Edition 22

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s topic is punting. I guess I have to start with a disclaimer, which is that over the years; this has not been s subject that I would consider to be strength of mine. However, that the technique I will be writing about is sound.

I will be writing this for people who punt with their right foot. If you are a left-footed punter, simply reverse the directions. For all but the smallest keepers, I recommend punting the ball out of the opposite hand. In other words, if you are punting with your right foot, hold the ball with your left hand. The reason for this is that it will allow you get a bit more of a turning of the hips in order to get power on the punt. Hold the ball with your hand under the ball and only the fingertips touching it. The ball should be held 6-8 inches to the right of your right foot and a couple of inches in front of the foot. To make it simple, start with a step with the right foot and then a big step with your left foot, which will become your plant foot for the punt. . While you are taking these two steps, try to keep the ball level and in the same position besides the right foot. Do not raise or lower the ball as you are stepping. Upon the planting of your left foot drop the ball out of your left hand (do not throw it up). If necessary, raise your hand SLIGHTLY just before releasing the ball. If you released the ball at the proper time, you will be forced to have a slight twist of your hips in order to make contact with the ball and play it in a forward direction. As you are turning your hips, raise your right foot and lock your ankle so that your toes are pointed straight down. You want to make contact with the ball below the knee level and realize that height is not the objective but in most cases distance and accuracy are the goals. Done properly, the ball only needs to rise above the heads of the field players.

The best way to practice this is to practice by punting the ball into the back of the goal over and over again. One of the keys is to get used to doing it the same way over and over again. Repetition is the way to get better and by playing the ball into the back of the goal, you don’t have to worry about chasing the ball after each punt (assuming there is a net in the goal). Occasionally, you will want to punt the ball into the field to check your distance and height but this would be the exception and not the rule. Anywhere from 25-35 punts per day (everyday) will be sufficient. Anymore then that and you are at risk of injuring your leg as well as lessening the amount of time you can spend on other things. Any less then that and you shouldn’t be wondering whey you don’t punt better then you do, the answer is real simple, you don’t put in the time.

Your target on punts will differ depending upon the situation and team. Most coaches as a rule teach to punt toward the far side corner flag (or midfield flag) which will keep the ball out of the center of the field and toward the sidelines However, you might want to look straight down the field when you first get the ball to see if you can find a teammate in a 1v1 situation. If that situation is there, punt directly in that direction. Also, coaches have different opinions on things like this. I know a big name college coach who instructs his keepers to punt down the center of the field. His reason is that he instructs his forwards and outside halves to pinch in and he is looking to win both the first and second ball and go for the quick goal. Is this wrong>? No not necessarily but make sure your teammates know what you planning on doing.

If you are a keeper with very small hands, you might want to consider punting while holding the ball with both hands. The reason for this is to ensure you don’t drop the ball on your approach. Everything else would stay the same.

Size isn’t nearly as important in punting as people might think. Nor is it important to take fast steps on your approach. Most of the power is the result of good timing and that is the reason that it’s so important to spend a great deal of time practicing.

Remember, you can always find all of the old Goalkeeping Newsletters in the archives at http://finesoccer.com. To subscriber to the Goalkeeping Newsletter, send an email to comments@finesoccer.com with the word subscribe in the subject. To leave, put the word unsubscribe in the subject.

Tomorrow will be the first edition of the Soccer Newsletter. It will be real similar to the Goalkeeping Newsletter but dealing with all soccer subjects. I strongly recommend anyone interested in goalkeeping or soccer to subscribe. To subscribe please go to www.finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm

Any suggestions, comments or questions should be sent to me at comments@finesoccer.com

Have a great day.

Lawrence