The Start of a Football Game: The Kickoff

For fans of American football, the start is an exhilarating start to any game. They see the two-sided excitement that one team is trying to block from the other, helping his return run through, overtake, and past 11 quick-charging players for the kicking team. (Okay, make that ten. The kicker usually stands around the 50-yard line, hoping he doesn’t have to step in.) And the kicking team wants to make a statement by stopping the return inside their 20-yard line. That’s the goal at every level of football, from the peoie to college to the NFL.

Deciding to kick or pick up
When tossing the coin, when the captains of the two teams meet the referee in the center of the field, the captain who correctly calls the referee’s coin flip decides whether his team will receive or defend a particular goal. Most teams choose to take kick-off because they want the ball to attack.
On some occasions, the team may allow its opponent to receive after winning the coin, which means that it retracts its right to start:

• The head coach may think that his defensive unit is stronger than the opponent’s attack and wants to anchor the attack deep into his area, force a spin, or make him shoot after three defeats.

 

• Adverse weather conditions may jeopardize players’ ability to take the kick cleanly, and some players have difficulty achieving sufficient distances against strong winds.

Getting ready to start the match
For starting kicks, the NFL and college kickers are allowed to use a 1-inch tee to support the ball. High school kickers may use a 2-inch T-shirt. The kicker can tilt the ball any way he prefers while using the tee, but most kickers prefer the ball to be in the tee at a 75-degree angle rather than having it perpendicular to the ground.
During some games, strong winds prevent the ball from staying on the tee. In those cases, a member of the team holds the ball steady for the port by placing the index finger on the ball and applying the downward pressure needed to keep it stationary.
Here’s how the kick-off team ranks:

• Five players on either side of the kick. These 10 players line up in a straight line about 8 yards from where the ball is placed on the tee.

 

• If the kicking player is a soccer player, line up 7 yards back and forth to one side (to the left if the kicking player is right-footed, or vice versa).

As the striker steps forward to kick the ball, the ten players step forward in unison, hoping to be in full stride when the kicker makes contact with the ball.
kick the ball
With the special teams ready and ready to play, it’s time to actually kick the ball:
1. When the referee blows his whistle, the attacker approaches the ball.
His goal is to hit the ball squarely in the lower quadrant in order to get the right loft and distance.
2. Once the kicker’s foot has touched the ball, his ten teammates are allowed to cross the line of scrimmage and run down to cover the kick.

Basically, they want to deal with the player who catches the ball and tries to get it back to the kicking team.
The ideal starting kick is around 70 yards and hangs in the air for over 4.5 seconds. Maximizing hold time (the length of time the soccer ball is in the air) is important because it allows players on the kicking team to run across the field and cover the kick, thus tackling the returning man near his end zone.
The kicking team’s goal at the kickoff is to place the ball as close to the opponent’s end zone as possible for a number of reasons:

• It’s better for your opponent to travel 99 yards to score a touchdown than to only have to move the ball, say, 60 yards.

 

• If you can keep the ball close to your opponent’s end zone, your defense has a better chance of scoring a touch if he recovers a stumble or intercepts a foul pass.

 

• By pinning the opponent deep in their own area and possibly forcing a penalty kick, the team can expect to put their attack in a better field position when they receive a kick.

To prevent the kicker from making too many return yards, kickers may attempt to kick the ball to a specific side of the field (known as a directional kick) to force the returning man to take the kick. In this case, the yield is often restricted, and the defense can pin him to the sidelines and force him out of bounds.