Offside Number 76 Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I'm 99% certain that a tee is not required. The question is whether it would be easier to get the "pop" off of the tee, or off of a ball lying on the ground, or off of a ball held by a holder (with, or actually, even without, a tee). Which is the best way to manipulate (pedipulate?) a football? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eSJayDee Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 (edited) FWIW, I was a punter not a kicker, but I would think it better to use the tee. You get the hop by hitting the ball into the ground. I suspect you could get more hop were the ball sitting directly on the ground, but that would result in a predictable flight (IMO). By having the ball elevated, it allows it more distance before it hits the ground so the bounce if nothing else is less predictable. Good question. And I was under the impression that it is a requirement to use a tee to KO (last I knew there were only 2 allowable official models, the std orange "boomer" and an asymmetric red soccer style one). WRT using a holder - I would imagine that it would allow for a more dramatic kick as the ball could be positioned more radically (ie it doesn't need to stand up), but the major drawback is that it takes one person out of your "coverage" or at least dramatically slows down his arrival into the "scrum". Edited September 13, 2011 by eSJayDee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggieScooby Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I'd like to see someone try the simple soccer flick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9KAhHGOMTI&feature=related Regardless the best time to take an onside kick is when your opponent does NOT expect it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Leonidas Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I was a semi-pro kicker for three years. I was not very good, of course, but actually the onsides kick was one of the things I did better. Rules were basically college rules, so I'm not sure how they measured up to the NFL, but I don't believe technically you need a tee. I never saw anybody try it without a tee though, so it would certainly present a conversation. I highly doubt the referees would stop you though. For what it's worth, I was a barefoot kicker, so I did things a little differently anyhow. Last one in 20 years. That being said, the way I always kicked my onside kick was by "topping" the ball hard into the ground. That got a predictable, but still tricky bounce every time. That would be impossible to do without a tee. I did, however, know a kicker who actually turned the tee upside down for onside kicks. It's also worth noting that that maneuver only worked for 3" tees which are now illegal, I believe (as kickers got better they required kickers to use 1" tees, which eventually filtered down to lower levels). Don't hold me to that last part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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