How to Cover on Kickoff

Kickoff coverage, like any other football play, is a highly orchestrated routine that involves much preplanning, strategizing, practice and execution to achieve the best results. They are also quite important, not only to prevent kick return touchdowns and try to force turnovers, but also in the battle for playing position, where solid kickoff return coverage can tip the balance in your team’s favor.

Instructions

    • 1

      Notify every player of his responsibility on the kickoff coverage. The players should be spread across the field to ensure maximum coverage, but never so thin at any one area of the field that they may be broken through easily. Consider assigning a few speedy players to race down and break up the blocking set up before it can be totally established.

    • 2

      Strategize your kickoff coverage depending on the tendencies of your opponent. Do they prefer to return to a particular side of the field, or up the middle? Does their kick returner have better results running to a particular area of the field? Plan to prevent the opposition from getting to where they want to be on the field.

    • 3

      Practice the strategy in the week before the game. Make sure that every player understands the area of the field for which he is responsible, and where he will will most likely be blocked from. Also practice with the kicker kicking the ball to an area on the field where your strengths match the opponent’s weakness.

    • 4

      Practice hiding your strategy. One recent trend in the NFL is to group all the kickoff return coverage team in the middle of the field, by the kicker. This way, the returning team has less of an idea of where the return coverage will focus their energy. That moment of confusion may lead to enough hesitation for the coverage team to get past some initial blockers and head toward the returner.

    • 5

      Execute the coverage in the game according to the basic outline of your special teams coverage as well as the particular strategy for that week’s opponent.

    • 6

      Tackle the returner with good form, remembering to hit him low. If possible, try to force a turnover by stripping the ball from the returner.