When a child first gets a football, one of the first things he's likely to do is kick it. Some kids are good natural kickers, while others can benefit from an approach that teaches them the skills of punting in the correct order. Learning how to punt is not as physically demanding as blocking or tackling, but following certain steps will lead to greater success.
Step 1
Catch the football when it is snapped back to you by the center. To punt the football legally, the center must snap the football back to the punter. At the youth level, this snap will travel about 10 yards. The punter must keep his hands out in front of his body and his eyes open. He must hold the ball out in front of him after he catches the ball.
Step 2
Take a step with your right foot if you are a right-footed punter and then follow that with a step with your left foot and then your right foot to get the momentum to kick the ball forward. Without stepping properly, the punt will not have enough momentum to travel with any distance. You must walk into the punt by moving forward before you kick it.
Step 3
Drop the ball down as you complete your third step. You want to drop the ball as close to your right foot as possible. You do not want to toss the ball in the air and have it float down to your foot. You want to drop it straight toward your foot.
Step 4
Drive the ball upward and outward with your punting leg. You should point your big toe on your punting foot as far forward as possible when punting, flattening out the surface of your foot and enabling you to power the ball forward when the football makes contact with your foot.
Step 5
Finish your punt with a strong follow-through. You want to bring your foot up to shoulder or neck height when you are finishing the punt. If you stop your foot before you finish your follow-through, you will lose distance and accuracy on your punt.
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