The punter is the forgotten man in football. The only time he's noticed by the fans is when he shanks a punt out of bounds. You'll never see a sports show highlight a great punt; such exposure is reserved for those who catch, pass, run and tackle. And a "Sports Illustrated" survey indicates punters and kickers are the NFL's second-lowest paid players by position. But in reality, a good punter is an invaluable weapon in the battle for field position. Like any position, becoming a good punter takes practice.
Leg Lineup
Standing straight but not rigid, move the arm you prefer to drop the ball with into and outstretched position, roughly chest-high. Allow that arm to fall toward your punting-side leg. The arm should hit your leg; if it doesn't, you're holding the ball off to the side, which can result in wayward punts. It's a simple drill but one that will reinforce the need to keep the drop arm directly above the punting leg prior to drop -- which can be done underhanded or overhanded -- so that your punts don't sail sideways and you achieve full thrust by kicking toward the middle of your body.
Pressure Drill
Just like quarterbacks aren't able to simply stand around and throw the ball where and when they want to, punters must deal with oncoming defenders attempting to block their boots. Few things can shift the momentum of a football game like a blocked punt. Develop your ability to maintain your focus under pressure and avoid being rattled by defensive players, weather elements and screaming fans. Line up in normal punting position. But rather than one center snapping the ball, there should be two. You won't know which center is going to snap the ball first. Moments after one does so, the other one will snap his ball in your general direction as well. You must get your punt off without allowing the ball sailing by to detract from your quickness and accuracy.
Distance Drill
You may have the strongest leg in the league, but that won't help you when it comes time to "pooch punt" the ball -- punt it high in the air but not extremely far down the field. This is a vital skill, as many times a team will punt from midfield or beyond, so your job is to make the ball land inside the opponent's 10-yard line. Place a ball on the 50, 45, 40 and 35-yard lines. Start with the farthest punt, at the 50. The center snaps the ball and you punt it, aiming for a few yards outside of the end zone. Then jog up to the next one and repeat. This will hone your ability to punt the ball with appropriate strength depending on field position.
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