Kicker

“ There are two illustrations used in connection with this article to show the form and style necessary in order to become a proficient and accurate place kicker. The skillful execution of a place kick depends almost as much upon the holder of the ball as upon the kicker himself. Great care should be used by the former in placing the ball upon the ground in the exact position desired by the kicker. ”

“ The kicker's position on short kicks should be not over four feet behind the ball. If he stands too far away it is harder for him to approach and kick exactly as he should, and he acquires no advantage by being so far back. After the kicker has assumed his proper position and the ball is ready, he should step forward about six inches with his right foot and then step forward with the left foot until the toe is practically on line with the rear of the ball, but a little to the left. ”

“ The first two weeks of the season, before the stress of the real work begins, give a golden opportunity to discover invaluable punters, place kickers and goal kickers. The best way is to use, for a few days, the American idea of an equal opportunity to everyone. The most likely candidates, no matter how superficially unpromising some of them really appear, should then be selected for special kicking practice daily. Sometimes the best kicker develops where such ability was least expected. He may even be a veteran who has played seasons without discovering the power in his kicking toe. ”

“ Some kickers require that the ball should be almost vertical in its position on the ground; others that the top be tilted back toward the kicker. What is best suited to the individual kicker can be learned only by constant practice. ”

“ To become proficient as a drop kicker will require long, faithful practice. Care should be taken in learning the art to acquire height and direction, as practically all the drop kicking must be done from behind a scrimmage line and, unless the ball rises instantly, there is much danger of the kick being blocked or at least interfered with. ”

“ Kick out must be a drop kick, and from not more than twenty-five yards outside the kicker's goal-line: if the ball when kicked out pitch in touch, the opposite side may claim to have it kicked off again. The kicker's side must be behind the ball when kicked out, and the opposite side may not obstruct such kicker within 25 yards of his own goal line.
43. A player who has made and claimed a fair catch, shall thereupon either take a drop kick or a punt, or place the ball for a place kick. ”

“ A Free Kick is the privilege of kicking the ball, without obstruction, in such manner as the kicker may think fit.
A Fair Catch is when the ball is caught, after it has touched the person of an adversary, or has been kicked or knocked on by an adversary, and before it has touched the ground or one of the side catching it; but if the ball is kicked behind the goal-line, a fair catch cannot be made.
Hacking is kicking an adversary. ”

“ The defending side may charge as soon as the ball touches the ground, but if any of them do charge before the ball touches the ground, the Referee may, provided the kicker has not taken his kick, and then only on a claim by the kicker's side, disallow the charge, and the kicker's side must remain behind the ball until the try has been decided. ”

“ If our kicker is a 3-step kicker, who kicks well and can get the [115] ball off in the prescribed time limit, we merely move him back an extra yard. Frankly, we don’t believe we’ll ever get a kick blocked if the center gets the ball back in six-tenths of a second or less, and the kicker’s time does not exceed one and three-tenths seconds (total time of one and nine-tenths seconds) , providing the defensive men are bumped and not permitted to have a straight run directly at the kicker. ”

“ When his side is kicking, the guard should play close to center and block long and effectively. He is practically in front of the kicker and, if he permits anyone to get through his position, the opponent will be directly in front of the kicker and will probably block his kick or interfere with the distance or the direction of the punt. ”

“ When the kicker approaching the football gets to a point where the men covering the kick-off cannot get off-side, the quarterback will drop his arms as a signal for the men to start forward together. We want everyone but the safeties to cover the kick quickly. Each man is to protect his own area, and then go to the cut-off point. ”

“ Back from the center comes the ball as the kicker holds out his hands and on that instant our men charge. The ball, dropped from his hands and meeting the kicker's foot just before it reaches the ground, is booted high in air and down the field. Under it scurries our own full back, 50 yards behind his own line, while his comrades in front of him are doing their best to keep the opponents from getting through in time to make a tackle far down the field. The catch is beautifully executed and the runner starts sprint ing back. ”

“ The presence of so fine a kicker on the enemy's eleven makes the contest still doubtful, although he will have to sacrifice some of his accuracy and distance in the half that is coming on account of the change in goals, which will make it necessary for him to kick against the wind. ”

“ Then, the ball had to go through the quarter's hands, and the kicker in consequence had so little time in which to get the ball away that he was really forced to kick in his tracks and immediately on receipt of the ball. Fortunately I was able to do both, and I never had a try for a drop blocked, and only one punt, the latter due to the fact that the ball was down by the side line, and I could not run to the left (which would have taken me out of bounds) before kicking. ”

“ As to the common punt, there are two styles, known as straight kicking and round kicking. The straight punt is made by facing the direction in which you wish the ball to go. The kicker stands from twelve to fifteen yards back of the line—that is, when the punt is made from a line-up. As the kicker receives the ball, he should step back with the right leg, and bring the body a little forward, and then he is ready for the swing. ”

“ While it is neither advisable nor necessary that a kicker be prevented from attempting to kick hard until he has mastered every detail of the swing and brought it to the same point of perfection that a finished oarsman does his stroke, it certainly is best, in his practice, to subordinate power to method until he acquire good form. ”

“ The place kick is made by placing the ball in position on the ground and kicking it from this location. The value of a good place kicker to the team cannot be estimated for, by his work, the game may be won or lost. Place kicking has almost entirely taken the place of drop kicking, because it is more accurate. It is used to convert touchdowns into goals, to kick goals from the field, to kick off, and is often used to kick out after a touchback, instead of punting. ”

“ PLAYERS.—The players are divided into two equal teams, each of which selects a kicker for the ball. There should also be one leader who serves for the two teams. The kicker for each team stands five feet within his half of the ground measuring from the [383] center, and should be halfway between the two side boundary lines. The rest of the players for each team line up on the line previously designated for that purpose. The leader stands at one side of the field near a boundary line.
OBJECT.—The object of the game is to kick the ball over the heads of the opposing team. ”

“ He never undertakes to make a first-class man of him by merely encouraging him to go in harder, and increase his power without regard to the proper methods. In football, coaches rarely teach the kickers the first principles, but instead urge upon them only the necessity of constant practice in their own way. For this reason our kickers show all manner of styles, and the only wonder is that they kick so well in such wretchedly bad form. ”

“ We ask our punters to hold the ball 18 inches in front of the hip over their kicking foot. We watch our kickers closely, time them, and try not to over-coach them if they are kicking well in practice. However, we do have a meeting with our kickers to review every situation that might confront them in a game. ”

“ Henry, Lord Stanhope, also other sons?
Kicker-eating.—Can any of your West Yorkshire readers supply me with information relative to a practice which is said formerly to have prevailed at Cleckheaton, of eating "kicker," or horseflesh? It is a fact that natives of that locality who come to reside at Leeds are still subjected to the opprobrium of being kicker-eaters. ”