(Part II, The Snapper)
Perhaps the most important element in the snap – hold – kick process is the snapper. The play starts with the snap and if the snap is “off”, the play has a reduced chance of success. The better the snap is, the better the hold is, the better the kick is.
Developing your specialists is a year-round process. Identify your specialist candidates early, but keep the competition open until the start of the regular season.
This week NFL teams will have their annual draft after which in the following weeks they will have their “mini-camps” and often a “rookie mini camp”. At these camps, a primary objective will be to determine the talents/skills of each individual. A specific skill that every special teams coach will be looking for is the ability to “snap.” At some point during their weekend camp, the coach will conduct drills that will assess the snapping ability of his new players. This is not unlike what a high school or college coach must do to his incoming players or those developing players that have grown, matured or refined their skills over the previous year.
Teaching your athletes to accurately snap the ball to a holder is a process that takes time, persistence and proper fundamentals. Not every athlete can master the skill, but with time and work, you can find your long snapper. Now for those coaches looking for techniques used in coaching your long snapper, let me direct you to the best source I know, Pat Mannelly’s http://www.longsnapper.com . Pat is the long snapper for the Chicago Bears and he has a website devoted to long snappers.
Now that I have given you the secret to long snapping (ask a pro) let me list a few additional coaching points.
1. Laces – You want the holder to be able to catch the ball with his right hand (right footed kicker) and feel the laces. This will allow him to set the ball on the spot without having to spin the ball. Factors that assist this technique are constant distance to the spot and consistency of the snapping motion. The distance to the spot (distance between ball and the spot on which the holder puts the ball on the ground) is different for high school, college and pro. For the new coach, look at tape to see where your opponents are spotting the hold. The snapper can make the short snap (as opposed to the punt snap) with his fingers gripping any of the four seams of the ball, thus impacting the rotation of the ball prior to the holder catching it. Experimentation is needed to find the best grip or distance for the spot. Giving the holder the laces on a consistent basis is only possible with consistency of the snap.
2. Snap with Pads and Helmet – Whenever possible, have the snapper snap with pads and helmet. When practicing in shorts and helmets, have your snapper wear pads during the period where you are actually practicing the field goal. In the NFL, when long snappers move to another team they always take their own pads with them. Why? Because they have found pads that fit and allow them the mobility to execute an accurate snap (or it could be that they are superstitious). Make sure that your snapper has pads that fit and protect him from injury. Don’t let them modify the structural integrity of the pads.
3. On the Sideline – If your snapper, holder and kicker are not playing offense and are on the sideline during an offensive series, have them practice the snap/hold prior to the FG attempt. Make sure the spot on the sidelines is the same distance from the ball as the anticipated kick. Behind the bench area mark the distance you want. Don’t leave it for the players to guess.
4. At the L.O.S. – Don’t let your linemen sit in their stance too long at the L.O.S. Have your snapper make a “down” call when he sees that the holder and kicker are getting close to executing the play. Linemen that sit too long in their stance have a difficult time reacting to the snap.
5. Brace the Snapper – At the snap, have your guards brace the snapper with an inside step and high hip on hip. Even though the rules have altered the rush techniques over the snapper, this is still a weaker point in the protection, especially if your snapper is undersized. In a pick-up game call “No Buck Centers”.
6. Cold Weather/Wind – Snapping in the elements is always a challenge. Snapping the ball with a tight spiral and moving the aiming point a bit inside gives the holder a better chance to handle the ball correctly. The worst possible placement of the ball is out over the spot pulling the holder out of his stance.
7. Drills – Being the long snapper can be a lonely position. Ideally, you want to practice with your holder but sometimes that is just not possible. Snapping to a target with a backstop maximizes the number of practice snaps and minimizes the amount of time spent chasing the ball. A drill that emphasizes muscle memory and cuts down on the thinking process is the rapid snap drill using three balls, snapping each as quickly as possible. All drill work must be done with a purpose emphasizing accuracy and consistency.
Part III will discuss the holder’s technique