Most coaches were not kickers during their playing days and are uninformed when it comes to working with their own kickers. Some coaches are unsure what you are supposed to make your kickers do in practice. I have devised a list of drills for your kickers to help them improve their kicking skills. These drills are geared toward working on field goal kicking as opposed to kickoffs. Kickoffs are easier to perform while becoming proficient on field goals takes a lot of work. I hope these drills help to improve the form, accuracy, distance, and height of the kicks from your kickers. If done correctly, these drills will not only help your kickers improve their game, but also give them more purpose and responsibility during practice.
1. No-Step Drill
The kicker should align himself so that his plant foot is in the position it would normally be when he is striking the ball. Make sure the plant leg’s knee is bent. The plant foot is not flat on the ground and the weight is on the toes. The arm on the side of the plant foot is pointing toward the target, shoulders are back, the back is straight, the upper body is leaning forward over the toes of the plant foot, and the head is down looking at the football. Swing the kicking leg back and strike the ball. Emphasize to your players that they do not need to swing their leg as hard as they can. The goal of this drill is not distance, but three distinct objectives: hitting the ball correctly on the inside of the foot, executing a good follow-through, and hitting the ball so that it gains height from the moment it is kicked. Make sure your players hit the ball on the bone on the inside of the foot that runs to the big toe and that their toes are pointed in the kicking foot. Emphasize a high leg swing on the follow-through.
2. One-Step Drill
This drill is very much the same as the no-step drill except that the kicker starts one step away from the ball. The one step that is made is the plant foot hitting the correct spot before the player strikes the ball. Much of the same is emphasized in this drill as in the no-step drill: body posture, striking the correct part of the ball with the correct part of the foot, and the follow-through. Common problems among kickers is that their body will get out of alignment and become unbalanced when they make that final step with the plant foot just before the kick. Make sure you emphasize body posture as described above: plant foot’s weight is on the toes, plant knee is bent, shoulders are back, chest is out, back is straight, upper torso is leaning forward over the toes of the plant foot, the arm on the plant foot’s side is pointing toward the target, and the head is down focusing on the part of the ball he wants to strike with his kicking foot. Again, distance is not a priority. Form, accuracy, and height are the important skills to work on in this drill.
3. Two-Step Drill
This is an extension of the no-step and one-step drill progression toward the full approach of a normal kick. The same things about the kicker’s technique from the previous two drills should be emphasized, but now distance can be a priority to the kicker in addition to accuracy, form, and height.
4. End Zone Kicks
Have your kicker place the football in front of the goal post approximately five yards into the end zone (about five yards away from the goal post). Have the kicker do normal kicks at that distance emphasizing the height of the kick so that the ball at least goes above the crossbar. This drill helps with improving the height of kicks so that the kicker will definitely be getting the ball over the reach of the defenders in game situations.
5. Pylon Kicks
Have the kicker place the football at the corner of the goal line where the pylons would normally be during games and attempt to kick the ball through the uprights. Kicking through the goal posts at this angle is more difficult because the width of the uprights is significantly more narrow. The goal of this drill is to work on concentration and accuracy.
6. Yard Line Kicks
Have your kicker place the football at the sideline of one of the fully marked yard lines (i.e., 10, 20, or 30 yard line) and have them kick the ball across the field. The goal is to have the ball hugging as close to the yard line as possible to ensure that the kick is as straight as possible. The emphasis of this drill is both accuracy and distance since the field is approximately 53 yards wide.
About the Author:
Dustin Humphreys is beginning his second year on the staff at Tates Creek High School in Lexington, KY, coaching wide receivers, kickers and punters. Before coaching at Tates Creek, he spent one season with the Kentucky Horsemen of the Arena Football League (af2) as an offensive assistant and quality control coach. Humphreys graduated from Samford University in Birmingham, AL in 2006.