Kicking a football is a very specialized skill and requires specialized equipment. In this article I will be discussing the football kicking equipment needed to get started. Anyone can kick a football but I have been told that very few can do it well.
Footballs
Footballs come in all shapes and sizes. Purchasing footballs will most likely be the biggest investment you make in perfecting your kicking. Footballs now days are made of all types of material. However, game quality footballs are made out of real leather and react differently to contact with the foot then a lot of the synthetic material being used in less expensive footballs.
Kicking is all about repetition and muscle memory. This requires practicing the same movements over and over again.
This is difficult to do with one football. I bought three footballs to start practicing with.
For beginners it is ok to start off with the less expensive synthetic footballs. However, as you progress it is important to start practicing with the same type of ball you will be potentially kicking in a game. These game balls are expensive so make sure you are committed to perfecting your kicking game before making this investment.
Shoes
Football shoes have come a long way in the past 10 years. My dad said that back when he played most of the football shoes were big and bulky. Most resembled basketball shoes with cleats and most players all wore the same thing.
Today they have different shoes for different positions. They have the high tops for the linemen and the low tops for the receivers. Many of the receiver shoes now resemble soccer shoes. These come with less support but are much lighter.
It is almost impossible to kick a football “soccer” style with high tops. The high tops limit your ability to point your toe which is key in kicking “soccer” style or punting. For this reason I recommend kicking in soccer shoes or low top football shoes that give you plenty of flexibility.
Kicking Tees & Blocks
There are several different designs and heights for kickoff tees. You can find these tees in 1 and 2 inch heights. If you are beginning it is helpful to start off with a 2 inch tee. I personally like the old fashion orange tee but many kickers prefer the black blocks that have a cut out in them to hold the ball. The reason why I prefer the orange tee is that I still kick the tee quite a bit and the orange tee hurts less then the black tee when I kick it 🙂
These kickoff tees are not very expensive but are very helpful when you are beginning and kicking by yourself. You can use the tee for both kickoffs and field goal practice. For this reason the kickoff tee is a must buy to get started kicking.
They also have what they call “blocks” for field goals. These are allowed in High School and Youth Football but not allowed in college or the pros. These come in 1 and 2 inch heights like the kick off tees. I recommend the 2 inch tee if you are beginning. The higher tee makes it easier to get under the ball and create lift.
If you are in High School and looking to kick in college it could be beneficial to kick off of the 1 inch tee since this is more similar to kicking off the ground which is required in college.
If you want to use a block for practice then you will need a holder. The holder can be a person or a device designed to hold the football in place. There are many different designs and we will be discussing the benefits of these in future posts.
Accessories
A kicking bag to keep all your gear in is very helpful. A notepad to record kicks and distances is also very helpful as you start to measure your progress. If you are a punter a stopwatch is a must. Hang time is critical for punters and having someone record your hang time is very helpful.
Kicking nets are expensive but can also be extremely helpful with repitions. If you have local soccer field with nets up you can also kick into those nets for practice. The drawback to kicking nets is not getting a good picture of ball flight which is important early on as you learn what “great” feels like on your foot.
Conclusion
Repetition is key to perfecting your kicking. The biggest investment in equipment you will need to make is in quality footballs. In future posts we will be going into more details on the various types of footballs, shoes, tees, blocks, holders, and othe accessories that are on the market today. I hope you found this post helpful. If you have questions or comments please let me know.