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All contents Copyright © 1999, George Jakowenko.
Arm and hand position at drop
Your arm should be just on the outside of your punting leg when you use
the “Side-hold” method. [See picture 36.] This technique compensates
for the fact that your hand is to the right of the ball. Drop your
arm just to the right of your leg. The ball will be properly aligned
on to your foot. If you use the “top-hold” or “underneath-hold”, then
your arm must be moved in slightly to the left.
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| #36 |
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COMMON ERROR
Holding the ball too far to the right of the leg. This makes you reach for the ball, and which will cause the ball to be punted left. [See picture 37.] |
| #37 |
Shoulder position at drop
Must be level with a slight lean over your hips. Bend at your waist
and knees.
Lower the ball to the foot
Your hand and arm should work as a unit in lowering the ball to your
foot. As your
arm lowers the ball, release the ball.
The ball will drop about 8" to 12" from the time you release
it to the time your foot hits it. If you hold the ball higher and
drop it 8"-12", it will get more height because point of contact
is higher.
Conversely, if you hold the ball lower and drop it 8"-12" before
you punt
it, it will get less height and more distance because the point of
contact is lower.
If it is windy, then you want to hold on to the ball a little longer and reduce the drop to 5"-8".
Control drop speed
The ball must be laid down onto your foot, not pushed or thrown on it.
If you use the “top-hold” method, there is a tendency to push the front part of the ball
down towards the foot, resuting in an end-over-end punt.
The ball release is very important. The ball must be released from your fingers and thumb simultaneously. Since the underneath-hold technique has your fingers on the bottom of the ball and your thumb on top, there is a tendency for your thumb to release the ball first, causing the ball to roll forward off your hand. If you use the “top-hold” technique, the “roll-off” will not occur.
COMMON ERRORBend your knee and cock your leg
Top-hold technique: Pushing the forward point of the ball downward.
The side-hold technique causes the the ball to rotate counter-clockwise, like a helicopter.
The underneath-hold technique is most prone to poor release. Because the thumb is on top of the ball to hold it in place, there is a tendency to release the ball first with the thumb, which causes the ball to roll off the hand.
Bend your knee and bring your foot behind your butt to “cock” your punting leg. The fast snap of your knee will bring your foot quickly towards the ball. The faster the snap, the more power you will transfer into the ball. More power creates more distance or greater hang time.
The Toe Point
The toe of your punt foot must point downfield when you make contact
with the ball. [See picture 38.] Make a straight line
from your toe to your ankle.
The straighter the line, the better contact your foot will make on
the sweet spot of the ball. If you do not point your toe (as
in
picture 40), your toe will strike the tip of the ball and the ball
will
spin backwards, resulting in a high, short punt.
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| #38 | #40 |
