The Open Punt

David Buchanan built the Open Punt after his early Mason County High School teams had punts blocked and returned for touchdowns. The concept turns the punt team into a weapon: you line up in punt formation, but the offense stays the aggressor, with sets, a numbering system and fakes that keep the return team honest. This special teams coaching video is the complete installation, from protection fundamentals to the quarterback-punter option.

What you'll learn

• The complete installation of the Open Punt and how it makes your punt team a weapon.
• Fundamentals of punt protection for the entire punting unit.
• Coaching points for the punting game, including Coach Buchanan's rule: if you make the defender's feet stop, you win.
• Specific Open Punt sets and the numbering system that goes with them.
• Fakes within punt formation: motion, the quarterback option with the punter and the quarterback/punter run.
• Bonus What if?: how you respond when the defense outnumbers the protectors, and what to do when the defense is ready for the fake punt.

Who it's for

High school special teams coordinators and head coaches who handle the punt team themselves, especially programs that have been burned by blocks and returns and want a punt scheme that puts pressure back on the opponent.

About the coach

David Buchanan was the head coach at Mason County High School in Maysville, Kentucky. He installed the Open Punt while building the program and considers the punt the most important play in football.

Part of Coach Buchanan's four-part series, with extensive game film. Runtime: about 35 minutes.