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

Hold the ball through the strides

Hold the ball with both hands after you catch it and at the first and second steps. [See picture 30.]  As your left leg moves forward to take the third step, your left hand drops away from the ball and moves just past your left leg. [See pictures 31 and 32.] Hold your left hand outwards and to the left for balance. As your right leg comes up to punt the ball, your right hand comes down and lays the ball onto your foot.

COMMON ERRORS

  • Holding the ball with two hands as you punt it.
  • Throwing the ball up in the air with two hands and then punting it.

#28 #29 #30
 
#31 #32  

Extend the ball outwards at the approach

The goal is to place the ball on your foot so your foot makes contact with the sweet spot of the ball. [See picture 33a.] As an exercise, stand straight up and down, do not bend at your waist. [See picture 33b.] Hold the ball straight out in front of you--about waist high--and bend your elbows a few inches. Raise your punting leg as high as you can. Notice that the ball meets your shin. Now bend at your waist and straighten your elbows; you will notice that the ball moves down your leg and closer to your foot. [See picture 34.] If you do not bend properly, you will have to throw the ball forward so it meets your foot.

#33a #33b #34

Ball angle and tilt of the drop

Drop the ball parallel to the ground and angled to the left, about 2 inches from center. [See picture 35.]

COMMON ERROR
Pushing the point down when you hold the ball using the top-hold technique.
Letting the ball go with the thumb first, causing it to “roll off” the hand because you did not release the ball evenly with fingers and thumb in the under reach-hold.

#35

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