Punting Drills

We’re back!  I apologize for the long delay in posting anything on our blogs as well as being M.I.A. for any on-field or online needs the past few weeks.

Punting DrillsI just went through a very important part of my life, getting married to my best friend and then going on our honeymoon. I did not want to test the waters of working on our website while we were supposed to be enjoying each others company. Enough of the excuses…

What I would like to run through in today’s blog (and getting back on track for normal posts) is a few punting drills you can use to help improve your punting.

I have learned many drills through the years, some of which are slow and boring, while others can be fun and competitive.

Punting Drills

Engraining the fundamentals of anything is very important if you want to be consistent. The result of repetition is what we call “muscle memory” so that when you are in a game, you do not have to think about how to punt a football.

A few punting drills I got the most repetition from and learned “muscle memory” was 1) punt passes 2) one-step punts and 3) walking the line.

Muscle Memory

  1. Punt Passes: The first of the punting drills I would start practice with was punt passes. To set up you need a partner or target between 10-15 yards. Next you extend the ball and punt the ball fairly low (about 6 feet high) and try to hit your partner or other target. The goal of the drill is not to show off your power, but to get good foot contact and punt a spiral.
  2. One-Step Punts: Following punt passes, I would step into the next phase of the punting drills and punt about 10 One-Step punts. This is a simple concept that can feel awkward until you get enough repetitions. I am a right footed punter, so reverse my description if you are a lefty. You start with one foot in front of the other (kicking foot in the front). Rock your weight by leaning slightly back and then shifting your weight forward. As your weight comes forward, you will step forward with your back foot. Extend the football and punt. The goal is again not to kill the ball, but to swing nice and easy and make sure your last step is straight down field, your drop is in the right spot, and you are following through down the field (not falling backward).
  3. Walking The Line: The last of the punting drills that I do every practice is “walking the line.” This drill requires NO PUNTING, which is great when your leg is fatigued but you still want to work on getting more consistent. What you do is put your kicking foot on a long line (I would use the lines on a track, the sidelines of football fields, or even the lines that go the width of the football field), take two ‘baby steps’ beginning with kicking foot first, extend the ball, and drop the ball on the line. Repeat this process walking back and forth on the line. The goal of this drill is for your body to learn the muscle memory for small steps, straight steps, and a consistent drop. When you start getting better at this drill you can actually pick the drop up off of the first bounce and use that as “catching the snap” and moving into your steps again.

These are all great drills that helped improve my punting. There are plenty more punting drills that I have used and that others swear by. I am not saying to only use these three drills, but this is a good place to start.

For more information on punting drills or any other kicking topics, please check out the rest of our website, register for our content, or meet us on field.