MANKATO, Minn. — Jeff Locke’s ability to pin opponents deep in their own territory was one of the primary reasons the Vikings made him the first punter taken in the 2013 NFL draft. As Locke showed during the first week of Vikings training camp, he has a number of ways to get the job done.

The left-footed punter taught himself the Australian-rules football style of drop-kicking, where the ball travels end-over-end instead of in a spiral, and unveiled a few of the punts on two windy days at the start of training camp.

Locke used the punting style in college, and special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer said the Vikings will make use of it when Locke is punting in opposing territory and needs to make the ball check on the ground like a pitching wedge. The technique has become more popular in the NFL thanks to an influx of Australian-born punters, and Locke has added it to his own game.

It could be especially useful in 2014 and 2015, once the Vikings move from the Metrodome to TCF Bank Stadium, playing their home games outside for the first time in more than 30 years. End-over-end kicks don’t travel as far as spiral kicks, but they are more predictable and easier to control in the wind.

The Vikings will play eight games outdoors this season — twice as many as last season — and could have as many as 14 next year. That means their ability to deal with windy days could become more important.

“You do like to have some days like that (in camp) because you have to deal with different techniques and different fundamentals in that type of weather,” Priefer said. “Obviously, in some of the places we’ll play this year, and in the next two years — I don’t want to think too far ahead — but when we’re in TCF Bank, we might get some of those windy days.”

Follow Ben Goessling at twitter.com/BenGoesslingPP.