Kick'em where they ain't!

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU died watching an opposing kick-return specialist break into the clear and head for the end zone? It is one of the worst feelings in the world for a football coach.

Do you usually attribute the return to a breakdown in your coverage? Do you attribute it to a line-drive kick? Do you ever wonder why your kicker's nice high, deep kicks are still being returned for long yardage?

The truth is that your kicker may be facilitating the return man's job by booting the ball straight down the field, giving him all kinds of room for the return.

I'm astonished at the lack of purpose in modern punting and kicking. We teach our kids the proper mechanics, but fail to understand that "high and deep" is not as important as the type of kick and its direction.

We instituted a system of directional kicking at LaPorte H.S. for two reasons:

1. We did not have an athlete who could kick the ball into the end zone or punt it 45 yards consistently.

2. We felt that by studying our opponents we could exploit their predictable return patterns by utilizing an end-over-end kick to limit the returns and enhance our field position. In short, instead of bemoaning our lack of talented kickers/punters, we adjusted our philosophy.