Moving your kicking game up to the next level.

Every football coach I know appreciates kicking specialists, because they know how important they are to the team. Good punters, place kickers, snappers, and holders are essential in the production of a great kicking game.

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Although they get a miniscule amount of playing time compared to all the other player positions, the plays that they are involved in can often have a dramatic effect on the outcome of a game.

These players usually spend an enormous amount of time in preparation for their small amount of playing time. It is impossible for them to wait until the beginning of preseason practice to start getting ready.

Specialists on the other hand don't have assignments to learn, but they are required to spend hours honing their technique.

Most coaches I know want their specialists to be ready when spring or fall practice begins. What this means is that specialists must learn and practice their specialties during the off-season.

The key is to stay in contact with them, making sure they are observing a program that will enable them to be ready to go at the beginning of fall or spring practice, one that requires them to do more than just stay in shape.

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There are several reasons why specialists need to come in ready. One is the time it takes to get into game-level readiness. Another is that coaches on any level really don't know enough about all of these skills to help them very much. Their major concern is Xs and Os. But Xs and Os are also a part of the kicking game.

This is where being ready really helps and it is very often over-looked. Think about how much easier it would be if the punter, place kicker, snapper, and holder were all ready to go when you start to assemble special teams.

THE PUNT

Lets take the punt first. The number one thing to consider is the long snapper. If you coach in high school, you should have at least one person who can snap the ball 13 yards on target in .8 seconds. The next level snapper should snap it 15 yards in .7 or .75 seconds on target. Impossible? No! But you will have to make them work at it with those goals in mind.

Make them understand what is required to have a great punting game. Most coaches really do a good job on protection, so there is no need to dwell on it in this system, except to say that it is really an important part of the punt operation. Putting it together becomes so much easier when you have a good long snapper.

Once these two parts of the punt operation are solid, you will only need that great punter.

When you are putting together protection, the time element is extremely important. If your punter can get the ball off in the required time, he will make it so much easier.

A high school punter should have a get-off time of 1.4 seconds. That, combined with a .8 sec. snap, gives you a total operation time of 2.2 seconds. A college punter should have a get-off time of 1.25 seconds. Combine that with a .75 snap time and you have a total operation time of 2.0.

Now, I am smart enough to know that these are pretty high expectations. But that is what it takes. I know some college-level programs that expect even faster times. They usually they want the punter to speed up. Some want the total operation time as low as 1.95 seconds. You cannot expect the punter to kick the ball efficiently any faster than that. If your snapper and punter can do it within the times I have mentioned when they arrive for the start of spring or fall practice, you won't have any problem putting together their protection. The consistency with which they can perform the punt operation within these times is the key: This makes the stop watch a must when working with the punt operation or just the punter. You have to time and record everything.

The other thing I'd like to mention here is what the punter's job is. The punter must give his team the best field position advantage he can when the offense has to give the ball up.

There are a number of different ways he can do that. Sometimes it requires a normal punt. A normal punt at the college level must travel a minimum distance of 45 yards with 4.5 seconds hang time. I also try to get high school punters to strive for those kinds of numbers. If you have one second hang time for every 10 yards the punt travels, your coverage team should be there when the returner catches the ball.

Pooch punts keep the ball out of the endzone, making the opposing team start play somewhere near the goal line. Punting out of bounds prevents returns. Of course, another kind of punting is situational. That is being able to put the ball where the coach wants it. It takes a good punter to do all of those things. With good protection and a good snap the kicker has a better chance. If he is able to do these things by the time he arrives, putting together protection and punt coverage won't be a problem.

THE KICK-OFF 

The kick-off requires the same level of readiness. The punt is the most important play in football and the kickoff is the most underrated. A great kick-off inspires the defense. It gets the fans into the game early on and more importantly it can make an opponent start play in bad field position. The player who kicks off must understand that his job, with the help of his teammates, is to make the opposing team start play as far away from their goal line as possible.

There are many different kinds of kick-offs, and it is important for the kicker to have worked on all of them prior to spring or fall practice. That will make it so much easier to put together the kick-off coverage. You must encourage your kickers to work on kick-offs. They don't like this because they'd prefer working on the kick that gets all the glory--the field goal. Don't forget that there is also time involved here.

The high school kicker should be able to kick the ball 65 yards with at least four seconds hang time.

The college kicker should kick it at least 70 yards with four seconds plus hang time. Impossible? No! You just have to find the athletes. They are there.

After you find them, make sure they work at it. Make sure they understand that they have to come ready to meet those kinds of requirements and also be able to do all the alternative kick-offs, such as on-sides, sky kicks, and corner kicks.

When working out, the kicker must record his progress and periodically report it to the coach who is monitoring him. If the kicker comes in ready to do this, the special teams coach will have no trouble establishing good coverage.

THE PLACE KICKER

No one can dispute the value of a great place-kicker or even just a good one. The way they get that way is by working hard in the off-season and coming to practice ready to perform at game level. It can be done!

First of all, they must understand that they will be expected to do. Coaches should expect nothing less. It will take some extra work for them, but it will be worth it in the long run.

There is little written about what kind of workout schedule the kickers should follow. What the coach has to do is design one to fit his summer plans. Basically, the kicker should kick at least three times a week, on non-lifting days.

His workouts should consist of technique and accuracy drills, which are recorded. These records must to be monitored by a coach. If the kicker knows what is expected and that coaches are going to hold him responsible, he will follow the program.

The computer is a great way to stay in touch with a kicker. Sometime just before practice starts the kicker, snapper, and holder should get together and work on timing. Time is a very critical factor. The operation time for a place kick on the high school level is 1.34. Colleges want it done much faster. It shouldn't be hurried, however. It should be from 1.20 to 1.25. Knowing what these times are and working to become consistent will help in establishing protection.

If the kicker understands what is expected of him and works hard in the off-season, he will be ready to perform at game level when he arrives at practice. This will enable him to make the kind of kicks that make a difference in the game.

Find a good kicker and help improve him. You will end up with a great kicking game. I have helped prepare many kickers, punters, snappers, and holders in the off-season, so I know it makes a difference!

By Don Osborne, Kicking Specialist, Thomasville, NC