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THE BASICS OF PUNTING

by Tommy Barnhardt

The method I teach is based off a proven psychological theory called the Whole-Part-Whole Learning Theory. It consists of taking the entire punting motion and breaking it down in phases, where each phase has three levels of drills.

These levels are called elementary, intermediate and advanced. This section of the website will describe the elementary level. You may sign up for the Kicking.com membership if you want to get more information about the other levels, or purchase my "Punt-N-It" Instructional video.

How this works is related to when a baby learns to walk. The baby crawls on his hands and knees first (phase elementary). The baby is helped by an adult by grasping the adult's two index fingers and taking small steps (intermediate phase). The child will walk a short distance by himself or herself from one parent to the other parent (advanced phase). Once you have completed the drills, you can go back and exercise the entire motion. When you get to exercise the punting motion, DO NOT THINK ABOUT THE DRILLS YOU JUST COMPLETED!!!! Just let your body go naturally and see how much you have learned.

Let's start at the very beginning. The punt is a kick by a player who drops the ball and kicks it before it hits the ground. A punt usually occurs on fourth down, but is allowed at anytime. The punt is also typically used after a safety. The four ingredients of successful punting include:

  1. Hang Time
  2. Distance
  3. Accuracy
  4. Consistency

The elementary instructions I give for punting on this site are in six parts:

 

When you find that burning flame within yourself, action becomes facilitated in athletics, in playing a musical piece on the piano, or in performance of any kind. If you hold to that still place within yourself while engaged in the field, your performance will be masterly. That's what the Samurai does. And the real athlete.
-- Joseph Campbell

Doug and Tommy's Frequently Asked Questions: "My kickoffs go to the 5-yard line from the 40, but I get massive height. I'm wondering how to lose a little height and get it into the end zone?" -- Click here to read our answer

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