PSU Special TeamsPlaybook

Punt Drill / Play Book

Stance and StartPlayers Involved – Guards – Tackles – Wings.

Coaches Involved – Coach responsible for Guards – Tackles - Wings.

Drill – Align Guards – Tackles – Wings in proper stance with 6 inch split, all players with post foot on a line. On ball movement players will kick back through 5 yards.

Emphasis: Getting in a correct stance, post foot forward, kick foot at a 5 or 7 o’clock position depending on which side of the ball we are on. Weight should be on the post foot, keeping the kick foot light. Knees bent and over the toes, numbers over the knees, eyes up.

On balls movement entire line should kick straight back, pressing off post foot, gaining ground with kick foot. Pads should stay down, eyes should stay up. Through 5 yards.

As players progress through this drill, we will drop to only three kick sets, and focus on finishing low and under control. Players should be square, and in the same stance as we began in.

Progression: This drill will be continued in our proper alignment with wing off the ball in our groups of 3, Guard – Tackle – Wing.

Each group should have similar speed and ability to get depth.

We should appear at the exact alignment we began in only with depth off of the line of scrimmage.

Slide the Line

Players Involved – Guards – Tackles – Wings.

Coaches Involved – Coach responsible for Guards – Tackles - Wings.

Drill – Align Guards- Tackles – Wings on yard line in proper stance with post foot on yard line at hash mark. On ball movement all players will kick back from hash mark to the numbers. The post foot on the yard line should not come off that line.

Emphasis : Players should start in a good position as noted in the Stance and Start drill. Pads can’t come up as the player kicks back, eyes should remain up and shoulders should remain square.

Progression: This drill as well as the Stance and Start drill can be done in the chutes.

Step to ContactPlayers Involved – Guards – Tackles – Wings.

Coaches Involved – Coach responsible for Guards – Tackles - Wings.

Drill – Align Guards- Tackles – Wings in proper stance and alignment, on ball all take three kick slides, straight back. Coach can take 1 to 3 rushers and send them through gaps at 75% speed. Punt unit will get good depth in slides and be fast off of the L.O.S. When the rush man has entered 6-12 inch strike zone, punt unit will strike and extend.

Emphasis : Punt Unit needs to be able to get great depth, while being fast off of the L.O.S. Coaches are looking for square shoulders, not opening up to the rusher before the strike.

On the punch hips should sink, and feet should plant while engaging the strike, and accelerate through. Punch should be inside, thumbs up, elbows in, and into the chest of the rusher.

Progression: Coach can send 1 to 3 rushers at a time. Tempo can vary from slow to the fit, to up tempo, strike, extend and release.

1 on 1 - 4 on 3Half Line

Players Involved – Guards – Tackles – Wings.

Coaches Involved – Coach responsible for Guards – Tackles - Wings.

Drill – From base to variations of looks, rush 4 men vs. full speed set by the punt team. Punt team should be in proper stance and alignment.

Emphasis: The Punt team should be communicating who they are working to, pointing out their man and communicating to each other to watch the ball. Depth off the line of scrimmage and the ability to take fundamentally sound kick steps while staying square vs. a “live” rush are the key. After 3 kick sets the punt team should drop their hips and strike the core of the rusher.

Hands inside, thumbs up, elbows in, we want to see a solid strike and extension.

Progression: Work this drill with variations of fronts and twists, emphasizing on communication and picking different looks, and twists.

We can also work this drill vs. a hold-up team working release drills. When working releases we run this same drill, but finish with a 10-yard escape into proper lanes.

We will do this teaching variations of releases; chop/rip, club/rip, push/pull, ect.

On the Clock

Players Involved – Long Snappers - Punters.

Coaches Involved – Coach responsible for Long Snappers.

Drill – Every day we want a clock on different phases of the punt.

As punters warm up we will time snap to kick, or catch to kick to emphasize the fact we are tracking this stat, we also want to develop consistency with the Coach with the clock. During the individual section of the punt period the coach will time and record the focus of the days work.

Emphasis: The snap to catch needs to be at or below .08.

The Catch to kick needs to be at or below 1.2.

The entire exchange needs to be at or below 2.0 seconds.

Coach will also track snaps that are outside the frame of the body of the punter, as accuracy is crucial to each snap.

2 on 2

Players Involved – Long Snappers – Personal Protectors - Punters.

Coaches Involved – Coach responsible for Long Snappers – Personal Protectors and Punters

Drill – From base to variations of looks, rush 2 men vs. full speed set by the Long Snapper and Personal Protector. The Punter should treat this as a live look, catch the ball moving forward and get it off at 1.2 or less.

