punt team long snapping

8/6/2019 Punt Team Long Snapping

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GRIP OF THE BALL Your dominant hand is the hand you throw a football with and your guide is the other hand. In these

pictures the dominant hand is the right hand and the guide hand is the left.

Grip of the Dominant Hand

1. Hold the ball with your dominant hand like a quarterback throws a pass. (see photo 1)

2. Your forefinger and middle finger are your "touch" fingers.

3. The ball will roll off of these two fingers as the ball is released.

4. Keep your thumb on the underside of the ball about the same distance from the tip as your middle

finger.(see photo 1)

Photo 1

Grip of the Guide Hand

1. Place guide hand on the underside of the football (opposite side from the laces) with fingers pointingtowards the tip of the ball away from you. (see photo 2)2. Your finger pads (point between fingertip and first joint) should be the only part gripping the ball. (see

photo 3)3. The ball should not be touching the middle part of your palm.4. I personally like to place the seam of the ball between my forefinger and my middle finger. (see photo 2)

5. You can adjust your guide hand to how you feel more comfortable.For example, middle or forefinger on the seam.

6. You can move your guide hand slightly forward or backward on the ball to the position where you feelmore comfortable.



Photo 2

Photo 3

Putting your grips together

1. Photo 4 is the view looking at the ball from above.

2. Photo 5 is the view looking at the ball from below.

Photo 4



Photo 5

STANCE

Feet

1. Your feet should be parallel to each other, approximately 6 inches wider than shoulder width for each

foot. Your toes should be pointing straight forward.

2. You can adjust the width of your feet to where you feel most comfortable when bending over to grip

the ball.

3. Keeping your feet flat on the ground, your weight should be slightly shifted towards the balls of your

feet.

Getting into the snapping position

1. Place the ball on the ground about one yard in front of you.

2. From your stance, bend your knees slightly.

3. Bend over at waist and reach your arms out to grip the ball.

4. Keep your back flat and parallel to the ground.

5. Your arms should be extended in front of you, where your arms are about 90-95% extended.

6. You can adjust the bend in your arms and legs to where you feel comfortable.

7. Make sure your feet are firmly planted on the ground.

8. Do not lean too far forward. Make sure you are balanced.

SNAP WITHOUT THE BALL

Dominant Hand

1. Take your stance and place your hands as if gripping an imaginary ball in front of you.

2. Pull both arms with equal effort through your legs.

3. Your dominant hand knuckles will skim just above the ground while pulling with your arms.

4. Keep your guide hand on top of imaginary ball while pulling your arms.

5. Your dominant hand will work similar to throwing a football, but do this between your legs.

6. Roll your dominant hand wrist so your forefinger comes over the top to point back at the punter or



holder.7. Then pull fingers and hand toward your forearm.

Guide Hand

1. Your guide hand will be on top of the imaginary ball.

2. Keep your wrist flexed at the start of the snap.

3. When starting the snap pull the palm of your guide hand toward the forearm.4. Finish with your fingers pointed at the punter like your dominant hand.5. Your guide hand does as it says, it helps guide the ball in a straight line during and after the snap.

The Finish

1. Your hands should finish with your fingers pointing toward the punter and palms facing up and out.

SNAP WITH THE BALL

1. Follow the instructions from the grip and snap without the ball but only now use a ball.

2. It is the same exact technique explained in the "snap without the ball " section.

3. The ball will roll out of your hands and off of your fingertips.

4. The feel of the ball coming out of your dominant hand should feel like shooting a basketball.

5. Start out snapping at a shorter, comfortable distance, about 8-10 yards.

6. Your first few snaps might not be too great, but keep working until you get the feel.

TIPS,HINTS

Straightness

Feet

1. If the ball is not going straight make sure your feet are parallel.

2. Also make sure both of your feet are sliding straight back to the punter as a result from the

momentum of your arms and body during the snap.

3. If the ball is going to the right check to see if your left foot is sliding back while you right foot is

staying in the ground.

