How to Catch a Kick-Off or a Punt in Football

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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When looking to field a kickoff or a punt, the most important aspect is catching the football. Catching a kickoff or punt is a lot more difficult than catching a pass thrown by a quarterback. However, by following these steps, you can learn the proper techniques.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Wear football gloves if you are going to be catching a lot of kickoffs and punts.
Step 2

Know all the rules you can use to your advantage. For example, you can call for a fair catch if you are attempting to catch a punt.
Step 3

Form a pocket by using your arms, elbows and chest. This pocket is where you want the football to land when the kickoff or punt is traveling toward you.
Step 4

Squeeze the football against your body using your arms. At this point of the process, your main concern is to cleanly get control of the football.
Step 5

Bend your knees to make sure that you have control of the ball. By bending your knees, you can help absorb some of the energy from the ball and you can also recover the ball if you don't catch it cleanly.
Step 6

Grab the ball with your hands once you know for sure that you have full control of the ball.