Let’s face it – punters and punting don’t “fit in” much anymore.  They don’t fit in with coaches, they don’t fit in with owners, they don’t fit in with “real players”, they don’t fit in with TV announcers, and they don’t fit in with kids (“what’s a punt anyway”?).  Has this small, often overlooked aspect of the game of football become so stagnant that it’s ineffective and mundane in this day and age?  Punting at all levels can be game impacting and game winning.  Here’s why and how parents, coaches, and players can start making it an effective, exciting part of the game.

Early Beginnings

All kids want to be able to kick a ball.  They all start kicking off the ground with their toe.  Then they begin to try and punt the ball by dropping it.  Here’s where the problems begin.

When kids first try to punt a ball (round or football), the first action is to throw is up and then try to punt it as it starts falling back down.  In fact, I’ve even seen 5^th and 6^th graders trying the same thing!  There is no reason that a 4 or 5 year old cannot punt a round ball.  However, this is not the case!  Even in my son’s soccer games the goalies throw the ball up and attempt to punt it.  In the Punt, Pass & Kick contests I hold (sponsored by the NFL & Gatorade), a majority of the boys and girls know how to throw a pass – rare are those that can both kick and punt well.  The punt is by far the most inaccurate and inconsistent 1/3^rd of the contest.

Why? – because there is rarely anyone present or knowledgeable to make the corrections.

Therefore there are almost 4 to 5 years of lost “perfect practice” in developing a future punter.  Perhaps this may not seem like much, but consider the
possibilities of taking a College caliber punter and putting him/her on your High School team.  That’s the 4 or 5 years of experience missing at the
early years.

How can this be corrected?   With better emphasis on true basics of punting!

Coaches, assistants and athletes need to realize that punting can indeed be a very beneficial part of the game.

This means really WORKING at the punting game:

• Look for a good snapper or develop one.  Provide educational materials that are interactive, slow-motion views of the punt,
  and make the learning experience an exciting one
• Make one of your assistant coaches or parents the special teams technique expert.  This is not difficult and provides an
  excellent second set of eyes to view practice and game situations from
• Provide
  educational materials that are interactive, slow-motion views of the punt, and make the learning experience an exciting one using Multimedia
  tools such as the Inside Kicking CD
• Explain to the team how a good punt and punt coverage can pin the opponent deep in their own territory and work the offense closer and closer to scoring.
• Find a dedicated athlete to be the punter, and try to develop them PRIOR to the start of the season through training materials and workouts

Punting is and always will be an important part of American football.  Parents, coaches, and potential punters should make a genuine effort to bring the punt back into vogue.

This is the second  in a series of articles on  punting by Mark Simon, former Denver Bronco punter.