In this drill a coach will show the Long Snapper and Personal Protector a card with the entire Punt Rush team aligned, they will also show the card to 2 rushers that the Long Snapper and Personal Protector are responsible for. The Personal Protector will call the protection as he sees on the card and each man should then be able to work to the correct man or gap.

Hand fight Releases

Players Involved – Gunners

Coaches Involved – Coach responsible for Gunners

Drill – Form 2 lines 10 yards apart from each other. A Coach will give different alignments based on looks we want to practice or plan on seeing. Working from a squared up, inside pressed or outside pressed look the Coach will work a jam and grab on the gunner attempting to release. Fitted arm pads are best for the coach, who is attempting to give the gunners a good punch and grab the jersey. Gunners will work a variation of hand swats, and clubs to knock the coaches hands off, and get a clean release.

Progression – We do this drill as a warm up and jog. Gunner will fight off the line of scrimmage, burst and jog to the back of the line heading back toward the original starting point.

Cover vs. AirPlayers Involved – Entire Punt TeamCoaches Involved –All Punt Coaches

Drill – From rotating sites on the field, Rt. Hash, Middle, Lt. Hash entire punt team aligns, works through cadence, takes their proper steps, and strikes vs. air, then release to cover the punt.Cones are placed for proper spacing: tackles working to contain alignment, guards to force alignment, wings to fill alignment.

Emphasis: As the ball is moved on the field from hash, middle, hash -the spacing will change as well, and the landmarks/cones need to move with the drill. Coaches want to see proper spacing, to individual landmark. Gunners – Personal Protector – and long snapper take their fit on cones as well, to where the ball is supposed to be kicked.All Punt Unit will hit their cone, break down, stay square and chop their feet until the whistle in blown.

Progression: We will work this drill with cones to teach landmarks and spacing, not fitting on the kick but, on each individual landmark. We will progress to take the cones out of the drill and work to where the ball is supposed to be kicked based on field position and call.We will end the progression by fitting to where the ball is actually punted, the landmarks we should have initially, to where we depart and eventually converge on the ball carrier, based on a live punt.

Punt Return Drill Book

Stance and StartPlayers Involved – All down linemen of punt return

team.Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with front line

play.

Drill – Align into proper gaps in a proper stance. Sprinters stance with front hand in front of your helmet, shoulders square, back flat. Crowd the ball, get as tight to L.O.S. as possible. Keep stance consistent with all schemes. Weight should be on front of the up field foot ready to drive off.

Emphasis: The illusion is pressure at all times, stances should be consistent with all schemes. We must be balanced and explosive. Inside 5 calls “watch the ball” both directions once to his left and once to his right. The 2 on each side is responsible for aligning on our side of the L.O.S.

Progression: We work a 1-2-3 step progression from the ground up. Work getting off quickly and fluidly and getting into a comfortable stance. This can be done in chutes to ensure pad level throughout the get-off.

Get to FitPlayers Involved – All down linemen of punt return team,

any 2nd row players that will work as part off the hold-up scheme.

Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with front line play and those involved with 2nd row players.

Drill – Align into proper gaps in a proper stance. Work a full speed get-off, driving into the opponents body frame. Take proper steps to insure body positioning and head placement, shoot hands inside and strike the “steering wheel”, extend and drive until momentum off blocker stops, then tug and sit, while chopping a wide base.

Emphasis: As we get off the ball we are attacking, giving the impression of being on a block side. We need to be low and strike on the rise. We need to win the hands battle by getting our hands inside the frame of the body. The strike and extension is violent and physical. As the blockers backward momentum stops, the hold-up begins. Dropping your rear and tugging down, gets you under control, and slows the release of the blocker. We chop our feet to maintain a wide base and prepare to post and run whichever direction we are taking our man.

Progression: We work a 1-2-3 step progression from the ground up. The get-off up to the strike, the get-off up to the drive, up to the tug and sit, to the post and run. Work each phase of the hold up individually until all skills have been executed.

Post and Run

Players Involved – All down linemen of punt return team, any 2nd row players that will work as part off the hold-up scheme.

Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with front line play and those involved with 2nd row players.

Drill – Work from proper stance and alignment as taught in the previous drills, use techniques of get to fit drill to get-off, strike, drive, tug and sit. As blocker release from tug and sit position, post on inside breast plate the direction we are taking our man, and flip our hips to open with his. Keeping contact on the breast plate we are going to widen and run on cover man’s hip.

Emphasis: All the proper techniques to get to this point of the hold-up. Use strong hands and a violent punch to maintain contact with cover man. Keep head up field and in front of the cover man.

Progression: This part of the hold can be taught from a slow tempo, get the feel and footwork down, to high tempo, full-speed capture the flag.

Flip the Hips

Players Involved – All down linemen of punt return team, any 2nd row players that will work as part off the hold-up scheme.

Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with front line play and those involved with 2nd row players.

