HOW TO LONG SNAP A FOOTBALL PART 5: THE GRIP

Special Team Servant's Complete Guide to Long Snapping footballs Accurately, Consistently, and with Proper Technique

How To Long Snap a Football: The Grip

Now that you know the proper long snapping stance, let's review how to grip a football when long snapping.

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Gripping the Football for a Long Snap Should be Just Like an Overhand Throw

You will need to grip the football on the laces with your throwing hand.

Specifically, if you throw the football with your right arm, you'll want to grip the football at the laces with your right hand when you long snap. If you throw the football with your left arm, you'll want to grip the football at the laces with your left hand when you long snap.

Leave the Proper Amount of Spacing between the Football and Your Hand

You should be able to hold the football with one hand, and the proper amount of spacing will ensure your grip is neither too tight nor too loose.

You should be able to see a small gap between your hand and the football.

If your grip is too loose, you will have trouble holding the football with one hand or it will be easily knocked out of your hand.

If your grip is too tight, your entire palm and hand may be pressing against the football which would not allow for any gap to be seen between your hand and the football.

Your Guide Hand Will Go On Top of the Football When You Long Snap

Your guide hand is your non-throwing hand, and it is going to be placed on the bottom of the football where the seam connects the two flat panels.

For clarification, the laces of the football will be facing the ground and will be gripped by your throwing hand. The bottom of the football, which is where a seam runs through the middle and connects two flat panels of the ball, will be facing up.

So when we say the guide hand will be on top of the football, it will be physically placed on the bottom of the football (opposite side of the laces), but it will be on top because the laces are facing the ground and the bottom of the football is facing up.

Your guide hand will be placed directly in the middle of the football.

The middle finger of your guide hand should run down the seam connecting the two panels.

Conclusion: Long Snapping Grip

You should grip a football for a long snap just like you grip a football for overhand throwing. There should be slight spacing between your throwing or snapping hand and the football. Finally, you should place your non-throwing or non-snapping hand on the bottom of the football with your middle finger running straight through the seam that connects the two panels.

The next step in long snapping footballs Accurately, Consistently, and with Proper Technique is having the snap.