Field goal and PAT operation

Setup

1. Contact level: bags. Full helmet and shoulder pads for the line and the rushers, and a coach watches every rep.
2. PAT spot on the 3-yard line (school rules; check your league). The holder kneels 7 yards behind the line with the hold spot marked.
3. Line: LS in the middle, guards, tackles and ends foot to foot, with a wing just outside and behind each end.
4. Four rushers hold hand shields across from the line. They push at thud only and never go near the kicker or holder.
5. A coach with a stopwatch stands beside the kicker.

How it runs

1. The kicker sets their steps behind the hold spot and nods to the holder. The holder shows a ready hand; the LS snaps when ready.
2. Snap: a firm spiral to the holder's hand in about 0.4 seconds.
3. Hold: catch, place the ball on the spot with the laces turned out, fingertip on top, in about 0.4–0.5 seconds.
4. Kick: the kicker steps on the catch, not the snap, and strikes the ball through the sweet spot. Snap to kick under 1.3 seconds.
5. Line: on the snap, step inside with the inside foot, hip to hip, and lock out. Wings hinge outside at 45 degrees. Nobody steps back.
6. 5 PATs, then move back for field goals from the 10, 15 and 20. The operation and the timing are the same.

Coaching points

• Same rhythm every time: snap, catch, spot, kick.
• Holder: eyes on the snap, not the kicker. Spin the laces out if needed.
• Kicker: head down through the strike and follow through to the target.
• Line: hands inside, head up, and do not cross the feet. No gaps between the hips.
• Rushers: push the shield at thud and stop. Running into or roughing the kicker is a penalty and is never part of this drill.

Common mistakes

• Kicker starting on the snap and arriving before the ball is down.
• Low or high snaps; the holder has to reach and the timing goes.
• Linemen stepping backwards or outside and opening a lane through the middle.
• Holder placing the ball with the laces facing the kicker's foot.