Good for 3: Punting

Site design by Judith Meyers.

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 into the air 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 end zone 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 at 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 so the laces point upward and are angled to the left about 10:30 on a clock. At the first step, the ball must be positioned in front of your punting leg, with laces up and properly angled.


#21	#22