I’ve been wanting to write this article for a while, but I never had the right moment to do so. However, last night finally gave me a good reason to talk about Koo. For those who missed it, he had quite a night, making three field goals from 52, 48, and 54 yards. If you just heard that, you might think he was automatic, but that’s not the whole story.
In reality, things weren’t as smooth as they sound. He missed a 46-yard attempt, but due to a flag, the ball was moved up five yards. Then he missed again from 41 yards. This made me curious and led me to analyze why he missed. Can I say something here? Is this a safe space? Koo has the weirdest kicking form I’ve ever seen.
Most kickers follow a standard approach: they take three steps back and two steps to the side, which helps them run at an angle with their hips naturally facing the ball. As they plant their foot, they close their hips toward the ball to generate power. Pretty standard stuff, right? Well, not for Koo.
When you watch him zoomed in, it seems like he’s doing the typical routine, but it’s all an illusion. Check out his feet from the tight angle. His first step to the side barely covers an inch, and his second step maybe covers a foot. Most kickers are covering about two yards here, but Koo? He’s barely moving, practically becoming a straight-on kicker.
If that’s not strange enough, his footwork gives me anxiety, like doing parkour on top of a skyscraper. Watch what he does: he finds his spot, takes this huge step back to the right, and then shuffles his right foot slowly back into place.
It’s odd, and this shuffle is actually how opposing teams time their plays. They watch Koo’s back foot. Once it’s in position, the ball is snapped almost immediately. There’s no other way they’re getting that timing, it’s all in his foot movement.
Then, when he runs up to the ball, his hips are still kind of facing the angle he’s running at. He closes them just as he plants, which makes watching him kick a nerve-wracking experience compared to most kickers. This bizarre form also makes it hard to figure out why he misses. Everything looked normal last night; it just seemed like he left his plant foot too wide.
Yeah, it’s crazy how this slight misstep caused the miss. But overall, Koo’s form is just really weird. Hope you enjoyed this deep dive into his unique style. Peace.
