Credits
Brad Bookstein
For kick and punt demos

Fort inspiration and support:
Judith Meyers

All contents Copyright © 1999, George Jakowenko.

The score is 21 to 20; your team is behind. It is 4th down, the ball is on the 20 yard line. The coach calls time out with 2 seconds left. The coaches are huddled on the sideline. They look at their play-sheet, glance where the ball is resting, look back to their play-sheet and speak into their headsets to the spotters in the press box. They are frantically deciding what the next play should be. The crowd is yelling, your teammates are yelling, everyone is yelling, excitement is building, and the tension, so thick you can cut it with a knife, is mounting. Players are whacking you on the helmet, butt and shoulders, to show support if you are called to kick. You feel like a punching bag. Your teammates know that you may be called any second to kick. You hear the words "FIELD GOAL". You, and countless others, have fantasized this moment in your mind many times. "TWO SECONDS LEFT TO GO IN THE GAME, HE KICKS, IT'S GOOD, HE WINS THE GAME!!!." 

But reality sets in quickly. Is this the moment you have been truly waiting for? You and your teammates have practiced this situation many times. You jog out on the field. Nervousness hits you like a ton of bricks. Your knees are weak. As much as you try to stay calm, your stomach is in knots. You wonder how your stomach has room for knots with all of the butterflies already there. The feeling in your stomach is new this time. Sure you practiced this with the team many times, but this is real; win or lose, it is up to you. YOU are the one being watched by everyone in the stands. YOU are the one being talked about; the announcers are discussing YOUR statistics and YOUR experience in this type of situation. You are just trying to make it on to the field without fainting. You hope you do not trip over your feet and embarrass yourself. You must control the anxiety and concentrate on the form. You line up. The opponents are yelling at you. You hear "WUSSY", "NO-KICKER", "CHOKER", all meant to break your concentration. All the techniques you practiced go through your mind. 

You CONCENTRATE on only one thing and one thing only--the form. You line up for the kick, take the steps back and to the side, shake your arms to relax. The holder, already on one knee, is waiting for the snap. He looks at YOU, waiting for YOU to give the go-ahead. The center is waiting for YOU. The team is waiting for YOU, they are all waiting for YOU to give signal to proceed. YOU are in control. NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU GIVE THE SIGNAL. You take a deep breath, take one last look at the goal posts and you give the prearranged signal. The ball is snapped. Your mind races through all of the kicking techniques you have practiced time and time again. CONCENTRATE, CONCENTRATE, CONCENTRATE. You see the ball coming towards the holder, he catches the ball and lowers it to the kicking tee. You start the approach. Even though you are concentrating, you subconsciously PRAY for a good snap and hold. The holder places the ball on the tee and WHOOSH; the sound your leg makes as it cuts through the air, speeding towards the ball. You still concentrate on form and do not hear the pounding, grunts and groans at the line of scrimmage. One team blocking, and another one penetrating. You hear the THUNK of your foot hitting the sweet spot on the ball. You focus on the follow-through, and as you finish the follow-through and look up, you see the ball sailing toward the uprights, down the middle, with plenty of distance. You do not wait for the referee's signal, you jump up as far as you can and shoot your arms up into the air, signaling "IT'S GOOD". The holder is the first player to give you a high-five. This experience is the ultimate high. You will never forget this moment.

OR

The score is 21 to 20; your team is behind. The holder places the ball on the tee, and WHOOSH; the sound your leg makes as it cuts through the air, speeding towards the ball…you hear the THUNK of your foot hitting the sweet spot on the ball. You focus on the follow-through and as you finish the follow-through, you look up; but just then, you hear another THUNK. The second THUNK is the sound heard when the ball is blocked by the defense. The dreaded DOUBLE THUNK. The field goal try is BLOCKED; *@#$&*!!! The ball lands right in front of you and a mad scramble for the ball ensues. The depression starts almost immediately. Everyone will blame you for the miss. You dread the jog back to the sideline, because what is waiting for you is not a welcome home party. You start sweating, as you come off the field. The coach glares at you. Fans on your side of the field are booing; fans on the opponent's side are cheering. Forget about getting a ride home from any of your teammates, or what may be left of your friends. For the moment, your life just turned to cow dung. And the good time you were planning to have with friends tonight, forget it. And from the family, you will hear those dreaded words of consolation "That's OK honey, you did your best". You will remember that moment for the rest of your life too. . 

Placekicking and punting are an exciting aspect of football and you can be a part of the excitement. On any football field, there is always someone trying for "3", or trying to punt a "spiral". But what you do not hear on a consistent basis are "IT'S GOOD!" and "GREAT PUNT". My name is George Jakowenko, former kicker in the National Football League for the AFC West Oakland Raiders and the AFC East Buffalo Bills. 

My site has been developed for you. I explain the proper techniques you need to apply to increase accuracy and distance for both placekicking and punting. Both distance and accuracy will be improved with less effort. I have taught high school and college students to kick and punt for over 22 years. If the techniques are applied properly, you will improve accuracy and distance. I explain the fundamentals of placekicking and punting, warm-ups, stretching exercises, practice drills and how equipment affects your kicking success. 

This is an extensive site on placekicking and punting. Throughout the site I refer to instructions for right-footed placekickers and punters. If you are a left-footed placekicker/punter reverse the instructions

The biggest reason why you are not a better placekicker/punter is because you lack a resource to teach you!  You are frequently left on your own to practice. My 22 years of both playing and teaching will help you improve your placekicking and punting and give the coach more time to concentrate on other parts of the game.

One of many misconceptions about placekickers and punters is that size and gender matter. I have taught kicking to players of all sizes and shapes, both male and female, all of whom have been successful.