HOW TO PUNT A FOOTBALL PART 4: THE DROP

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

How To Punt a Football: The Drop

Now that we can take efficient steps to punt the football,, let's discuss the drop.

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Focus on Your Hand Placement on the Football When Punting

If you watch any high school or middle school punter punt a football, you will quickly notice they all hold the ball differently.

Some kids take the football, move it up and down in front of their body as they take their punting steps.

Some kids throw the football in front of their body and drop the ball uncontrollably.

You may find some younger punters hold the ball from the top as they punt or other punters holding the ball wide and outside of their shoulders.

There are a lot of mistakes being made every day by young punters in how they hold the football.

So how do you properly hold a football as you drop it for a punt?

The Most Important Thing About The Drop When Punting is Consistency

You can absolutely have your own style in punting as long as your style is allowing you to be consistent.

You should be consistent in how you drop the ball so you know how it falls out of your hand.

You should know how the ball falls out of you hand as you drop it so your foot can connect with it, on the same spot of the ball, during the same part of your leg swing, each and every time.

This consistent drop should give you control to punt the ball in any direction, at any height, whether you want the football to spiral off your foot or fly end over end.

With this consistency, you will be an effective punter that your team can rely on.

So here are a few quick pointers on how many punters have found consistency within their drop.

Hold the Football During Your Punting Drop Like You're Shaking Someone's Hand

This section pertains entirely to your punting hand, which is the same hand as your punting foot. If you punt with your right foot, then your punting hand is your right hand. If you punt with your left foot, then your punting hand is your left hand.

The point or nose of the football should be between your thumb and index finger.

You should place the ring finger on the bottom seam of the football.

Your thumb will be placed close to the white case on the top of the football.

There is a little bit of space between the hand and the football.

You should have a nice and easy grip that will let the ball fall out of your hand, but not too loose where you lose control of the ball or the drop as you take your punting steps.

Your Non-Punting Hand is a Guide

Your non-punting hand should help guide the football.

To help guide the football, your non-punting hand should be placed on the inside of the football.

Your non-punting hand thumb should be placed around the middle of the football.

Your non-punting hand will only be a guide for a brief step during your punting steps. When you are actually dropping the football and punting it, your non-punting hand will be nowhere near the football.

The Placement of the Football During Your Drop is Critical

When you punt a football, you need to have the ball placed slightly outside of your punting leg.

If you place the ball anywhere else, it will greatly affect your leg swing as the swing will be unnatural. Additionally, dropping the ball anywhere else as you punt will make it harder for you to be accurate and control where the ball is punted to.

Dropping the ball slightly outside of your punting leg will help you have a natural straight leg swing as you punt the football and enable you to be more accurate and more consistent.

Your Punting Drop Should be Flat

When you drop the football to punt it, it should be flat.

This means the nose of the ball should not be pointed up or down. Rather, the nose of the football should be flat and pointed downfield.

When you drop a flat football, it should bounce right back up.

If you drop a football that is not flat, it will bounce forward, backward, side to side, or any of the above directions that an uncontrolled football bounces.

Conclusion: The Drop

There are a lot of different punting styles, and you can have your own style too. However, the most important style is consistent and has key fundamental elements that are the same across all styles. You should be holding the football with the same hand you are punting from, and you should be holding it like you're shaking someone's hand. Your other hand will momentarily guide the football. The ball should be placed slightly outside of your punting leg, and the drop should fall flat to the field.

The last step in punting footballs Accurately, Consistently, and with Proper Technique is having a smooth leg swing and follow through.