Placekicking

  1. Choose Your Approach
  2. Warm-ups
  3. Stretching
  4. Kicking routine
  5. Mental routine
  6. Proper distance and angle from the ball at ball address
  7. Foot placement at ball address
  8. Position of arms, shoulders and hips at ball address
  9. Where to look when waiting for the ball to be snapped
  10. What to think as the ball is snapped
  11. Timing with the center, holder and you
  12. When to start the take-off for the kick
  13. Steps
  14. Where to look when approaching the ball
  15. Proper take-off toward the ball
  16. Foot speed at the approach
  17. Position of hips and shoulders at ball approach
  18. Position of arms at ball approach
  19. Position of kicking foot prior to the kick
  20. Positions of kicking thigh and knee at explosion into the ball
  21. Position of arms at contact
  22. Foot placement and angle of planting foot at contact
  23. Position of head at contact.
  24. Position of shoulders at contact
  25. Position of hips at contact
  26. What part of the ball to kick
  27. What part of the foot kicks the ball
  28. Position of laces, tilt and angle of the ball on contact
  29. Ball rotation on contact
  30. Position of head during follow-through
  31. Position of shoulders during follow-through
  32. Position of arms during follow-through
  33. Position of planting foot during follow-through
  34. Position of hips during follow-through
  35. Position of kicking foot during follow-through
  36. Position of head after follow-through
  37. Position of kicking foot after follow-through
  38. Where to land after follow-through
  39. Speed of ball rotation after the kick
  40. Holding the ball
  41. Which hand to hold the ball
  42. Wind direction and speed
  43. Temperature
  44. Seam vs. panel vs. laces
  45. Accuracy
  46. Indicator as to why the kick missed
  47. Increasing traction
  48. Kick-off
  49. Normal kick-off
  50. On-side kick-off
  51. Practice Drills
  52. Height
  53. Maximum Distance
  54. Quick kick
  55. Bad holder
  56. Weekly workout schedule
  57. Game day schedule
  58. Miscellaneous
  59. Adjustments for missed kicks
  60. Injuries
  61. Weight training
  62. Equipmen
  63. Glossary

Choose Your Approach

You have two decisions to make.  Will you be a "two" or "three-step" kicker and will you be a straight-on or soccer-style kicker?  The choice between being straight-on and soccer-style kicker is easy, be a soccer-style kicker.

Two or three step approach

Placekicking can be accomplished using either a Two-Step or Three-Step approach.

Many coaches prefer a Two-Step approach to get to the ball faster.  Some reasons:  the holder is too slow getting the ball down; the center’s snap is too slow; or the offensive line allows penetration.

Advantages to the Two-Step approach:

  • There is less distance between the kicker and the ball.

Advantages to the Three-Step approach:

  • Provides more power as a result of the forward movement of the body to the ball.
  • Provides greater balance at the approach to the ball.
  • Compensates for a bad snap.  Enables you to start-stop-restart your stride and still maintain balance.
  • Most high school, college, and pro kickers use the Three-Step approach.

Straight-on or Soccer-sSyle

Most college kickers and all NFL kickers use the soccer-style approach, yet many high school kickers are straight-on kickers because that is what they learned when they were just starting.  

Advantages to Straight-on kicking:

  • Easiest to learn.
  • Ball gets higher more quickly.
  • Requires less contortion of the body, legs, and feet.

Disadvantages to Straight-on kicking:

  • Most kids start kicking the ball with the toe, yet approach the ball at an angle, thus combining the straight-on and soccer-style approaches without realizing it, resulting in awkward form and decreased accuracy.
  • There are very few soccer-style kicking coaches and fewer straight-on kicking coaches.
  • Generally not taught in college and not at all in the pros.
  • Not as accurate using today’s soccer shoes.  You have to purchase a special straight-on shoe or an attachment for the shoe, both of which are hard to find in local sporting goods stores.
  • Attaching the accessory is hard.
  • Many kickers also play another position.  Changing into a kicking shoe is time-consuming.
  • The ball does not travel as far.
  • A kicker who uses a soccer shoe to kick straight-on has to make contact with approximately a 1” area of the tip of the shoe, magnifying minor form errors.
  • Developing leg strength takes a lot longer.

Advantages to Soccer-style kicking:

  • More accurate because the soccer-style kicker can use almost a 6” area of the shoe to make contact.
  • Minor form errors are not as likely to result in a miss.
  • More power in the leg swing, resulting in greater distance.

Disadvantages to Soccer-style kicking:

  • THE MOST DIFFICULT POSITION TO MASTER SUCCESSFULLY
  • Once learned, there are no disadvantages

Kicking barefoot.

Kicking barefoot is not recommended, as it poses a severe danger to the toes and skin.  Frequently, you will kick the tee and the ground, and it is painful enough to hit either while wearing a shoe, let alone not wearing one.

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