Punting

  1. Choose Your Approach
  2. Warm Up
  3. Stretching
  4. Pre-punt mental routine
  5. Distance from the center
  6. Alignment to the line of scrimmage
  7. Foot alignment prior to the snap
  8. Upper body, arms and hand positions
  9. Leg Position
  10. While you wait for the ball to be snapped
  11. Concentrate as the ball is snapped
  12. When to start the take-off
  13. Proper stride length
  14. Take off towards the ball
  15. Weak snap
  16. Bad snap
  17. How high to hold the ball
  18. How to catch the ball
  19. Ball rotation in hands
  20. Grasping the ball
  21. Angle of ball
  22. Elbow extension
  23. Hold the ball through the strides
  24. Extend the ball outwards at the approach
  25. Ball angle and tilt of drop
  26. Arm and hand position at drop
  27. Shoulder position at drop
  28. Lower the ball to the foot
  29. Control drop speed
  30. Release the ball
  31. Bend the knee and cock the foot
  32. The Toe Point
  33. The plant foot
  34. Foot contact on sweet spot
  35. Contact point on foot during contact with the ball
  36. Optimum contact of the ball with the foot
  37. Position of arms during contact with the ball
  38. Position of head during contact with the ball
  39. Position of hips during contact with the ball
  40. Position of shoulders during contact with the ball
  41. Position of hips at point of contact with the ball
  42. Follow through with the punt foot
  43. Punting foot after follow-through
  44. Position of head after the follow through
  45. Position of planting foot after the follow-through
  46. Body position after follow-through
  47. Game situations
  48. How high should the follow-through be?
  49. Distance from the line of scrimmage after the punt
  50. Other factors affecting the flight and distance of the ball after the punt
  51. Wind direction
  52. Temperature
  53. Seam vs. panels vs. laces.
  54. Height
  55. Out of end-zone punts
  56. Distance
  57. Common Injuries
  58. Weight Training
  59. Practice techniques
  60. Ask the Coach
  61. George's Notes
  62. Glossary

Bad snap

A bad snap is one that forces you move out of position, whereas a weak snap is either a little high or a little low.

Bad high snap
If you are forced to jump to catch the ball, punt the ball immediately. Do not worry about form. Do not take the customary 3 steps; instead take one step and punt.

Bad low snap, “grounder”
Slide to the side where the ball rolls. Bend at your knees and at the same time turn sideways to pick up the ball. [See picture 17.] By bending at the knees and turning sideways, you will keep the ball from going past you. Keep your bent knee off the ground. Do not bend down so much that the referee thinks your knee has touched the ground. NEVER bend over at the waist with your legs apart (as in pictures 18 and 19). If you miss the ball, it will go between your legs. Keep the ball between the center and you. Once you pick up the ball, punt it quickly. Forget about the Three-Step Approach and do not worry about form because you will not have time.

#17 #18 #19

How high to hold the ball

For a normal punt, hold the ball between your jersey numbers and your waist. [See picture 20.]
#20

How high you hold the ball depends on how high you want the punt to go:

High hang-time: Hold the ball at the top of your jersey numbers and drop from that height.
Deep drive: Drop the ball between your waist and thigh to punt out of the endzone or if there is a strong wind behind your back.
Into the wind: Hold the ball between your thigh and knee. Wait a little longer before dropping it. The less time the ball spends in the air, the less chance the wind can affect it.
Strong wind across your body: Hold the ball at the height needed, and hold it in your hand longer.
Coffin-corner punt: Short directional punting out of bounds. Hold the ball between your jersey numbers and your waist.

How to catch the ball

Catch the ball in front of you. [See picture 21.] DO NOT let it touch your chest or stomach since this either takes time away from your setup for the punt or the ball will bounce off your chest/stomach (as in picture 22). As you catch the ball, flex your elbows to cushion the ball. Do not catch the ball using stiff arms; this may cause the ball to bounce off your hands. Catch the ball with your fingers, not with the palms of your hands. Your fingers act like soft springs that give when you catch the ball. Watch the ball from the moment it is snapped to you until it is in your hands. As soon as you catch it, lay the ball out in front of you and turn the ball, laces pointing upward and angled to the left about 10:30 on a clock. After your first step, the ball must be positioned in front of your punting leg, with laces up and properly angled.

#21 #22

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