The kicking game: The key to gridiron success
It’s fourth down with eight yards to go, and the defense isn’t giving any ground. The coach is on the sideline talking in his headset as he works with his offensive coordinator to figure out what to do. He has three options: go for the first down anyway, punt the ball away or kick a field goal. But which should he do?
This scenario faces a coach in nearly every game of football. In football, strategy affects how the game is played, and while the majority of the game is dominated by passing and rushing, the kicker is often the piece of strategy that can determine the outcome of the game.
Alfred Hitchcock, the famed film director is quoted to have said of football, “Kicking is very important in football. In fact, some of the more enthusiastic players even kick the football occasionally.”
Humor aside, Hitchcock illustrates an important football truth: sometimes the ball must be kicked and it is not always a bad thing.
The special teams unit of a football team is responsible for getting the ball far down field by means of kicking. There are only three times in a football game where the ball is kicked instead of ran or passed. These are the kickoff, the punt and the field goal.
The kickoff
A kickoff is used to start the game or to give the ball to the opposing team after the kicking team scores. The ball is placed on a kicking tee on the 35-yard line in college football as the rest of the team lines up behind the 35-yard line. The kicker runs up to the ball and punts the ball downfield as far as possible in hopes of preventing the opposing team from running the ball back a great distance. A kicker is not allowed to kick the ball out of bounds on a kickoff, which if he does results in a penalty.
Since kicking the ball means turning the ball over to the other team, this can be a critical element of the game, especially if the kicking team is behind. The kicking team can opt to attempt an onside kick to regain the ball in these instances. In an onside kick, the place kicker must kick the ball at least 10 yards and his teammates work to recover the ball before the receiving team can. If the kicking team does recover the ball, then they gain possession of the ball again.
While the onside kick method might sound a very effective method, it is a risky approach as the receiving team is placed a mere 10 yards away from the kicking team, making it easier for them to recover the football.
The punt
Going back to the original scenario of fourth down with eight yards to go, a coach will most often choose to punt the ball. A punt is when a punter kicks the ball as far downfield as possible to the other team, in order to place them farther away from the end zone. To do this, the punter stands far back from the rest of his teammates and calls for the ball. Once the ball is snapped back to him, the punter drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground.
Unlike a kickoff, regardless of which team recovers the ball, the receiving team will always take possession of the ball from wherever the ball was pronounced down.
The punt is a key strategic element in the game of football and is used frequently to prevent the opposing team from gaining good field position.
The field goal
The final type of kick in football is the field goal. A field goal is when the ball is kicked through the uprights at either end of the field and is worth three points. To perform a field goal attempt, the kicker stands far back just like in a punt. A short distance ahead of him is the holder, who positions and holds the ball so the kicker can run up and kick the ball through the uprights.
The value of this kick can be seen by once again going back to the original fourth down with eight yards to go scenario, but this time the ball is placed on the 30-yard line. While this might be too great a distance to get a first down or a touchdown, the offensive team may choose to kick the ball and score a field goal to gain three points. This is a better option than the punt as it has the potential to put points on the board for the team.
Each kick has a specific function and a coach typically uses all three types of kick in a football game. A good kicker and special team squad to back him up can often be the difference between a win and a loss.
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu