Placekicking
In American football, placekicking means kicking the ball from a fixed position, usually from the ground, to try for a field goal or an extra point after a touchdown. Placekickers are specially trained team members who are in charge of kicking. Before a kick is made, the ball is put on the ground or a tee. This is where the word “placekicking” comes from.
Here’s a rundown of the two main times in American football when placekicking is used.
Field Goal: A team can try a field goal when they are close enough to score but not close enough to try for a touchdown. The holder, usually the team’s punter or backup quarterback, puts the ball on the ground where the team wants to try the field goal. The placekicker then kicks the ball. The kicker then tries to kick the ball through the uprights at the back of the end zone. If the kick is good, three points are given to the team.
Extra Point: When a team scores a touchdown, it can try for a different point, also called a point-after-touchdown (PAT) or a conversion. In this case, the ball is put on the ground near the end zone in a certain spot, and the placekicker tries to kick it through the uprights. If they do it, the team gets one point. A two-point conversion is also a choice. Instead of kicking for one point, the team tries to score a goal from a short distance.
Placekicking is hard because the kicker must be strong and precise to get the ball through the uprights. It’s a key part of how a football team plans to score points during a game.