Drill – Work from proper stance and alignment as taught in the previous drills, use techniques of get to fit drill to get-off, strike, drive, tug and sit, then post and run. Scout cover man will knock off hand contact and cross the face of the hold-up. We want to drop our hips, and open back-up to rejoin contact. Aim to strike again in the breast plate, ride the hip and keep our heads up field.

Emphasis: All the proper techniques to get to this point of the hold-up. Changing directions quickly and fluidly, get back to our aiming point. Stay on and in front.

Progression: This part of the hold can be taught from a slow tempo, get the feel and footwork down, to high tempo, full-speed capture the flag. The longer field we have to work the more often the scout player can cross the hold-up.

RetracePlayers Involved – All down linemen of punt return

team, any 2nd row players that will work as part off the hold-up scheme.

Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with front line play and those involved with 2nd row players.

Drill – Work a full speed get-off and hold-up, post and run, flip the hips, if scout player cross the hold-up. Get back into the post and run position, hand on breast plate, ride the hip, head in front. Work a punt returner past the block and down field. Hold-up now retraces back to post and run position.

Emphasis: The block doesn’t stop until the play is over. Re-tracing the path off the hold-up, gets us back into the post and run position. We must get our heads back in front. Best block may be no block if it will cost penalty yards. Effort is key!

Progression: This drill can be done at a slow pace up until ball carrier crosses the hold-up. Work a good tempo through the progression, then full-speed once the ball passes the hold-up and the retrace begins.

Wall Side LandmarksPlayers Involved – All down linemen of punt return

team, any 2nd row players that will work as part off the wall scheme.

Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with front line play and those involved with 2nd row players.

Drill – Work a full speed get-off with emphasis on attack angles, and gap assignments. Pressure punt based on the design of the attack. Depart after ball is kicked for wall side landmark.

Emphasis: Get-off and attack, pressure the kick, and be prepared to execute a block. After ball is kicked, accelerate to best path of landmark. Great effort is needed to finish the play.

Progression: Work the angles to landmarks on air, then with a scout team, we need to see the traffic that we will be working through. Place bag with scout player at landmark to execute the block, drop hips, widen base and strike up and through the bag. Work shield block, with hands up and head fighting across the body, no block may be the best block! Work re-trace from the wall landmark back down the field as ball carrier cross the initial landmark.

Kickoff Drill Book

L2L3L4L5R5

R4R3R2R1K

Acceleration Zone

Execution Zone

Attack Zone

Kick-off Cover Reaction Zones.

Zone 1 - Acceleration Zone - Full speed sprint, staying in our lanes. Reading our keys and identifying the return. Bewtween the 35 yard line when the ball is kicked and the opponent's 40 we must have awareness of the return, where the defender is coming from to block us, and a plan to defeat the block, while maintaining full speed.

Zone 2 - Execution Zone - Defeat the man assigned to block you - we must be lane concious, if we fight over a block and leave our lane we must get back into our proper assignment. Have a plan and execute to defeat the block.

Zone 3 - Attack Zone - By the opponent's 25 - 20 yard line we must be in a position to depart to our fit. Hit your assigned gap full speed, continue to track the returner with your inside eye, breakdown and make the play.

L1

Stance and StartPlayers Involved – Entire Kickoff Team.Coaches Involved – Entire Kickoff Coaching Staff.Drill – Align properly based on installed kickoff

scheme, have kicker take his game day routine, and approach, one coach with a whistle give the kicker the clock start, depart for kick, and send the kickoff team off to a full speed, departure for 10 yards.

Emphasis: The kickoff team should all be properly aligned, eyes inside in a proper stance. Focus on departing when the man in front of you crosses your alignment, hit the line full speed, and accelerate through 10 yards. This is part of the acceleration zone of the Kickoff Team, make sure eyes are up.

Progression: Get-off and read keys, have kickoff team accelerate 15-20 yards as a scout KOR team set-up their return. KO team should be recognizing return that is coming at them.

Get to FitPlayers Involved – Entire Kickoff Team

Coaches Involved – Coaches responsible for Kickoff team.

Drill – From a full line get off, and game day approach, send kickoff team down field full speed to fit on a four man wedge. Align a scout wedge to fit and angle either on the Right Hash, Middle, or Left Hash. Kickoff team should hit their fit, break down and shuffle their feet in their proper gaps. 1’s and 2’s should fit in proper spacing to a four man wedge, and be square and broken down as well.

Emphasis – We should look like a gap controlled cover 2 defense, all Gaps of the wedge should be filled, shoulders square, feet buzzing, the 2’s should be 5X5 off the last man on the wedge, shoulders square feet buzzing, the 1’s 10X2, squeezing shoulders square feet buzzing. The kickoff team must depart correctly every opportunity, full speed through the acceleration zone, and departing as the enter the execution zone.

