Long snapper

Long snapper during training

The Long Snapper ( LS ), also Deep Snapper ( DS ), is a position in the special teams in American Football and Canadian Football . Its job is to take long snaps .

Its job is similar to that of the center , but the snap is much longer. For field goals and point after touchdowns the distance is about eight yards and for punts about 15 yards. Nevertheless, this snap also happens through the legs. Due to the different technical design than the standard snap, however, it is rarely carried out by the regular center and instead a player who specializes exclusively in this position is used. Historically, long snapper were mostly center, linebacker or tight ends , but the demands on the physical condition have changed so much that this is no longer practiced.

Long snapper should be able to snap precisely and quickly; the snap should last between 0.7 and 0.8 seconds. You should also be able to block well so that the punts and field goals are successful. Long snapper are among the lower paid positions in the professional sector. They are mostly not noticed by viewers and if so, then mostly only because of a mistake. In the National Football League in 2013, the average body measurements for Long Snapper were 1.90 m tall and 111.5 kg. This makes them heavy enough to be able to block sensibly, but also light enough to sprint at punts to attack the opposing punt returner .

Important properties of a long snapper are a flexible hips, great freedom of movement in the shoulders and a high grip strength.

Most teams usually don't have a substitute for their long snapper. Because of this, injury during a game is very bad. Due to their high specialization, partially injured Long Snapper are preferred to other healthy players.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Holger Korber: Successful offense . Huddle Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-9811390-2-0 , pp. 27 .
2. ↑ ^{a b} An In-Depth Look at Long Snappers. Retrieved January 14, 2018 . 
3. ↑ Oh snap! Life of an NFL long snapper a pressure-packed gig. Retrieved January 14, 2018 . 
4. ^ Football Canada (Ed.): Coaching Canadian Football . Human Kinetics, 2017, ISBN 978-1-4504-4261-9 , pp. 160 .
5. ^ The NFL's secret disaster scenario is an injured long snapper. Retrieved January 14, 2018 .