Kicker: The Craft of Placekicking
What a placekicker does: the snap, hold and kick sequence, how field goal distance is measured, kickoffs, mental pressure and why the job is far more technical than it looks.
The clock shows three seconds. The kicking team jogs on, and the stadium goes quiet in a particular way. One player, who may not have touched the ball all afternoon, walks to a spot on the grass, takes a few measured steps backward and to the side, and stands still. Everything that happened in the previous three hours has been reduced to one swing of one leg.
Placekickers are the specialists most people think they understand and most people actually do not. The kick looks like a simple act of strength. In reality it is a repeatable sequence between three players, timed to a fraction of a second, that has to work in wind, rain, noise and pressure. This article walks through that sequence, the rules that surround it, and the demands of the job.
What a placekicker is responsible for
The placekicker, usually just called the kicker, has three main jobs.
- Field goals. A kick through the uprights from anywhere on the field that the team believes is in range. A successful field goal is worth three points.
- Extra points. After a touchdown, the kicker attempts a kick for one point. The distance of this kick and the rules around it differ by level, which we cover in extra point rules.
- Kickoffs. At the start of each half, after scores, and in some other situations, the kicker (or a teammate who specializes in kickoffs) kicks the ball to the opposing team. The rules for kickoffs have changed several times, and our article on kickoff rules and how they have changed explains the history.
Some teams use one player for everything. Others split the work, with a field goal specialist and a different player who handles kickoffs because the techniques and physical demands differ. Both can appear on the same roster, and at small schools the same player may also play another position.
The three-person operation
A field goal or extra point is a team play. Three players are directly responsible for the kick itself.
- The long snapper, who sends the ball backward to the holder. See long snapper: the specialist nobody notices.
- The holder, who receives the snap, places the ball on the ground, and angles it so the kicker can strike it cleanly. See holders and returners.
- The kicker, who steps into the ball and kicks it.
Around them, blockers form a wall to protect against a rush. Together the snap, hold and kick are called the operation, and coaches talk about "operation time," meaning the number of seconds from the moment the ball is snapped to the moment the kicker's foot meets it. That time has to be short, because the defense is trying to get through the line and block the kick, and consistent, because the kicker takes his steps to a rhythm. A kicker whose snapper or holder is inconsistent has a tougher job no matter how strong his leg is.
The kicker's part of the operation begins before the snap, when he measures his steps from the spot where the holder will place the ball. The details differ among kickers, but common routines involve a certain number of steps back and a certain number to the side, so the approach angle is the same on every kick. Practicing those steps until they are automatic is a major part of the job.
The anatomy of a kick
Almost all kickers in the NFL and college use the soccer style, approaching the ball at an angle and striking it with the top of the foot near the instep. This replaced the older straight-on style, where the kicker approached from behind with a toe-first strike.
The kick can be broken into stages.
The approach
The kicker takes a short run-up. Most take a few steps back and a few to the side, forming an angle toward the ball. The approach builds speed and sets up the rotation of the hips. A shorter, controlled approach is generally easier to repeat under pressure than a long one.
The plant
The non-kicking foot, called the plant foot, lands beside the ball. Where it lands matters enormously. If it is too close, the kicker cramps and cannot swing freely. If it is too far, the kick may be pulled. The direction the plant foot points often decides which direction the ball goes. Coaches look at the plant foot first when diagnosing a miss.
The swing and contact
The kicking leg swings through, with the knee leading and the foot snapping forward at the last moment. Contact is usually made on the lower half of the ball, so the kick rises. The ankle stays locked, and the eyes stay on the spot where the ball was.
The follow-through
After contact, the leg continues forward and upward, and the kicker finishes balanced. A consistent follow-through helps keep the kick on line.
How field goal distance is measured
Spectators are often confused about why a field goal attempt is longer than the line of scrimmage suggests. The reason is the geometry of the field.
In the NFL and college, the goal posts stand at the back of the end zone, which is ten yards deep. The holder crouches about seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, and the kick is struck from that spot. So the announced distance of a field goal is the distance from the line of scrimmage to the goal line, plus ten yards for the end zone, plus roughly seven yards for the holder's position.
A worked example: imagine a team lines up at the opponent's 30-yard line. The ball is snapped from the 30, so the holder is about seven yards behind that spot and the goal posts are ten yards beyond the goal line. The kick is about 30 plus 17, or 47 yards. The usual shortcut is to add about 17 to the yard-line number. This is a rule of thumb, since the holder's exact depth varies slightly, but it works well for estimating.
The goal posts themselves have set dimensions in each rulebook. The crossbar sits ten feet above the ground at every level. The width between the uprights varies: it is narrower in the NFL and college than in typical high school rules, which makes the target easier for younger kickers. If you play or coach, check your league's rulebook for the exact numbers.
