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

Ball Rotation

Immediately after you catch the ball, rotate it in your hands so that the laces point up and the ball is angled to the left. [See picture 22a.]
#22a

Grasping the ball

There are three ways to hold the ball:

Underneath-hold – most preferable if you have small hands, but can be used by all. [See picture 23.]
Side-hold – used by those with bigger hands.  [See picture 24.]
Top-hold - used by those with even larger hands. Should not be used if you have small hands and cannot palm the ball.  [See picture 25.]

#23 #24
#25

Angle of ball

Hold the ball flat. The angle of the ball should be angled towards the left about 2” from center. [See pictures 26 and 27.] The ball can be angled by either turning the wrist to the left or turning the ball to the left and keeping the wrist straight. The better method is to turn the ball and not the wrist.

COMMON ERROR
Turning the ball by bending the wrist and then just prior to punting it, straightening the wrist, whichwill cause the ball to be punted reverse end-over-end.
#26
#27

Elbow extension

Keep your elbow fully extended and out in front as you hold the ball.

COMMON ERROR
Bending the elbow too much, causing the ball to strike the ankle or shin.

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