Kevin Kelley
Pulaski Academy (AR)
Head Coach
- Team never punts
- Frequently uses the onside kick
- 3 state championships
Jim Schroeder
Benedictine University
Defensive Coordinator
- Team ranked 11th nationally in total defense, 2012
- Coached at Davidson, Columbia, and Valparaiso
What is your offensive philosophy and strategy for the onside kick?
Kelley: My philosophy is multidimensional when it comes to the onside kick. 1) Although not viewed on the stat sheet as a turnover, it is just that. And in any level of football, the number one determining factor in who wins or loses games are turnovers. The onside kick gives the chance to instantly create a turnover. 2) We like to increase the number of possessions in a game. Shortening the field even when we don’t get the onside kick helps do just that. 3) Even when unsuccessful, we know the opposing teams spend a lot of time in preparation for this and it is more time they are NOT spending on our offense and defense.
Schroeder: Our primary objective in defending the onside kick is to gain possession of the football. We do our best to mirror our opponent’s formation by scouting them through film study. During scouting we attempt to identify the formation our opponent most often utilizes for an onside kick to allow us to put our best athletes in a position to field the ball.
When evaluating our opponent’s personnel we try to identify their most dangerous men or what we label “speed men.” These players are typically DBs or WRs who are responsible for sprinting down the field to gain possession of the ball. We also identify what we call “hit men.” These roles are typically comprised of LBs, FBs, and TEs that focus on disrupting our ability to field the ball.
We will designate our front row defenders as blockers and assign them to block the opponent’s most dangerous defenders in order to allow our back row players to field the ball cleanly. Should the ball be kicked directly at a front row defender then we expect them to come off their block and make a play on the ball. Some general rules we utilize when defending an onside kick:
• Make a play on the ball if there is any chance of the ball going
10 yards.
• When in doubt….make a play!!
• If the ball is obviously not going to travel ten yards, stay away!!
• We always remind our players that they can fair catch any type
of bloop or sky kick.
• Once they’ve caught the ball/secured possession, get in a fetal
position to protect yourself and the football.
What is the psychological advantage of being successful with an onside kick?
Kelley: As mentioned earlier, the recovery of an onside kick should be considered a turnover even though it is not. Statistics will tell you that you win games when creating more turnovers than the opponent. We put a lot into that psychologically with our players. Our players feel like it is the most important thing we can do to help win a game. So when we recover one, we have a huge momentum swing our way.
Schroeder: Often in the college game when we see an onside kick the opponent is in a “desperation” mode because they don’t have enough time to kick the ball away and force us to punt. So, successfully defending an onside kick generally means we’ve secured a victory.
How much practice time do you allow weekly to practicing the onside kick? Can you describe a specific drill you practice?
Kelley: We practice for about 20 minutes per WEEK on the onside kick team. Our drills would simply be repeating our kickoffs over and over and practicing our motions and shifts to do it while learning how the different kicks usually bounce when hitting the ground.
Schroeder: We devote a considerable amount of time on Thursdays to prepare our players for any and all special teams scenarios they could potentially see on game day. We generally spend 10-15 minutes during this time introducing our opponent’s onside formation, teaching our kids their roles and responsibilities in defending our opponent’s scheme, and then provide our players with controlled reps against a scout team to put our plan into action.
We also utilize 10-15 minutes in pre-practice on Thursdays to provide our front line players the opportunity to work on the specific skill of catching the football in an onside kick situation. The purpose of this drill is to provide our players with a high volume of reps in a short amount of time to help them further develop the skills required to field the ball. Here are the some coaching points:
Stance: Position yourself in a good football position with knees slightly bent, similar to a shortstop in baseball.
Eyes: Keep your eyes on the ball. Look it in and catch it with your hands.
What types of athletes do you use in attempting an onside kick?
Kelley: I try to use players that don’t play as much. It gives them ownership in the game and they are hungry to help. They are only going to be on the field for kickoffs so they should have lots of energy and have the chance to be heroes. I use kids with at least moderate speed and that have somewhat of a “nose” for the ball, but mostly kids that will just fight for the ball on the bottom of a pile. We do have a “SEAL” team - hands team with our best athletes for certain situations.
Schroeder: It’s extremely important to put athletes you trust to perform in a pressure situation where you anticipate the ball being kicked. Fielding an onside kick is typically a pivotal moment in the game. With this in mind, it’s critical to put players on the field you are confident will not shy away from stepping up and fielding the ball should they be required to do so.
We place a great deal of value on utilizing players with soft hands and football smarts as front line defenders in an obvious onside situation. Our front row defenders are typically comprised of TEs and bigger WR’s. We’ve found putting bigger kids in the front row to be helpful because often they are asked to block. Our back row defenders are our most trusted WRs, DBs, and sometimes TEs whom we are confident will perform under pressure and make a play during a critical point in the game.
Is your sideline strategy different when you feel you have to try an onside kick in order to keep the ball?
Kelley: We use the same onside kicks early in the game as we do late in the game if we were behind and had to have a successful one.
Schroeder: Should we anticipate an obvious onside situation, we will sit our hands team down on the sideline and review what we anticipate our opponent doing and what our players’ roles and responsibilities are. This teaching time is extremely valuable due to the limited number of reps of an onside kick we typically see and the significance of securing possession of the football can have in determining the outcome of the game.
Do you use different formations for onside kicks? How many and can you describe them?
Kelley: We use a few different formations. We call them like offensive formations with shifts and motions. Two things are used to determine where our return will align. 1) Where we think the kicker is lined up to kick the ball toward. 2) Where the opponent is lined up so as not to be outnumbered.
Schroeder: We will mirror our opponent’s formation with our personnel to provide our players with the best opportunity to gain possession of the football. In obvious onside situations we generally see our opponent bring a sixth defender opposite the kicker to attempt to flood that side of the field. We will align with six front line defenders to that side of the field in order to match their personnel.