Coaching Kickers
I t is indeed an honor and privilege to
speak at this year’s AFCA Convention
on instructing kickers and punters. I would
like to thank Grant Teaff, Walter
Abercrombie, and the entire AFCA for
extending this opportunity to me.
Before I begin, I would also like to high-
light a few special teams coaches who
have been instrumental to my success. Al
Roberts, John Harbaugh, and Keith
Armstrong gave me an opportunity to teach
at the NFL level.
My kicking and punting career began as
a 10th grader following 10 years of soccer.
I proceeded to Catawba College in 1985,
played in all 44 games and became the
school’s all-time leading scorer in 1988.
After bouncing around the NFLas a free
agent kicker, the World League and the
Arena Football League, I felt it was time to
turn my passion for kicking to coaching. In
1989, I began my first camp at Cherokee
High School in New Jersey.
Our camps have been very successful.
We have produced the last 11 New Jersey
all-state kicker or punter and over 75 col-
lege kickers and punters.
I am very fortunate to currently be
Randy Brown instructing 12 NFL punters and kickers.
My discussion this morning will be
Kicking Consultant regarding the basic instruction of kicking
and punting. I will begin with punting. As I
Randy Brown Kicking Camps look around the room and see coaches
from high school to Division I-A, the infor-
Cherry Hill, N.J. mation that I will provide you with will allow
all of you something to take back to your
respective schools.
When I begin to instruct a punter,
regardless of his age, I play catch with him
to see what kind of hands he has. It is crit-
ical to all aspects of punting that your
punter has athletic ability with his hands.
This leads me into my six-step evaluation
and instruction procedure.
Catch: Does your punter catch the ball
cleanly? Can he field low or high balls?
Does he catch the front, back, or middle of
the football? If your punter has a good leg
but poor hands make sure he is catching
balls all day long, so he can improve his
hands. So, when you see him kneeling on
his helmet watching practice make him get
up and catch.
Mold: I use the word mold to help
explain the ability to take the catch and
move the ball in the punter’s hands to his
perfect spot. Most punters like the laces on
top, some like to look straight down the
laces providing for a straight ball. When
• Proceedings • 78th AFCA Convention • 2001 •
you are teaching your punter molding, he
must attempt to put the ball in the same
spot each time and get the feel of the ball
in his hands consistently. You can permit
your punter to turn the ball inside slightly if
they are comfortable with it. If a punter
turns the ball inside too much the nose will
dive down and inside causing a hook ball.
Drop: In my opinion, this is the most
important aspect of punting. It is critical to
have a strong and effective drop!
Consistency in the drop separates the col-
lege and free agent punters from the start-
ing NFLpunters. I have seen plenty of pun -
ters who can punt them 60-70 yards one of
four punts, but because of an inconsistent
drop they shank one, drop one inside, hit
the back end of the ball on the others.
Punters need to be technicians and this is
the aspect of their game in which they must
be extremely technical! So how do you
teach a good consistent drop?
Tell your punters to pretend they are
sliding an egg on a flat table. They must
extend the elbow and keep the ball flat. It is
crucial to keep it flat. If the nose is up their
foot will hit the back end. If the nose is
down, they will strike the front of the ball.
Extend the elbow and place the ball on the
foot. By not extending the elbow the ball
will be back on the back of the foot causing
a short-legged kick. Remember your
punter must be comfortable, not robotic.
Steps: I have always been a believer in
some form of directional punting.
Especially in college with such wide hash
marks. Directional doesn’t always mean
sideways. There are many NFL teams,
which try directional middle with a vertical
punter. There are some punting coaches
who believe everyone must be a two-step
punter, and whether the punter is 5-10 or 6-
6, they are taught the same techniques.
That is detrimental to the development of
the athlete. I don’t have any pretty name for
the punting technique. Punting and kicking
techniques shouldn’t be given names and
all players’ body types are different and
unique. They should be taught separately.
The punter’s steps should be consis-
tent, and except for tight punt, your punter
should have the same steps all over the
field. I’ve seen Pro Bowl punters who are
three steps to one and one fourth steps.
You must evaluate your snapper, protection
and finally what steps your punter is com-
fortable with. Try to have your total pack-
age under 2.1 seconds + or – one tenth
depending on your snapper ’s velocity.
 Foot to Ball: Foot to ball contact will
help determine whether or not you will
