Alternate Idea for Kickoffs

[blue32]

I've watched a few tournament games on Youtube and apparently the kicking team lines up on the 35 yard line, like in the NFL, and then the power is turned on for 3 seconds to simulate the ball traveling down field. The kickoff returner receives the ball at the goal line and play resumes. Where"s the Wedge?

So here's a video that demonstrates how I do kickoffs.

I like the wedge and what better players to create the wedge than the offensive line.

Also, I use Stop Forward Motion tackling so the video demonstrates an example of a tackled kick returner and the second shows the ball carrier bouncing off tackles and racing down field for a Touchdown.

[Paul Kian]

Man, that's some excellent blocking by the hogs in front! Even without the stop-forward-motion tackling, it looks like you can gain some yards pretty quickly if your figures hit right.

How do onside kickoffs work in your system?

[nefgm.org]

Excellent video!!

[zak99b5]

I do something similar:

Kicking team lines up at the 50 (or anywhere behind it if the coach wishes)

Receiving team has 5 at the 40, 4 at the 20, and two returners at the goal line

Kicking coach drops a ball between the return men to see who gets the ball

Return team gets to pivot

Kicking team pivots

Run the board

We get good, realistic results with this system.  We do not allow touchbacks on free kicks.

[nefgm.org]

I set up using the current NFL Rules for Free Kicks. I use my kicking cards for performing the kickoff and placement of the ball, something I created in 2002 for using in my then XFL Solitaire League. It works for me in providing the most realistic kicking and return results. 

Here is an article featuring these cards: Innovations of the Game – The National Electric Football Game Museum (nefgm.org)

[blue32]

On 2/17/2022 at 7:47 PM, Paul Kian said:

How do onside kickoffs work in your system?

I use an onside kick in nearly every game I play. Here's a video to illustrate how it works.

In the video #5 recovers the onside kick and is almost immediately touched. In touch football that's a tackle. In Stop Forward Progress football the cube 🎲 weighs 25 grams which means the players surround it and usually don't advance.

However, #5 isn't a player who lets something weighing 25 grams keep it out of the end zone. 💪

[blue32]

"Kickoff and Punt returns (special teams play) are some of the most exciting plays in the game and most of the rules being used in electric football regarding special teams play had virtually been eliminated." Quoted from the National Electric Football Museum web page.

I agree the kickoff is like an explosion that gets my heart pounding. I understand the NFL is trying to protect players from injury, and that's a good thing 🚑, but electric football players can't get injured. No concussion protocol required 👍.  

[Paul Kian]

37 minutes ago, blue32 said:

"Kickoff and Punt returns (special teams play) are some of the most exciting plays in the game and most of the rules being used in electric football regarding special teams play had virtually been eliminated." Quoted from the National Electric Football Museum web page.

I agree the kickoff is like an explosion that gets my heart pounding. I understand the NFL is trying to protect players from injury, and that's a good thing 🚑, but electric football players can't get injured. No concussion protocol required 👍.  

Definitely, I played special teams in High School (Punter and Kickoff Specialist) and while I get that they cause injuries, running 250+lb men into each other over and over again is kind of the whole point of football. Kickoffs are the perfect representation of that concept, and are also the last real connection it has to it's rugby and soccer roots.

Like you said, the thing I like about Electric Football is that plastic doesn't get CTE, and hopefully never breaks on the field period. Therefore, we can restore some of the rules that the Real Life Leagues keep taking out, like kickoffs from the 30 and fewer touchback incentives.

For instance, in my league (which is modeled heavily after the AFL) I plan to bring back kicks off being live after hitting the sideboards, which the AFL removed after a player died while colliding with the boards trying to recover them. It made onside kicks almost impossible, and I do understand the safety aspect of it IRL, but plastic can handle it. 👍

[blue32]

2 hours ago, Paul Kian said:

we can restore some of the rules that the Real Life Leagues keep taking out, like kickoffs from the 30 and fewer touchback incentives.

Right on! 💥 I don't have touchbacks or fair catches in my league. I don't even have the option. Don't need it! 😃 🤙

By the way, I have two Arena Football jerseys. Nashville Kats and the Portland Thunder. 

[Paul Kian]

 

9 minutes ago, blue32 said:

Right on! 💥 I don't have touchbacks or fair catches in my league. I don't even have the option. Don't need it! 😃 🤙

By the way, I have two Arena Football jerseys. Nashville Kats and the Portland Thunder. 

I like the enthusiasm, kind of like the 2000s XFL. For Touchbacks, I'm going to experiment with doing 1 point "Rogues" like in the CFL, but because kicks are from the goal line and my board is 42 inches Long, I may not have to worry about it.

I'm torn about fair-catches though; I'd like to have them so that there's an option for a fair-catch kick, but they are kind of the wussy way out.... pretty bad when a former kicker says that, but still. 😋

Awesome! I don't have a jersey but I do have a shirt with the Triangle Torch logo on it (they played in one of those Indoor leagues that has probably shutdown or changed names by now). Always wanted to go to a proper AFL game, RIP.

[nefgm.org]

All my Nashville Kats stuff.

[zak99b5]

Before the rule change in 2019 or so, the NFL average for successful onsides kicks was like 21%.  Now it's not even 5% with the change.

Lining up both teams 15 yards from the ball makes it a 50/50 proposition, which is just not realistic.

I have the ball placed on the 45 yardline.  Kicking team has 5 players on the 34, and receiving team has 6 on their 46 yardline.  So the receiving team is two yards closer and has an extra player.

Ball is dropped by the kicking coach, and it's moved vertically from where it comes to a rest to the 45 yardline.

We haven't done enough to have an idea of the overall success rate in our league, but only one (out of 3) attempts was successful, so it's in the ballpark.