4. If the ball is going to the left check for the opposite.



Hands

1. Another reason the ball might not be traveling straight is the hands.

2. When the ball is released make sure your hands are even. Like the photo in the "Snap with out the

ball section"

3. If the dominant hand finishes higher than the guide hand, the ball will tail to the side of the

dominant hand.

4. If the dominant hand finishes lower than the guide hand then the ball will tail toward the side of the

guide hand.

High Snap

Hands

1. If the ball is traveling high, this could mean that you are releasing the ball to high between your

legs.

2. To correct this, drop your release point, make your forearms hit lower on the inside portion of your

thighs.

Pulling Butt Up

1. If you pull your butt up during the snap then this will cause the ball to travel high.2. When snapping the ball keep your butt and back flat and parallel to the ground.

3. Imagine there is a table above your back, during the snap do not let your back and butt touch thetable.

Low Snap

Hands

1. One possible reason for a low snap is a low release point.

2. To correct this, make your forearms hit higher on your thighs on the follow through of the snap.

3. Another reason for a low snap is letting go of the ball too soon.4. Hold on to the ball a split second longer and this will raise the height of the snap.

Hitching

1. Try to coordinate the movement of your hands and your hips at the same time.

2. Make sure you are not moving your hips before your hands.3. Practice activating your hands and hips at the same time without a ball first.



GRIP I think that grip is maybe the most important part of the snap. Many golfers say that if you don't have the

proper grip, then the chances of the ball going straight arehampered before you've even started the movement

process. I believe this to be true with snapping also. Theball needs to come out of your hands as smoothly aspossible. The right hand (or dominant hand for you

southpaws) is what obviously provides the power in the

snap. Control meaning a tight spiral. One thing that I check to this day is the position of my left thumb on the ball.Having my thumb stretched down towards the bottom of the ball is what makes the difference as to whether it's a

tight spiral or not. Obviously, a tight spiral cuts through theair quicker and is also easier to catch. The photograph

shows the proper grip.

Long snapping requires excellent technique. Keep your hips and shoulders level. Grip the ball in one hand just as

you would if your were going to make a pass. Allow the other hand to rest on the top of the ball and serve as aguide.

Start out kneeling on one knee and then pass the ball over your head to another player. You can start at 8 to 10

yards apart. When you release the ball allow both of your hands to extend straight at your partner. Warm-up this

way and then begin snapping to one another. Again start at ten yards. You can increase your distance once youhave good velocity on the ball and it is being snapped to the target area.

As you snap the ball, make certain that both of your hands extend to the punter with your hands rotating out to

the outside. The velocity of your snap will come with the speed that you move the ball from the ground to the

release. Work on technique and I am certain your long snapping will improve, Coach Tom Bass.



LEARN TO SNAP ACCURATELY WHEN TIRED

by Paul Assad Pro College Football Director

It seems like lots of mis -snaps are a result of poor technique and/or focus because of one reason or another. This is a drill you can buildtechnique and endurance at. If you technique is coming along, at least focusing on the basics whilegetting in physical work.

Bryan Pittman, Houston Texans Long Snapper (Right Side) illustrates position to go and

finish with a typical High School Long Snapper as part of High Performance Film

Breakdown Training.

* Pittman was timed in the mid to high 5's at the Pro College Football Elite Combine whereNFL Coaches said he was perhaps, the fastest Snapper they had ever seen.

Equipment Needed : Anywhere you have a wall or target, at least 1-6 footballs and 12-15 yds. to work with. * Mark a target if you caon the wall or target.

Check back for pictures being loaded soon

GUIDLINES Pre Stance Feet 1. Parallel Straight or Slightly Outward Feet

just wider than the hips and shoulders.

2. Weight shifted towards the balls of feet.

Position(s)

1. Set up in the Pre stance2. Have a slight bend in your knees bending

over at waist. 3. Keep a Flat Back that parallel to theground.4. Extended the Arms - creating some lengthto generate speed but stay small or compactenough to explode.

5. Adjust the body, arms preparing to snapand maintain balance.

Use your dominant hand to snap and other hand to guidethe ball as you snap it.

