One of the things that many punters seem to believe is that if they try to push the ball down field, the ball will go further down field. I suppose that you could get more roll pushing the ball down field. By this I mean that if you drive the ball with a low launch angle, the ball could hit the ground with more downfield velocity and then it could roll aggressively toward the goal line. In some cases, this could be a smart strategy. However, if you are looking for hang time and distance just think about hitting the ball up, not out. If you do everything right, I promise you, the ball will fly far. I spoke with a fellow who had hit numerous 400+ yard drives with a golf ball. He was the national long drive champion a couple times. He told me that “carry always beats roll”. This is usually true with punting as well.

Hitting the ball up allows the punter to focus all of his strength into his punt. Pushing the ball down field compromises his ability to put power into the kick.

So here is my method of getting punters to power the ball up versus out.

1. Keep your chest and head high.
2. Make sure you punting leg goes straight up (at least till it gets to waist high).
3. Make sure you commit to full and high extension after contact with a locked leg.
4. Make sure you hold your shoulders parallel with the line of scrimmage at the point when you drop the ball.
5. Make sure your plant foot (your non punting foot) goes straight up and comes straight down.
6. Make sure your plant foot does not ‘carry’ down field when it is airborne more than 1 foot.
7. Allow your body to react to the torque created by your leg swing by turning to the left (if you are right footed) as your leg locks and extends high after impact.

Ok, so there you have it. Just do these seven things and you have made. It takes lots of practice and a trained eye to point out what is going right and what needs to be corrected. I can think of complete lessons on each of these 7 data points. They are included in my book if you are interested in going further with this. I won’t get into that much detail here.

Also, a one on one training session will get you a wealth of this detail in just a short time. I think the practical experience of that is very valuable too.

Hit em high!

          — Coach Crocker —