Special Teams: Win the Battle of Field Position

KICK OFF TEAM - SWAT TEAM



The kickoff team (“SWAT” Team) can set the tone at the beginning of the game, or continue the momentum set by a score. Kickoff coverage requires players who play with reckless abandon. Additional characteristics of special teams’ players include unselfishness, team oriented, courageous and enthusiastic. As coaches, we must keep from confusing them with “technical sophistication”. The key components to kickoff coverage are speed and the ability to execute an open-field tackle. The kicker is a big part of the process and as such must be very precise and consistent in hang-time and location of the kick. Great plays and big hits are set-up by the kicker.



Our KICK-OFF Team goals include:

• Keep or establish the momentum with a big hit on the ball carrier.

• Get the football back with a turnover – fumble, recovery of a directional kick, or recovery on an onside kick.

• Pin the opponent inside the 20-yard line or on a directional kick hold the returner to 5 yards.



Our basic philosophy is to make our opponents defend the entire field by using a variety of kicks, directions, and ball placements. This helps us avoid being predictable which can give our opponents an advantage. We will not kick it straight down the field hoping for hang-time and coverage. When you kick the ball in this manner, it allows your opponent to execute their kick return scheme. Why allow the opposing kick-return specialist to break into the clear and head for the end zone? We want to eliminate one-third of the field, create some indecision and force them to scramble. The following is a list of additional principles and thoughts about directional kicking:



• Always kick the ball with a purpose.

o Scouting should establish whether you would attack the scheme (alignments) or put the ball in the hands of a specific player; and

o Adapt your strategy to your personnel.

• Use weather conditions to your advantage.

• Use the sideline as the 12th defender.

• Use different kickoff alignments.

o This forces the opponent to add practice time or simplify their return and quite possibly frustrates them to the extent that they do not have an answer for your directional kicks.

• Make the return man move to get the ball; and

• Kicking from a hash provides a better angle for the kicker and allows the coverage defenders to minimize a return.



We can only do what our players can do, and that starts with our kicker and speed of our coverage personnel. Therefore, our keys include:



• High and deep is not as important as the type of kick and its direction

o Hang-time kicks, driving kicks, quail kicks, or squib, bouncing kicks

• Aggressive coverage personnel, with proper lane responsibilities

o Speed,

o Second effort, and

o Toughness, courage and hits



HUDDLE

We will always meet on the sideline (fifty-yard line) to allow the coach to count players and give them reminders. The coach will make the kickoff alignment call (right hash, middle, left hash) and provide a preliminary directional call, but the kicker will give the final call once the referee has readied the ball for play.



A choirboy type huddle will be formed on the thirty-five yard-line (five yards behind the tee). The players will remain in the huddle until the ball is signaled “ready for play” and the kicker has returned to the huddle. The kicker will then make the kickoff call; say ready and “hit”. The players will clap as they say, “hit”, then sprint to their alignments. Remember, the ball must be kicked within twenty-five seconds of the ball being signaled “ready for play”.



We will always huddle and be in the huddle as the ball is signaled “ready for play” by the referee. The kicker will stand next to the tee, with the kickoff team huddled five yards back; on the thirty-five (high school rules) or the thirty (college rules). Once the official hands the ball to the kicker, they will place it on the ground next to the tee. The kicker will then return to the huddle and make the call, identifying the kick, and coverage scheme. They will then the break the huddle and approach the ball to tee-it-up. If the kick return team does not adjust their alignment to cover up the players in the huddle, we will evaluate an onside kick from the huddle alignment.


This is a very important process. Teams that huddle but break the huddle before the officials signal the ball “ready for play” create NO stress or requirement for adjustments by the return team. The reason is the ball cannot be put into play until the referee signals “ready for play”. Therefore, the kick return team does not need to adjust their alignment because the kickoff team is in their spread formation when the ball is signaled “ready for play”; i.e., the kickoff team can only kick the ball once the referee signals “ready for play”. However, when a team is huddled when the ball is ready for play, it forces the return team to adjust their return alignment (compress it) in case of an onside kick, or a possible kick from the huddle formation. If the return team does not adjust, they can very easily be outnumbered with an easy recovery for the kickoff team.