Place kick

“ A Kick-out is a drop-kick, place-kick or punt made by a player of the side which has made a safety or a touchback.
Suggestion.--When kicking out from the ten or twenty-five-yard line on a kick-out, everyone is on-side and can go and get the ball or interfere with a fair catch. The side kicking out can kick from any point behind the ten or twenty-five-yard line. They should do this and take advantage of any wind or field conditions, being careful not to kick the ball so the opponents can make a fair catch and have a good position to kick a goal from the field. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ As soon as the good kickers begin to forge ahead, practice should be concentrated into kicking from behind a scrimmage line, where all this work is done in the game. Men who can kick 70 yards in the open often cannot punt 50 consistently while facing the charge of an opposing line. Not merely one, but three or four good men, should be developed in the punting department.
There is still another indispensable set of kickers, who need not necessarily be on the punting squad. They are the place-kickers. ”

“ Of the “beating” type of step, the fundamental is the battement: a beating movement of the free leg, the supporting leg remaining stationary. The accent is not on the up-stroke, as in a kick, but sharply on the down-stroke. The beats may be made from side, front, or (less usually) back. The foot may be raised to the height of the head (though it is not often done) , to horizontal, to the height of the knee, or the distance of a foot’s length away from the supporting leg. ”

“ Kicking is an important part of the offense. The team that does not have a good punter in the game and one or two in reserve is seriously handicapped. Just when and where to kick are decisions that must be governed largely by the strength of the two teams and the condition of the wind and weather. Again, can you out-kick the opposing team, and what is your ability to hold your opponents when they have secured the ball from a punt? If the opponents' back-field men are poor at catching, kick often. ”

“ In the same manner a diagonal kick, short, over the heads of the first men of the opponents, was exploited by some of the adventurous captains. But toward the end of the season the problem narrowed itself down to a question of the relative value of a kick, short enough, and in a sufficiently high slanting direction, to enable the rushers to get fairly well down to its falling-point, and a long kick driving the opponents back, admitting, it is true, of a run [Pg 922] in because the rushers cannot reach the dropping-point in time to down the man receiving the ball. ”

“ KICKING
IN executing the kick, the horse stops its forward motion, plants its fore legs firmly on the ground, and using these as a point of support, sends both its hind legs backward and up. This true kick should not be confused with the kick with one hind leg only, which is called in French ruade. In the ruade, the horse is trying to reach some object with the purpose of damaging it. A kick out with both feet may, of course, injure anything that is near enough to be touched; but it is seldom that a horse of good temper will actually try to hit a man in this way. ”

“ At the kick-off, after the kick, a guard should go down directly under the bail to prevent any return and to be on hand to line up instantly when the ball is downed. When the opponents are kicking, the guard is in one of the best positions to block kicks or to aid in getting the center or the other guard through for that purpose. The three center men should work together to get one of their number through. ”

“ First of all, the young men are taught to jump on one foot, throwing the other as far backward and as high as possible, with a movement suggestive of the kick delivered by a mule's hind leg. The legs are alternately employed in this backward kick, and by degrees the utmost speed possible is acquired. ”

“ The kick is completed and the legs straightened before the left hand is replaced ready for the next stroke. As the legs are opened the upper leg is kicked forward with the knee slightly bent, and the foot kept in its ordinary position. The lower leg is bent double until the heel approaches the thigh, which is brought backwards slightly. In the actual kick the upper leg is sent forward, and as it is straightened vigorously the under leg from the knee downward come/forward to meet it with a vicious kick; the swirl of the feet/Shd closing of the legs drives the body forward. ”

“ After knocking three or four times, I tried kicking, and the second kick raised, from somewheres inside, a groan that was as lonesome a sound as ever I heard. No human noise in my experience come within a mile of it for dead, downright misery—unless, maybe, it's Cap'n Jonadab trying to sing in meeting Sundays. ”

“ Trying to kick this dog was like playing football with a ball that was never there—not when you went to kick it, but after you had started to kick it, and had gone too far to stop yourself, so that the kick had to go on in any case, your only hope being that your foot would find something or another solid to stop it, and so save you from sitting down on the floor noisily and completely. When anybody did kick the dog it was by pure accident, when they were not expecting to kick him ”

“ Rule 9 proscribes tripping, kicking, or jumping at a player, intentionally handling the ball, holding or pushing an opponent, or charging an opponent violently or dangerously, or charging from behind unless the player charged is intentionally obstructing an opponent. In other breaches of the rules the outcome is a free kick. ”

“ The first boy says to the second, kick this marble north (south, east or west) of the other at one kick. If he succeeds he wins, if he fails the other wins.
If he puts it north as ordered, he may kick again to hit the other ball, in which case he wins again. If he hits the ball and goes north, as ordered, at one kick, he wins double.
Each boy tries to leave the balls in as difficult a position as possible for his successor; and here comes in a peculiarity which leaves this game unique among the games of the world. ”

“ 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. ”

“ In conjunction with this work, all types of kicking steps are taught, front kick, side kick, back kick, hitch kick, and65 the others. Since strength for kicking comes from the abdominal muscles, a workout that will especially exercise these muscles around the waist line is essential, and a series of strengthening activities is given to this end.
Imagine that you are in practice costume, one of a class of students similarly dressed, standing in line on a padded rug in my Foundation Technique studio. ”

“ You want all the kicking practice you can get. I never saw anything feebler than that shot of yours after Drummond’s try.”
“I’d like to see you take a kick like that. It was nearly on the touch-line. Still, when we play you, we shan’t need to convert any of our tries. We’ll get our thirty points without that. Perhaps you’d like to scratch?” ”

“ The player selected to kick the ball must send it at least ten yards into the opponent's camp, and it is usually sent as much farther as the judgment of the kicker directs. When the ball comes sailing over into their ranks the enemy catch it and either return it by a kick or one of them runs with the ball. ”

“ These manifestations, however, were turned into low growling when the leather was sent away by a free kick. The ladies, too, talk about "free kicks," "corner-kicks," "heading," "hands," "beautiful passing and dribbling," as if to the manner born. I cannot, however, dismiss the subject of spectators without referring to the use and abuse of a free and unrestrained vent to pent-up feelings. There is the low, vulgar fellow, whose collarless neck and general coarseness of exterior and language indicates that he possesses all the vices but none of the virtues of the "honest working man." ”

“ Many of our best backs have been moderate kickers, but when they did kick they did so with discretion and judgment, placing the ball to the half-back if he was free or to the outside right or left, as the run of the play might be. Above all, a back should be a fine tactician, knowing when to go for the ball or when to put it quickly into touch, thus giving his fellow players time to get back and save the position. ”