It’s 4th down, you are deep in your own territory
– time to PUNT!
Coaches recruit punters who can kick the ball to maximize
hang-time and range. Hang time is
the duration from the moment ball is kicked until it is caught or it strikes
the ground. Hang time is measured
in seconds. Range is the distance
the ball flies downfield and is measured in yards.
A good punter wants to kick the ball as far as he can
(range) and also give his own teammates plenty of time to get downfield (hang
time) to tackle the receiver.
All of this is determined by two factors – the speed of the ball off the
kicker’s foot and the angle of the kick.
BUT… THERE IS A TRADEOFF – kicking the ball straight up
might maximize hang time but the ball would not travel far down the field. Kicking it low and far would maximize
range but hang time might be very low. A great punter (or golfer, or baseball pitcher, or
basketball player) can make small adjustments to get the best results for the
situation.
Do some research, take some observations, EARN A REWARD !
(1) Get a blank form from Mrs D to record your observations
or download this one Here's the Form and print yourself
(2) Watch some football this week. Games are on Sat, Sun, Mon nite and Thurs nite.
(3) Watch at least three punts. Record (on your form) the distance in yards and
the hang time for each punt. (Announcers will
always give the distance – sometimes they give hang time. It’s okay if you use your own watch to
measure hang time.)
(4) Go to the dictionary and lookup the word
“projectile”. Record the
definition on your form.
(5) Answer the question – Is a punted football a projectile?
(6) List some other examples of projectiles
YOU MUST TURN IN YOUR COMPLETED FORM BY FRIDAY, SEP 9TH!
YOU MUST TURN IN YOUR COMPLETED FORM BY FRIDAY, SEP 9TH!
