---
slug: "directional-kick"
title: Directional Kick
depth_tier: entry
side: SPECIAL TEAMS
category: Special Teams
source_id: "SIT-0032"
created: 2026-05-17
updated: 2026-05-17
canonical: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/directional-kick
aliases:
  - directional punt
  - directional kickoff
  - placed kick
  - angled kick
  - placement kick
---
# Directional Kick

## Short Definition

A punt or kickoff aimed at a specific area of the field—avoiding the dangerous returner, limiting return space, or pinning the opponent near a sideline.

## Definition

A directional kick is a punt or kickoff deliberately aimed at a specific zone of the field—placing the ball away from the dangerous returner, toward a boundary that limits return space, or into a corner that pins the return team in unfavorable field position. Directional kicking trades maximum distance for placement precision, accepting a shorter kick in exchange for the field position and return-limitation benefits of putting the ball exactly where the coverage team needs it.

On punts, directional kicking serves three primary purposes. Avoiding the dangerous returner is the most common—if the return team's best returner aligns on the right hash, a directional punt to the left sideline eliminates his involvement entirely, forcing a backup or up man to field the kick instead. Boundary kicking limits return space by putting the ball near the sideline, where the returner has less room to set up the return direction and where coverage players can funnel him out of bounds. Coffin corner kicking targets the specific zone inside the opponent's 5-yard line near the sideline—the most demanding directional kick in football, requiring the ball to die inbounds before reaching the end zone.

On kickoffs, directional kicking has become more significant as touchback rules have evolved. When a touchback gives the return team the ball at the 25-yard line, a deep kick that produces a touchback is strategically equivalent to a directional kick to the 25. But a directional kickoff aimed at a corner of the field—away from the return team's best returner and toward a boundary that limits setup space—can produce a worse starting position than the touchback while eliminating the return threat the coverage team fears most.

The mechanics of directional kicking differ by direction. A punter kicking toward the left sideline (for a right-footed punter) rotates his drop and contact angle; a punter kicking toward the right sideline changes the angle of his approach step. Both adjustments reduce hang time and gross distance compared to a straight-ahead kick, which is why directional kicking is a strategic choice rather than a default—the coverage team must be good enough to compensate for the shorter kick with faster pursuit.

## Example

"Best returner on the right hash. Punter angles left—kick dies at the 8-yard line near the left sideline, backup fielding it under pressure. No return. That's a directional kick doing everything it was designed to do: avoid the threat, limit the space, win the field position exchange."

## Common Confusion

A directional kick is not the same as a bad kick that happens to go to one side. Directional kicking is deliberate—the kicker or punter specifically targets a zone of the field as the intended destination. A punt that accidentally sails out of bounds to the left is not a directional kick; a punt that the punter angled deliberately to die near the left sideline at the 10-yard line is a directional kick. The intent and execution of the placement are what define the kick, not the outcome alone.

## Related

- coffin-corner
- squib-kick
- punt
- hang-time
- field-position
- hidden-yardage
- returner
- kickoff-coverage

---
Source: https://learningfootball.xyz/terms/directional-kick