How to Place Kick a Football
Place kicking a football is a finely tuned athletic skill. It requires leg strength, coordination and a lot of practice. Follow these tips to learn the basics of how to place kick a football.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
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1
Position yourself directly in front of a football goal post about 20 yards away. This is a good distance to start. Place the football on the tee in front of you.
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2
Place your plant foot about two feet to the side of the football. The plant foot is the one that is not doing the kicking. This is where your plant foot will be when your other foot is impacting the football.
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3
Take three large steps backward and one giant step to your left. This assumes that you kick with your right foot. If you kick with your left then take the giant step to your right. Wherever you are is your starting location.
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4
Lean forward on your plant leg with your kicking leg behind. You should be on the toes of your kicking foot and your arms should hang relaxed in front of you.
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5
Notice the line that you want the football to fly along. Envision a direct path between the goal posts. Now put your head down and focus on the football. You wont look at the goal posts again until you are done kicking the football.
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6
Charge the football by taking a step with your kicking leg. Follow with a step with your plant leg that ends directly to the side of the football. Your weight should be solidly on your plant leg while your body leans back and winds up for the kick.
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7
Whip your kicking foot through the football using all the potential energy stored up in your momentum and body. Point your toe a bit. The football should impact your foot along a line from your big toe diagonally across the top of your foot toward your heel. Be sure to sweep under the football and hit the fat part of the ball.
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8
Follow through by continuing your leg upwards and rotating your upper body the other way. This is important since it affects how the football flies through the sky. If you have a poor follow through then the football will be off target.
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1
Tips & Warnings
These tips assume that you are a soccer style kicker. Straight away kickers are extinct in the NFL and just about everywhere else. It is universally accepted that the soccer style is a superior way to kick a football field goal. If you are having trouble getting the football into the air try focusing on hitting under the ball and sweeping your foot upward. If you don't get any lift then the football will just roll along the ground.
Be sure to warm up well. Place kicking is an explosive motion. It is easy to pull a muscle if you aren't warmed up.
