For more than 5 wondrous seconds Thursday, Hawaii punter Alex Dunnachie’s future was up in the air.

“It was a good day,” Dunnachie said. “I hope this was the turning point. I hope I can do that consistently this season.”

Dunnachie repeatedly boomed punts that went more than 50 yards and were airborne for at least 5 seconds.

“If I can go 45 yards with a hangtime of 4.5 (seconds), I’m happy,” Dunnachie said.

The showing impressed coaches and teammates, and eased Dunnachie’s concerns.

Dunnachie, who has a powerful kicking leg, often was instructed to directional punt during his first two UH seasons. The results were uneven. Last year, he had two games in which he averaged more than 50 yards a punt, and two when his average was below 33 yards.

This past summer, he returned to his home in Australia. Nathan Chapman of ProKick Australia suggested tinkering with Dunnachie’s punting motion. The idea was to change the contact point, which meant altering the drop and leg swing.

“I’m using more of my hips and quads instead of just mainly the hamstring,” Dunnachie said.

To alter his style, Dunnachie said, Chapman “made me start all over again. It was like teaching an elementary school kid the basics.”

The new technique involved stretching and strengthening different muscles. It also required patience.

“Even if it doesn’t work initially, you have to stick with it,” Dunnachie said.

The main thing, he said, was not to press. He adhered to UH special teams coordinator Dick Tomey’s advice: ”You can’t try harder to make a free throw.”

“That’s so true with punting, as well,” Dunnachie said. “You really have to back it off. … You have to trust that your body knows what to do. You have to trust the technique, trust the system, trust what works.”

Dunnachie said his punts had been inconsistent during training camp.

Wednesday night, he said, “before I went to sleep, I sat down and really thought about what I needed to do. I had those goals in my head. It’s all upstairs. I knew the body could do it. It worked out (Thursday). Hopefully, there are good things to come.”