Drop punt

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A drop punt is a type of kick in various codes of football.

It the primary method of disposing the ball by foot in Australian rules football and the name describes its technique. The ball is held vertically, and dropped and kicked before it hits the ground, resulting in the ball spinning backwards end over end. This is the preferred technique as it is considered more accurate and easier to mark than the punt kick, which does not spin in the air.

In Gridiron football it is referred to as a pooch punt or quick kick, a kick used when it is too far out for a field goal but close enough not to kick a normal punt because there is a chance it could go into the end zone (resulting in a touchback). The kick has gradually replaced the less effective "coffin-corner kick", which was similar to rugby football's "kicking for touch" where the object was to put the ball out of bounds near the opposition goal. Like Australian rules football drop punts, the pooch punt requires the punter to control the distance and former Australian footballers like Ben Graham are generally credited with increasing the popularity of this kick in the National Football League.

Jack Dyer is credited with inventing the drop punt during his playing days with the Richmond Football Club.

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Last updated on Tuesday June 17, 2008 at 21:46:57 PDT (GMT -0700)
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