One Hand – Two HandPlayers Involved – The 3,4,5’s on either side.

Coaches Involved – Coaches of 3,4,5’s, a coach to organize the scout wedge and returners.

Drill – Align 3 bags five yards apart over the top of the each position, the 3, 4 and 5’s on the 50, 45, and 40 yards lines. The cover team runs full speed down the field as the scout wedge forms on the 20 on the hash. We are simulating the 3,4,5’s seeing the wedge form, while working over the top of the frontline block. We work a progression of hand strikes through each rep. We must get through the last bag and depart to our fit.Hit our fit and buzz our feet.

Emphasis – The cover man must be violent to strike the bag and continue to run, weaving between the bags. Each punch should turn the shoulders of the bag man. We want to see guys get back into their lanes, get vertical and weave between the bags while running full speed.

Progression – Work 1 hand strike and weave, 2 hand strike, club rip and club swim. Work the wedge forming to the cover men, and work the wedge forming away, look for depart angles and proper fits on the wedge.

Read the TrianglePlayers Involved – Inside 3,4, and 5’s are the players most likely

to use this drill vs. most Kickoff Returns – the 1’s and 2’s can also gain skills with this drill by making reads full speed, and learning to defeat blocks.

Coaches Involved – All Kickoff Team Coaches – 1 coach send the cover man off and direct the blockers, 1 coach send the returner off to a cone as the cover man gets within 5 yards.

Drill – From 1 line cover men have 15 yards to get full speed, at 20 yards cover man will read a triangle of 3 men working to the right, the left or straight ahead. If the man directly over the top works to the Right, the cover man should expect a blocker from his Left, if the point man works to the left, the cover man should expect a man to block him from his right. We defeat these blocks over the top, get to our lanes, breakdown and finish the play. If the point man comes straight ahead then he becomes the man to defeat, using either side to win.

Cover-men get to a cone on his initial stem placed another 15 yards further – as he hits the cone a returner is sent off in either direction to a spot five yards ahead, we want to beat him to the spot and wrap him up.

Emphasis – We want to see recognition of the direction the triangle works, cover man should use strike techniques we teach, 1 hand, 2 hand, club rip ect. We want to see the cover man get back into his lane, breakdown and finish the play by forming up on the returner.

Kickoff Return Drill Book

Stance StartPlayers Involved – Entire KOR team.

Coaches Involved – Entire KOR coaching staff each at their designated positions

Drill – Everybody properly aligned, quick review of landmarks, bad ball rules, eyes and landmarks, keys to read prior to the kick.

Emphasis – Each coach should have a checklist of situations to run through, from the basics up to week to week adjustments. This is a quick review of why align where we do, and what we may have to adjust to.

Drop to the LandmarkPlayers Involved – Frontline Players

Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with frontline play. (usually 2 coaches)

Drill – Full speed drop to cone representing the landmark of each position, whip the hips around, buzz feet, square up and loose a little ground.

Emphasis – We are preparing for a 12 – 15 yard sprint that gets us in a position to square up and align our bodies with leverage to the man we are blocking. These landmarks can change based on the angle of the kick, and the scheme called, but a general rule is over the top of the man outside of your blocking responsibility.

Maintain Leverage – Hand Strike

Players Involved – Frontline Players

Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with frontline play. (usually 2 coaches)

Drill – 3-5 yard head start by the frontline, sprint to landmark, cover man 75-100% speed sprint to cone behind and offset of landmark, frontline keep leverage of cover man with hands behind the back.

Emphasis – Get squared up and feet moving as we get over the top of our landmark and begin loosing ground. We should be shuffling feet and sliding to maintain leverage on the outside breast plate of the man we are blocking.

Beat to the PointPlayers Involved – Frontline Players

Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with frontline play. (usually 2 coaches)

Drill – 3-5 yard head start by the frontline, sprint to landmark, cover man 100% to spot parallel to landmark cone, give stutter and burst, frontline man take angle to edge of wedge, drop hips and strike bag.

Emphasis – Frontline sprint back and square up, lose ground before turning and running. Take cut-off angle to the point, drop hips, widen base and strike on the rise.

Capture the FlagPlayers Involved – Frontline Players

Coaches Involved – Coaches involved with frontline play. (usually 2 coaches)

Drill – 3-5 yard head start by the frontline, sprint to landmark, cover man 75-100% speed to a cone 10 yards behind and inside of the frontline player. Frontline has leverage on the cone, cover man has 3 ways to get there: beat him with speed, run through him, or cross his face. Frontline protect the cone.

Emphasis – Work a progression up to this point so that all 3 paths to defeat the block have been covered and practiced. Do not actually attempt to pick up the cone, or touch it with your hand, stay up.