Football Kicking Technique
The football kicking technique differs from kicking a soccer ball, as a football is shaped differently and will fly differently through the air when contact is made with it. The kicker in the game of football is one of the most important positions, as only a few people on the team can kick a football consistently, and a good kicker can be the reason a team wins or loses a game. Knowing how to kick a football well has its advantages, and if you can do it better than anyone else, you might have a lucrative career ahead of you, or at least a lot of great memories. Check out some techniques for kicking a football, listed below.
Make Sure the Starting Position is Correct
Kickers need to have the proper starting position before they kick a football, though there is a fine balance between too close and too far away. They need the right amount of space to be able to run up, plant their foot, and kick the ball squarely, yet they also need to kick the ball quickly enough to not have it blocked by defenders who are smashing into the line just six yards away from them. The distance most professional kickers take is three steps back and two steps over to either the left or the right (depending on which foot the kicker kicks with) from where the ball will be held. This will allow you to have the proper plant foot and deliver maximum power to the football. Doing this every single time will help with your kick's consistently so don't change anything up when you are kicking so it becomes like second nature.
Consistently Good Foot-to-Ball Contact
Striking the ball squarely on a consistent basis with your foot when kicking a football is key to being a good place kicker or a bad place kicker. This is the same when kicking the ball off a tee for a kick-off. You ideally need to have your foot turned about three quarters of the way towards the goal posts, so that your laces are not facing the goal posts but you are also not kicking with the side of your foot. Ideally, your foot should make contact with the ball on the hard lateral bone. To get this down as consistently as possible, place a pillow or other soft object on the floor and practice kicking it forty to fifty times, making sure your knee and ankle are locked on impact with the pillow.
Punting Techniques
While the previous tips have discussed placekicking, punting a football is a very different technique and can be done by more people (which is why other offensive players will, on occasion, punt the ball). Catch the football when it is snapped to you, hold it with your arms straight out in front, and walk a few steps forward, gathering momentum. Then you will want to drop the ball and bring your foot up to it like a mallet on the thick part of the football as hard as you can. Dropping is key here, as the ball should fall straight down and your foot should come straight up. The more squarely you hit the football and the more strength you have in your kick, the better the punt will be.
