The Importance and Strategy of Kicking in Arena Football One
With so many ways to score points, it might be time to rethink the way kicking is approached in Arena Football One
In the NFL, kicking an extra point after a touchdown is perceived as an afterthought. It is a guaranteed point that is nearly automatic. This past season, NFL teams had an accuracy of 95% on their extra points, making extra points something of a foregone conclusion. In Arena Football One, the certainty of the extra point is no guarantee.
So far this season, AF1 kickers have converted 61% of their extra point attempts. Because of the high rate of scoring in the league (teams are currently averaging 40.75 points per game through two weeks of action), this has led to 23 lost points or 3.8 points per game, which can hinge the result of a game.
These factors make having a good kicker incredibly valuable. Billings Outlaws head coach Cedric Walker says that this is a point of emphasis for him when building a roster, which is evidenced by his kicker Bailey Giffen who went 9/10 on extra points in the Outlaws’ opening week win against Oregon. Between volume and the unique rules of the arena game, it can be argued that the kicker is one of the most valuable positions in the game.
A Different Set of Rules
Kicking in the outdoor game versus the arena game is quite different. That difference starts with the target. In the NFL and other outdoor leagues, the uprights are 35 feet tall and 18 feet apart, with a bottom crossbar that is 10 feet off the ground. In AF1, kickers operate with a much smaller target. The uprights are only 9 feet apart with a height of 20 feet, with a bottom crossbar 15 feet off the ground. This means that the target is narrower while also being taller. So, for NFL kickers, there is an area of 630 feet to work with. In arena football, kickers have a much smaller area of 180 feet.
When I asked Outlaws head coach Cedric Walker about this, he emphasized to me that accuracy in a kicker is incredibly important because of the smaller target. But at the same time, power is at a premium for long field goals since the bottom crossbar is five feet higher than in the NFL. The differences don’t stop there, however.
In the outdoor game, kickers have two ways to score points: extra points and on field goals. These methods also exist in the arena game, but there are a couple extra ways for kickers to contribute. The first is the dropkick. While the more familiar method of kicking the ball with the assistance of the holder is more common, AF1 also enables extra points and field goals to be kicked by drop kick.
Considering the shape and awkwardness of a football, it is incredibly difficult to successfully drop a ball on the ground and kick it through the uprights with defenders trying to block the kick. But if they can do so, kickers are rewarded with an additional point for their trouble. This means that a dropkick extra point is worth two points, while a dropkick field goal is worth four points.
The added wrinkle for any kicking scenario is the net. In AF1, the net is on either side of the goalposts. This allows for some interesting complexities to occur on field goal kicks and kickoffs. If a kick bounces off the net, it is considered a live ball. In that scenario, the kicking team can be awarded a two-point conversion or touchdown if they catch the ball off the net. In some ways it is like a put back dunk off a missed free throw in basketball. Conversely, if the defensive team gets the ball off the net, it becomes like a fast break opportunity for them to use the same basketball analogy. This wrinkle opens possibilities that coaches and teams can employ.
Lastly, there is the deuce. This play awards kickers for showing power and accuracy on kickoffs. If a kickoff goes through the uprights, then the kicking team is awarded two points. This is somewhat common, as we have already seen six deuces so far this season. The combination of these methods of scoring makes kicking an incredibly crucial part of strategy, which leads to more points and more excitement in the moment.
Employing Kicking Strategy
In addition to the goal posts being more narrow, arena football has the distinction of a narrower field of play. While outdoor football is 160 feet from sideline to sideline, arena football is just 65 feet wide. This makes two-point conversions especially difficult since what is already a tight space scenario is made infinitely more confined. This difficulty is represented by the success rate we’ve seen with these attempts so far this season.
AF1 teams are currently converting two point tries with an 18% success rate, which is quite low compared to the 49% steady average rate in the NFL and 46% rate in the UFL. Plays to convert these have often featured either power run plays up the middle or quick passes in crowded throwing lanes. With those obstacles, it is simply better math to kick the extra point.
But the incorporation of the net in strategy is what truly unlocks the importance of the kicker. With the net being able to be used as a rebounding mechanism, an accurate kicker becomes even more important. To the point that it can be argued that practicing rebound drills off the net to maximize points after scores and in tight yardage situations on fourth down becomes advantageous.
Billings Outlaws owner Steve Titus has often said that the arena game is like basketball. Employing tactics based around utilizing the net to manipulate more points on the scoreboard is very reminiscent of designed inbounds plays in the NBA with under 3 seconds on the shot clock. These are situations that can be formulated in practice to in essence solve the math problem of maximizing points.
The paradox, however, comes when you consider the deuce. Where the net strategy places a premium on accuracy, the deuce also requires kick power. Accuracy will significantly drop from the longer distance but acquiring a player that can kick a successful deuce on roughly 25% of kickoffs would result in a range of 4-6 extra points per game based on the volume of scoring that happens in AF1. What this tells us is that the teams that take the players they bring in at the kicker position seriously can increase their rate of point accumulation success, which leads to wins.
We see this in Billings, as Giffen is the most accurate kicker in the league, and they are the reigning champions heading into this season. It is often difficult for coaches and play callers to be able to think outside of the box to manipulate the rules in football. But the AF1 game has a potential avenue for exploiting points per kick, and it is something that we should see more coaches take advantage of. Kickers truly matter on multiple levels in this league, which makes the position infinitely more fascinating if they are deployed smartly.