A little-known soccer player from Hungary started a revolution in professional football. When Pete Gogolak left Cornell University in 1964 and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League the same year, he became the first soccer-style kicker in professional football. Looked at as an oddity at the time, Gogolak was soon joined by a number of foreign-born kickers who used a soccer style to kick the ball farther and more accurately than American-born kickers who used a straight-on style. By the end of the 1980s, there were no more straight-on kickers in pro football.
Step 1
Take three steps back from the point where the holder will plant the ball after receiving the snap from center. If you are a right-footed kicker, take two steps to the left. If you are left-footed, take two steps to the right. This is your starting point for a soccer-style kick.
Step 2
Take a short step with your right foot, a hard step with your left foot to plant it and explode into the ball with your right instep to get the ball moving toward the goalposts. Begin with your left foot if you are kicking with your left.
Step 3
Hit the ball about 6 inches from the bottom with your instep. Your eyes need to be focused on the bottom-center portion of the ball and you can't waver. You want to hit the ball hard, but you don't want to kick it so hard that you lose your balance. You want all of your body's momentum coming into the ball; if you kick too hard, you will lose your rhythm and balance and the result will be a mishit that will cause the ball to slice or hook off course.
Step 4
Drive your kicking leg through the ball and follow through to the level of your ribs after contact. A full follow-through will give you more power and accuracy. If you keep your head down and follow through fully, you have a chance to accurately kick field goals. If you lift your head to look at your field goal attempt, you might lose distance and accuracy.
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