Grip of the Dominant Hand 1. Hold the bawith your dominant hand like a quarterbackthrows a pass. (see photo 1)2. Your forefinger and middle finger are your"touch" fingers.3. The ball will roll off of these two fingers athe ball is released.

4. Keep your thumb on the underside of theball about the same distance from the tip asyour middle finger

Guide Hand

1. Place the guide hand in the seem of the bopposite the laces with the ball nose angled

upward at a lean.



1. Set up your footballs first 3 FG and 3 Punt

* Punt Snaps : Line up 12 to 15 yards from the wall or target

* FG Snaps : Line up 7-8 yards from the wall or target

2. Alternate Snapping the 1 Short then 1 Deep 3 repititions for a total of 6 Snaps inunder a minute.

* Use 1 ball if you are not getting tired where you will retrieve the ball after each snap.Remember this is still about Quality not rushing.

Improvement Areas: Concentrate on getting the ball back to the punter with Speed

Keeping the ball 3-4 ft. off the ground for the punt snaps atttempting to keep the ball on a

line and try to throw perfect spirals that angle up not down just 1-2 ft. off the ground forFG's without moving the holder. You can move up or back within a yard to get the laces on

top if you throw consistently.

Problem Solving

Ball is not a Spiral? - Most likely this is a matter of grip and release. There are different

ways to hold the ball but cocking the right wrist around the ball slightly and setting up theseem consistent with you where your guide hand middle finger can fit in the slot seems to

help players feel comfortable where then can focus on the finishing release through their

legs. Hint: If you can throw a spiral over your head think of it the same way but upsidedown.

Missing the Target Left or Right? Most of the time players are not setting up their feet evenly or their's an alignment issue of the

hand. Players can also practice accuracy by snapping at the Goal Post everyday.

Missing the Target Too Low or High? Sometimes players with good intensions forget about timing. The Rear or Back Popping up as

the player is snapping is telling you that energy and direction of energy need to come together. Popping up of the rear end will most of

the time result in the arms actually throwing the ball downward where now arm leverage against the torso is destroyed and the players

start using their body rather then arms to generate speed. Remember speed in generating momentum and establishing the position to

finish is what will separate great snaps from others.

Need More Speed? There's several things a player can do to help generate speed. Of course, Sport Specific Conditioning where you us

cables or just mentally focusing on snapping faster will help but technically players that actually set up in a more balanced and perhaps,

wider stance if necessary where it feels like they are sitting in a squat type of position where their wt. is underneath them and keeping

their backs flat through the entire snap process and the coordination of using the arms, abs and finish point of the hands seems to helpplayers execute fundamentally.

Advanced Tips: Getting the Elbows inside the Legs where the energy of the arms is set up to exert speed from the elbow to the hands

just like any kind of throw. Use the momentum you generate through your legs to flow into your blocking position. Learn to Snap

without looking so you can focus and see your block but keep to the golden rule "Snap First, then Block".

Rookie Moves: Doing the same thing everytime eventually defensive players will pick up on your routine and start timing your snaps

beating you. If you have a hitch where you lift the ball up dramatically, a D-Lineman may knock it out of your hands. Try snapping wa clip board on the ball or foward against something or hanging tarp/shirt that doesn't allow forward motion but use safety guidlines

obviously don't hurt yourself against a hard foward surface.

2. Keep the ball on your fingers let the bottopart of your hand flatten out but don't palmand suffocate it.

Snap Sequence

1. Start the Arms (Elbows) moving through

the legs keeping the ball semi cocked wherespeed is being generated as the abdomin, leand arms working together generatemomentum for the finish of the snap with thdistal (Elbow to Hands) extension and outwaflip finish through the legs finishing and with

the momentum of the snap motion - thenusing that momentum to immediatelytranistion into block position between thedefender and the ball flight lane.

Finish

Clearing the legs the hands will finish outward in aflipping manner to spin the ball. Great Snappers are

successful in their pre-focus in visual pre-determination snaps, disciplined in their set up, movement, finish and

work to be perfect. Snappers that last shake off poorattempts, overcome compulsive thinking and confidently

focus on the process of how they will be successful.

punt team long snapping

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