Thursday, November 7Football 101: Special teams - kicking game By Bob DavieSpecial to ESPN.comEvery week in college football games are decided by the kicking game. Last week, I stated that the two most measurable statistics affecting the outcome of a game are turnover ratio and field position. Not only do special teams control these two important eleme nts, but they also provide an opportunity to score points. Every time t he ball is kicked, special teams can score points in one of the following ways: 1. Field goal 2. Extra point (kick for one, run or pass for two) 3. Punt return for touchdown 4. Kickoff return for touchdown 5. Punt block for a touchdown 6. Punt b lock for a saf ety 7. Field goal block for a touchdown 8. Return point after attempt for two points 9. Recover a punt or kickoff return and advance it for a TD This week we will discuss field goal and extra point teams. Obviously, every time a field goal or extra point team goes on the field they have an opportunity to score points. That's why this unit is vital to the success of a team. A great field goal kicker is a tremendous weapon, but efficiency of the unit is equally importan t. It is vital to the success of the team that this unit scores every time it takes the field. Whether it is an extra point or field goal, the goal is to be 100 percent in scoring efficiency. Four elements must be performed perfec tly for the field goal and extra point team to be successful. They are the snap, protection, hold and kick. Operation timeTotal operation time refers to the time it takes for the center to snap the ball, the holder to put it down and the kicker to get the ball kicked. The total operation time from snap to kick should not exceed 1.3 seconds. Great operation time, regardless of how good the rush is, will provide sufficient time to get the kick off. Snappers and holders The operation time of the snappers and holders is critical to success. Many teams in college football will have a snapper and holder who don't play other positions. In this case, they can devote all of their practice time working together on operation and technique -- obviously, the kicker will also be involved. KickerIt is not unusual in college football for a team to have two or three scholarship kickers. This happens because it is so difficult to evaluate high school kickers -- especially since they can kick off of a tee. In college football, the ball is kicked off the ground and that makes for a huge transition. It is very difficult to evaluate high school kickers and mistakes are made. Another factor is game pressure. You do not know until a kicker is under tremendous pressure in a big game with a big kick if he is the right one or not. Now almost all kickers use the soccer-style techniq ue as opposed to the conventional straig ht- on style you used to see years ago. Field goal formation In a normal kicking situation, teams will use a standard field goal alignment. In selecting personnel, they will try to use big offensive linemen and tight ends. It is not unusual to see defensive players on field goal protection teams as well. The holder will be seven yards behind the center. He is responsible for the operation and cadence used.
