What Is Hang Time And Why Is It So Important?

By Author: Darrell Harris
Total Articles: 2
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If you have ever watched an NFL game, then you have probably seen one team punt the ball to the other. One of terms you may hear the announcers talk about as the kick is in the air is hang time. Put simply, hang time is the amount of time the ball spends in the air before it finally falls back down to the field. It may not seem like much, but hang time is critically important in the special teams game.

The ideal NFL punt is one that gets way up in the air and creates a high arc from the kicker to the returner. The higher and wider the arc, the longer the hang time will be. When you have a lot of hang time, then that gives the kick coverage team more time to get downfield and either tackle the returner or force a fair catch. There are a lot of great athletes in the NFL who can run back kicks for touchdowns if given just a small chance. By getting the ball into the air for a long period of time, the coverage team has time to prevent that.

On a punt, the return team has time to set up its blocks as the coverage team closes in. The initial advantage in a punt situation is definitely with the return team. The coverage ...
... team has no idea what kind of blocking is going to be set up, which makes it difficult to contain the speedy returner.

If the hang time on the punt is good, then the coverage team has time to break that blocking scheme and get to the returner. People do not understand how critical good timing is to a successful punt return. If the return team times it right, then the returner could bring the ball back for a touchdown. If the coverage team throws off the timing, then anything could happen.

Another reason that hang time is important is because it gives the punter a chance to stop the ball just short of the goal line. If the punter can get the ball behind the return team and then stop it inside the five-yard line, then that is a great kick. No punter is able to control a line drive kick. In order to exert that kind of control over a kick and get it to stop, the punter needs a lot of hang time.

The next time you watch a football game, keep an eye on the punter. He is a highly skilled professional that is able to play the angles and try to get the punt return results that the team is looking for. Good hang time can mean the difference between a punt that is downed inside the 20-yard line, or a kick that is returned for a game-changing touchdown. It all depends on the arc the punter gets when the ball leaves his foot.