have a spiral and will it turn over. Punters
must have the toe depressed when mak-
ing contact with the ball. Even if the
punter gets a good drop if the toe is up it
will hit the ball first. You want the meaty
part of your foot to hit the underbelly of
the ball flush.
Swing: Does your punter’s kicking knee
end on his right shoulder once, left shoul-
der another time, then finally down the mid-
dle the next time? Consistent swing plane
is extremely critical to making consistent
contact with the ball. In general, have your
punter’s kicking leg finish at his head.
Video from behind and you will be able to
see it. No matter what, the punter must
have a consistent swing plane, just like a
pro golfer.
Now let’s talk about the players who
have as much control on the outcomes of
games than most anyone on the field:
kickers.
In the past many of you have lost a job
or got an extension because of a kicker.
Let me give you a basic six-point evalu-
ation and instruction checklist to follow.
Steps Back & Forward: Remember
this about most kickers. They were soccer
players. Don’t fret if your kicker doesn’t
have the prototypical three steps back two
over. What you must look for, as a coach is
the starting position. Regardless of how he
gets there, your kicker must be in the same
starting position prior to each kick. Kickers’
approaches vary from three to two and a
half to two steps. As long as you are getting
the kick off in 1.25 or less don’t worry about
it. If you are getting kicks blocked off the
edge, it is time to evaluate your protection.
Don’t change your kicker if still under 1.25
seconds.
Plant Foot: The plant foot will change
depending on various factors. Are you kick-
ing off the ground, two inch tee, one inch
tee, a short legged, long legged, etc? To
generalize, have your kicker’s plant foot be
six to eight inches away from the ball and
the anklebone should be directly across
from the ball. Most NFL kickers kicking off
the ground will plant slightly in front of the
ball. Coaching Point: If your kicker is right
footed and is missing right, the plant foot
could be too close. Missing to the left he
could be planting too wide, but there could
be more factors involved.
Foot to Bone: The ball must be kicked
on the sweet spot with the bone of the foot.
Do not kick on the ankle, toe, or instep, all
common mistakes. You should be able to
hear the thud for a good kick. A slapping
sound most likely means the toe.
Shoulder In: Does your kicker end up
aimed at the pylon in the corner of the end
zone? Is he all hips and pulls his body
through too much? If so have him bring his
opposite arm across his body to keep his
shoulder in. This will prevent the severe
hook misses.
Follow Through: Let’s talk about the
swing plane. Similar to striking a golf ball,
have your kicker practice a full swing with-
out the ball. Remember the more leg swing
the higher and farther the ball will travel.
Kickers who “punch” at the ball and stop
their leg follow through at contact are not
as effective as those who carry through the
kick to the fullest.
Finish at Target: When the kick is com-
plete and the kicker has followed through
and skipped down field, he should be able
to stop and be pointed directly at the target.
Have your players, especially those in high
school, practice their entire motion without
a ball and finishing at the target. This is crit-
ical to high school and college kickers due
to the wide hash marks.
I hope that these six steps will assist you
in making your athletes better and more
consistent.
Our time is about up and there are so
many issues still to discuss. I want to leave
you with how I feel you should handle kick-
ers and punters.
Treat them like you would your quarter-
backs. Always be positive. Stay away from
the negatives, threats, punishments, etc.
Find out what makes them tick, watch film
with them and, most importantly, explore
their needs on game day. You must know
what to technically tell them before a kick!
Remember, as a head coach, the key to
your next extension could very well be your
kicker!
Thanks again for the opportunity to
speak to you about my passion, kicking
and punting.

“Smash Mouth” Football, Similar Terms,

Should Not Be in a Coach’s Vocabulary
Hard-nosed, maybe, but “smash-mouth” football is not how competent football coaches refer to their
game. Football is a contact game, but terms that reflect brutality and violence do not belong in a
coach’s vocabulary.

Image is one reason to clean up slang terms like smash-mouth that have become popular in the
media, but a more compelling reason comes from a legal standpoint. In a courtroom, descriptive
terms are used against coaches and the game.

Don’t hesitate to ask your fellow coaches, student-athletes and especially the media who cover your
team to cooperate and refrain from using overly-descriptive terms that reflect poorly on the game and
your profession.

• Proceedings • 78th AFCA Convention • 2001 •