A field goal is good if the ball passes over the crossbar and between the uprights, or between the imaginary lines extending upward from them. A ball that hits the upright or crossbar and bounces through counts. A ball that bounces back does not.
Pressure, mental routines and the "ice"
Kicking is a physical skill with an unusually large mental component. A kick of 35 yards in practice may be easy. The same kick with the game on the line is the same physical task and a very different experience.
Kickers develop routines to manage that pressure. Common ones include:
- A fixed pre-kick routine. The same steps, the same breathing, and the same glance at the goal posts every time, so the body goes on autopilot.
- A narrow focus. Looking at a small target, such as the spot on the ball or a point between the uprights, rather than thinking about the score.
- A process goal. Thinking about technique on each kick rather than the result.
Opposing coaches know about this pressure and sometimes try to increase it by calling a timeout just before the snap. The tactic is called icing the kicker. It gives the kicker extra time to think, and teams hope the delay leads to a miss. There is no strong evidence that it works reliably, and kickers who are well prepared often shrug it off. Whether it helps is a topic of constant debate among coaches, and you should treat claims in either direction with caution.
Wind, weather and field conditions
Outdoor kickers must read conditions. Wind is the biggest variable: a crosswind pushes the ball sideways, a headwind shortens a kick, and a tailwind can help. Kickers often watch flags or the movement of grass and ask the holder to adjust where to aim. Rain makes the ball slippery and the footing worse, and cold air can reduce how far the ball travels. Playing surface matters too, since turf, grass and dirt behave differently under the plant foot.
Kickers therefore take extra time in warm-ups to test the wind direction and to learn the quirks of each stadium. Several stadiums are known for tricky winds, but those reputations change as stadiums are rebuilt, so check recent coverage rather than relying on old stories. Our stadium pages list the venues.
Kickoffs: a different skill
A kickoff is a free kick, which means the ball is not snapped. The kicker places the ball on a tee and runs forward to kick it. The NFL and college both use tees for kickoffs, and the tee lets the kicker adjust the height and angle of the ball. Rules about tees at the high school level vary, so look at your state association's rulebook.
The goals of a kickoff depend on the situation. Sometimes the team wants the longest possible kick, so the return team has to start deep. Sometimes it wants a high, short kick that lands in a specific area, giving teammates time to run downfield. And sometimes the plan is an onside kick, which is a deliberately short kick that the kicking team tries to recover.
The rules governing where players line up, where the ball must land and what happens on a touchback have been revised repeatedly in recent years, particularly in the NFL. For that reason, we recommend reading the current rulebook for any specific detail and consulting our article on kickoffs for the background.
What happens when the kicker is tackled
Kickers are rarely involved in contact, but when they are, special rules apply. A kicker is in a vulnerable position during and just after the kick, standing on one foot with his eyes on the ball, so the rules protect him. Contact with the kicker can be called as roughing the kicker or running into the kicker, depending on severity.
On kickoffs, the kicker sometimes becomes the last defender between a returner and the end zone. He is expected to tackle, though many kickers avoid contact when possible, and teams do not always count on them.
How kickers become kickers
Most kickers come from soccer, football or both. Many start as soccer players who try football kicking in high school. They may train with private coaches or attend camps that focus on kicking. Colleges often recruit kickers separately from other positions, and a team may have only one or two on the roster at a time.
Because teams carry very few kickers, competition is fierce. A job can be lost to a single bad game, and a new kicker may arrive from anywhere. A practical truth is that a kicker's career depends on consistency more than raw power. Coaches value a kicker who reliably makes the kicks he should make over one who occasionally makes spectacular ones.
Statistics: how to read kicker numbers
The common stats for kickers include field goals made and attempted, field goal percentage, extra points made and attempted, and longest field goal. Each has limits.
- Field goal percentage depends heavily on the distances attempted. A kicker who tries many 50-plus-yard kicks will usually have a lower percentage than one who is mostly asked to attempt short kicks.
- Longest field goal is a single data point and says little about reliability.
- Extra point percentage is high for nearly every kicker at the NFL level, so it separates kickers less than it once did.
A good way to read a kicker's numbers is to break them down by distance. Many databases report makes and attempts in ranges, such as under 30 yards, 30 to 39, and so on. You can browse team stat leaders on our leaders page and individual lines on player pages.
The short version
- A placekicker handles field goals, extra points and, on many teams, kickoffs.
- Kicking is a three-player operation: snapper, holder and kicker, and the timing among them matters as much as leg strength.
- Most kickers use the soccer-style approach: a short angled run-up, a firmly planted foot, a locked ankle and a full follow-through.
- A field goal attempt's distance is roughly the line of scrimmage yard number plus 17 yards.
- Mental routines matter, and icing the kicker has no proven effect.
- Wind, weather and turf all affect kicks, so kickers study conditions.
- Rules for tees, goal post width and kickoffs differ by level, so always check your league's rulebook.
- Judge a kicker by percentage at each distance, not by one long kick.