opposing players to do a little taunting by reminding the kicker of the enormity of the situation. They might even throw out a few personal barbs to try to create negative thoughts that anger or frustrate the kicker.
Whatever the case, the kicker has a multitude of mental weapons to shield himself from a barrage of verbal attacks. First, to be prepared and game-ready, he should always strive to develop his skills until they become second nature. He should be so confident in his performance that he doesn't have to think-he simply responds.
He should plan to succeed by practicing the situation. He rehearses and practices the last-second kick and the kick-with-the-game-on-the-line scenarios throughout the season during a weekly regimen. He approaches every kick as if it were a game winner. It doesn't matter if it's a PAT in the first minute of the game, a 45-yard field goal in the middle of the second quarter, or a chip-shot kick early in the second half. He routinely approaches each kick as if the game depended on his success. This way, he can approach a true game-winning kick as if it's just another kick.
He identifies his target and aligns accordingly. The alignment routine requires focused attention that also serves as a remedy to eliminate distraction. He also focuses on the finish and on performing his mechanics optimally. By aligning properly and finishing properly, he allows the fundamentals to be executed effectively. This in itself demands total concentration.
He sticks with his routine. The act of running onto the field to perform the kick is a routine every kicker is accustomed to. An opposing team trying to ice the kicker might call time-out after the kicker finds his target and aligns in his stance. With approval from the coach, the kicker should consider running back to the sideline and standing next to the coach, just as he did prior to running into the game to make the kick. After the time-out, he gets approval from the coach and then goes back into the game, just as he did the first time he went onto the field. This is a great way to keep active during the time-out without standing on the field and thinking. More important, the kicker sticks to his usual routine.
He separates himself from the opponents. When the time-out is called, the kicker is usually 9 or 10 yards away from the opposing team. This is too close because he'll clearly hear any verbal barbs directed his way. Instead, he should immediately walk away to establish separation and allow some of the crowd noise to block out the onfield banter. He might talk to a teammate or take the chance to visualize the upcoming kick.
He thrives in the moment. This is exactly the kind of situation he has prepared for. He develops the mentality to embrace the challenge. This is a moment he has played in his head over and over. Not only is he prepared, he is thankful for the opportunity.
He talks with either the holder or the coach about something insignificant or what needs to be done after the kick is made. For example, while on the sideline during the icing time-out, the coach might say, "After you make the kick, make sure that on the kickoff you kick a deep squib kick down the middle of the field, and tell everyone we need an all-out effort to cover." With these words, the coach provides a powerful message about his confidence in his kicker.
Dusty Mangum, who began his college football career as a walk-on for the University of Texas, is best known for a 37-yard game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2005 Rose Bowl. Moments prior to Mangum's kick, head coach Mack Brown told the senior, "You're the luckiest human being in the world because your last kick at Texas will win the Rose Bowl." The kick made Mangum an instant celebrity and a legend in the storied history of Texas football.
Finally, the kicker repeats a positive mantra-finish to the target, fluid and smooth, focus on the finish. He stays positive, waits for the time-out to end, and then calmly kicks the ball through the uprights.
Proper contact with ball is important for the kicker
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball’s widest segment.
Impact With the Sweet Spot
For a soccer-style kicker, the sweet spot of the ball is about 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches down from the ball's widest segment (figure 1.14). Contacting this area of the ball on the kick is most effective to achieve the optimal height and distance. When the holder positions the football in a straight up-and-down position, the kicker has a greater opportunity to strike the sweet spot.
Because the ball is a prolate spheroid shape, its axis of symmetry is longer than its other axes. This means the ball has a natural curve from its midsection that continues inward and to both points of the ball. When the football is positioned for placement-vertically for maximum sweet spot exposure-the inward curving of the ball from the midsection down to the point of placement on the ground provides the ideal surface area for contact on the kick. When the kicker strikes the ball as the kicking foot ascends, the ideal impact surface of the football and the top of the foot are more likely to meet, making for optimal impact and compression.
On contact with the ball, the kicker's upper body is angled back slightly and away from the ball. Contact occurs at the exact moment the kicking foot begins to ascend. The kicking leg is rotated inward slightly as the kicking foot remains locked at the ankle with toes pointing down and out. The kicking leg should be in a nearly locked position.
The inward rotation of the kicking foot allows contact to occur at the top of the foot. This motion enables the leg to rotate slightly, allowing the knee of the kicking leg to move forward and face the direction of the target. At the moment the ball begins to compress, the impetus of the body-including the plant foot, hips, and leg swing-comes together to maximize the energy transfer through the football. At this moment, all the mechanics of the kick coordinate with the direction of the plant foot, which has transitioned to a firm and flat position, and come together to focus all energy directly toward the target.
At the very moment the football is compressed, the kicking leg locks. The kicker's hips are square to the target and should continue forward in a thrusting motion, allowing for optimal power through the football. The left arm begins to sweep forward to counterbalance the anticipated swing of the kicking leg and provide stability as the body's energy becomes concentrated toward the target. The right arm is slightly behind the body as it counterbalances the plant foot and the swing of the left arm.
The lean of the kicker's body positions his head at an angle above and almost directly over a spot slightly behind and to the outside edge of the plant foot. This natural positioning of the body provides an optimal viewpoint. As the body continues the slight lean, with chest, hips, and kicking leg in a direct line to the kicking foot, the kicker looks down his body with eyes focused intently on the ball.
Optimal Trajectory
On impact, the kicker's body is slightly back and angled away from the ball, which allows him to kick up and through the ball, gaining immediate elevation to clear the ball over the oncoming rush. This is the kicker's natural way of adjusting his center of gravity to get a quick lift on the ball.
Optimal trajectory means obtaining maximum height and distance on the football to clear 10 feet easily from a 7-yard distance. An extra point or field goal is kicked 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, where the potential blockers are swarming. Oncoming rushers can jump about 10 feet in the air. Thus, once the kick is on its way it must immediately climb above 10 feet before it travels 7 yards.
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