Kickoffs are an important part of football as each team must kick the ball off after each score and to begin one of the two halves of play. Though it sounds simple, a lot of strategy goes into determining where to kick the ball. The best areas to kick the ball depend on the opponent as well as your kicker and the situation in the game.
Out of End Zone Or Touchback
In most cases, kicking the ball out of the end zone for a touchback is the safest kickoff option teams can choose. This prevents the return team from getting an opportunity to return the ball, thus no scoring or big field position change can occur. On a touchback, the offensive or return team takes over possession at the 20-yard line so, the kicking team also forces them to go nearly the length of the football field to score.
High And Deep
The options and places to kick the ball high and deep are numerous, with the goal of each option being to pin the return unit inside the 20-yard line. This kick style takes a kicker with a very strong leg who can kick the ball very high and keep it just out of the end zone to prevent a touchback. Some teams will also try to angle the high, deep kick to pin the returner on one side of the field and further limit the return options.
High And Short
The high and short kick is used to also prevent a return by forcing one of the designated blockers to field the ball. Usually high, short kicks require the return team to signal for a fair catch, which gives them possession at the spot of the catch, but does not allow them to return the football. High and short kicks are most often used by teams wanted to kick away from a great returner. This option becomes more important and useful if the kicker's leg is not strong enough to kick a touchback.
On Ground
Two scenarios exist when kicking teams will kick the ball off on the ground or along the ground. An onside kick is usually used at the end of the game in an attempt to regain possession by the kicking unit. Second, teams will kick the ball along the ground if their kicker does not have a strong leg and they want to force the return team to use the clock and take extra time trying to field the kick.
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