Extraordinary Success Miami's Onside Kicking Game

At Miami, we teach and use the onside kick in two specific ways: (1) a "surprise" kick where we attempt to catch our opponents off guard; and (2) the desperation situation-the typical onside kick circumstance where you have to get the ball back. We have been exceptionally efficient in this phase of the game. As a matter of fact, during 1997 in our game versus New England (November 23, 1997), our kick coverage team recovered an NFL record three in the same game. I am convinced our success is due to our planning and the dedicated way we practice it in a full-speed manner during training camp and in-season. Diagram 1 The Surprise Onside Kick With the surprise kick, we execute from a regular kickoff formation and, if all goes according to plan, it will be a surprise to the receiving team. We want to try this when a kickoff return team is in its normal formation (see Diagram 1). To execute