Field Goal Kicking Tips

When I was learning to kick footballs as a youngster, I searched high and low for someone who could help with field goal kicking tips.

Of course, I could watch field goal kickers perform on the television during the fall, but that wasn't enough to get a decent grasp on the new skill I was trying to develop.

As a long time soccer player, I had enough instinct to know what felt 'right' when it came to kicking a football for the first time. I knew what part of the foot I used to kick a soccer ball and assumed I'd use the same for a football.

However, the first and only reliable kicker in my town that I could ask for advice had been a toe ball or 'straight-on' kicker! His advice, though well intentioned, was not suited for my kicking style formed from years of playing soccer.

So, what exactly is the difference between a soccer style kicker and that of the traditional toe ball kicker?

Primarily, the difference lies in the way is the way the ball is struck by the field goal kicker. That is, it has to do with the part of the foot used to kick the football.

How to Perform a Kickoff in 7 Steps

The first step is a pretty obvious one; you need to place the ball on the kickoff tee. Easy enough, right? When you set it up on the tee, you want to make sure that the ball is relatively straight up and down; you do not want much of an incline. If you have the ball straight up, there is a better chance that you will get height on your kick as well as distance. If you set the ball down with an incline, you may get more power behind the kick, but the kick will end up being a line drive, which may be fine for a field goal, but on a kickoff you want more of a loft. There should not be much of a problem getting the ball to stay unless there is a strong wind.

The second step is to take your steps, which you should have prepared before you go to do the actual kickoff. Starting with your plant foot next to the ball, take a certain amount of steps back and to a side so that you can feel comfortable and build up power approaching the ball. Personally, being a lefty I choose to take nine steps back and 5 steps to the right. A righty should obviously be taking their steps to the left after the steps back. The steps you will be taking are not normal walking steps; you want to extend your strides for the steps a little because when you approach the ball you will almost be at a run, which are longer strides than walking. Once you think you have the right steps for you, make sure that you can approach the ball with your steps intact. Meaning you can approach the ball fluidly and have your steps end with your plant foot right beside the ball.

Once you have your steps ready and you are back waiting to kick, you become the coach of the field. It is your responsibility to look around at your teammates on the field and address anything that needs to be corrected. The third step of a kickoff is to make sure everyone is in the right place and your team is ready for the kick. Examples of this could be making sure that everyone on your kick off team is onsides, making sure you have the correct amount of people on the field, and making sure everyone is on the side of the field that they are supposed to be on (to the left and right of you). Failing to recognize any of these could lead to a penalty against your team, and needless to say this is not the goal. The final part of this process is somewhat optional, some teams do it and some do not, but when everyone is lined up and appears to be ready, you will look to your right and scream "ready on the right?" and then look to your left and scream "ready on the left?", this lets them know that it is show time.

How the Spread Option Is Changing College and Professional Football

The spread option exploded onto the scene of college and NFL football this season after a few years of fits and starts. With the rise of Johnny Football from Texas A&M in the NCAA, and the emergence of Colin Kaepernick for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, the spread option, or read option as it is sometimes called, has become one of the most difficult offensive plays to defend against.

The Green Bay Packers have reportedly begun researching how to run and defend against the read option, according to ESPN. The Packers were eliminated from the playoffs by the 49ers, whose quarterback Colin Kaepernick set NFL playoff records for rushing. The 45-31 final score could have cost Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers his job, but the coaching staff decided to keep him and send him to Texas A&M to learn more about the offensive scheme.

While the read option did not originate at Texas A&M, they have developed it into one of the most potent offensive forces in college football. Behind the leadership of Johnny "Football" Manziel, the Texas A&M Aggies lost just two games early in the 2012-2013 season. They upset the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, and ran all over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl. Manziel set NCAA and SEC records, while winning the Heisman Trophy.

Johnny Football wasn't the first to run the spread option, but is arguably the best at it. Tim Tebow was famous for it at Florida, while Cam Newton has been running and throwing for the Carolina Panthers since entering the NFL.

With this year's NFL Draft class, two more rookies came into the league that can run the option, with devastating results. The Seattle Seahawks scored 150 points over three regular season games and won a playoff game with Russell Wilson running the offense, and the Washington Redskins made it to the playoffs after a 3-6 start to the season behind rookie phenom Robert Griffin III, before Griffin went out with a torn ACL after suffering a knee strain.