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

Other factors affecting the flight and distance of the ball after the punt

Wind direction

Wind can be a punter’s nightmare. Wind will almost always be factor unless you are in a dome. How you adjust to the wind will determine your success. The wind can come at your face, at your back, from your left, from your right and swirl around so you cannot tell where the wind is coming from.

You do not need to look at the uprights for a punt because you are more concerned with what happens to the ball near you, not downfield, as with a field goal.

As with kicking, the wind conditions require you to make small adjustments as to how high you punt the ball.

Wind at your back will increase the distance of the punt. Wind in your face will decrease the distance. Wind from right to left, for a right-footed punter, is the most troublesome. Getting spirals and turnovers is the most difficult with the wind from right to left which will also cause the ball to go left.

Temperature

The colder the ball, the shorter the distance the ball will travel. Cold air will make leather hard, and as a result, the ball will not carry as far. If at all possible and you can select the ball to be punted (which some schools permit), keep the ball warm the best you can.

Seam vs. panel vs. laces

I have found that punting the seam opposite the laces is not only less painful but also the ball travels farthest. If you punting the panel, you will get a little less distance and if you punt the laces, you get the least.

Height

Height is a function of how high you hold the ball when you punt it. The higher you hold the ball, the higher the ball will travel. The reason for this is that you are meeting the ball at a higher point as your leg completes its arc. If you meet the ball high enough, the ball will go backwards. Conversely if you hold the ball very low, your foot is still swinging forward through the arc and the ball will go forward.  After punting the ball, follow through by bringing your punting leg up towards your right eye (for a right-footed punter) and conversley, to the left eye for a left-footed punter.

Out of end-zone punts

Another variation is to take the first step backwards about 3”. This has the effect of a three-step punt but not bringing you any closer to the line of scrimmage.

For a two-step punter: The basic reason for the two-step punt is to decrease the total time it takes from the snap to the punt. I recommend the use of a “skip step” when taking the first step. The Fake Step is actually going backwards. So the first step you take is backwards. The second step is a normal stride. You now have taken two steps, but are not any closer to the line of scrimmage than if you had taken one step in the two step approach. The backward skip step is also taken quickly (skipped into), to not add precious time to the punt. If the coach wants you to be a two-step punter you must start the steps after catching the ball. If you step before you catch the ball (to get a head start) you will not have enough time to execute the punt properly.

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