Kicking World Blog

How to Kick a Football Farther!

"What can my son do to strengthen his leg and kick the ball further?" Today I'm going to give you a few tips to help improve your kicking and punting distance.

Every week I hear “What can my son do to strengthen his leg and kick a football farther?” Today I’m going to give you a few tips to help improve your kicking and punting distance. Contrary to popular belief, kicking a football far is not necessarily due to a ‘strong leg’ but more commonly it is due to a ‘fast leg’ and precise ball striking. One of the easiest ways to immediately improve your distance is to work on striking the ball’s sweet spot with the correct part of your foot. You want to hit the ball with the upper instep of your foot (right at the second shoelace loop from the top of most soccer cleats). If you strike the ball down by your toe or on the middle/side of your foot you’re going to lose a ton of power! You also want to make sure your ankle and knee are ‘locked’ at impact. If you keep your leg or foot loose at impact you will severely cut down your power. In field goal kicking, punting, and kickoffs you want the ball to explode off your foot. See below for two excellent videos that will help you understand the above points.

To improve your leg speed there are several things you can do and here are a couple quick tips that will help you:

  • Isometric Resistance Band Training (builds the fast-twitch muscle fibers)
  • Sprinting short distance (20 to 30-yard wind sprints)
  • Improving Flexibility/Stretching (allows your leg to snap through quicker)
  • Leg swing motion in the shallow end of the pool (water resistance improves balance and speed)

Here are 2 free instructional videos on our YouTube page that will help you with precision and power and kick the football farther. For detailed training tips, practice routines, kicking and punting fundamentals, techniques, mental training tips, and more, check out Coach Brent’s Complete Guide to Kicking & Punting book!

Next Steps
Signup for Camps, Private Lessons, and Purchase our Instructional DVDs & Books at KickingWorld.com

Free Kicking Tips