1. Getting a Kick Out of Football
Making sense of the kicking game
Paul Black
8/26/2002

2. What’s a kick?
(2-23-1) A kick is the intentional striking of the ball with the knee, lower leg or foot.
It’s an intentional act! An accidental kick is a Muff.
Starts when the ball is kicked.
(2-23-2) Ends when a player gains possession or when the ball becomes dead.

3. Who’s a kicker?
(2-30-8) A kicker is any player who legally punts, drop kicks, or place kicks.
He continues to be a kicker until he has had reasonable opportunity to regain his balance
Or until after a free kick, he has advanced 5 yards beyond his free kick line or the kick has touched the ground or any other player.

4. Elements of a Kick Who’s Ball is it? Neutral Zone Roughing
First Touching
Out of Bounds
Fair Catch
Interference
Touchback
Score!

5. Types of Kicks Free Kick/Kickoff Scrimmage Kick
Used after a score or a fair catch or an awarded fair catch.
Place kick (controlled or not), drop kick.
After a touchdown from K’s 40.
After a safety from K’s 20 (may punt).
Scrimmage Kick
Any legal kick from in or behind the neutral zone.
Place kick (must be controlled by another player), punt, or drop kick.

6. Free Kick: Who’s Ball Is It?
R’s ball if everybody stands around looking at it.
K can recover ball if in certain circumstances and a new series.
K can never advance a free kick.

7. Free Kick: Neutral Zone
The neutral zone is from K’s free kick line to R’s free kick line: 10 yards wide.
Any encroachment by K or R is dead ball foul. Blow it immediately!
OK for kicker or holder to be beyond the free kick line.

8. Free Kick: Roughing?!?!? Well, not traditional roughing, exactly.
Kicker K remains a kicker until he’s advanced 5 yards beyond his free kick line.
OR until the ball touches the ground or another player.

9. Free Kick: First Touching
Ball is touched by any kick in the field of play by any kicker before it crosses R’s free-kick line and before it is touched there by any R player.
Ignore all touching if one player blocks another into the ball.
There may be more than one spot where first touching occurs!
R’s choice to take spot of first touching or result of play.
Help R make the obvious choice.

10. Free Kick: First Touching Canceled
R touches kick and then commits a foul during the down.
Any penalty accepted during the down.

11. Free Kick: Out of Bounds
Any free kick that goes out of bounds untouched by R is a penalty.
Assess 5-yard penalty from previous spot, kick again.
First down for R 25 yards beyond K’s free kick line. It’s not always the 35!
Decline penalty, take ball at spot where it went out of bounds.

12. Free Kick: More Touching, Out of Bounds
If R touches the free kick and it goes out of bounds between the goal lines, it’s R’s ball at the out-of-bounds spot.

13. Free Kick: Fair Catch
R agrees to take ball at spot of catch or recovery. K won’t block or tackle him
R forfeits right to run back kick AND R player giving signal can’t block!
Signal must be given in or beyond the neutral zone (scrimmage kick: beyond the neutral zone).
Ball is dead once any R player catches or recovers kick.

14. Free Kick: Fair Catch Signals
A valid fair catch signal is the extending and lateral waving of one arm, at full arm’s length above the head, by any member of R.
An invalid fair catch signal is a fair catch signal that happens before a kick is caught or recovered, but after it touches R or the ground.
An illegal fair catch signal is any signal given after the kick is caught or recovered.
Invalid/Illegal Fair Catch: 5 yards.

15. Free Kick: After the Fair Catch
R may choose to snap anywhere between the hash marks.
R may choose to free kick from anywhere between the hash marks.
Both choices are still valid after a dead-ball foul before the following play, an accepted penalty where the down is replayed, or an inadvertent whistle where the down is replayed.

16. Free Kick: Interference
Applies to ball in flight in or beyond the neutral zone to R’s goal line.
K can’t touch receiver or the ball in flight.
K can’t obstruct R’s path to the ball.
Restriction ends when ball touches R or the ground.

17. Free Kick:Interference Penalty
Decline penalty, accept result of play.
Accept 15-yard penalty against K, kick again.
Accept an awarded fair catch at spot of foul.

18. Free Kick: Touchback
When a kick which is not a scoring attempt or is a grounded three-point field goal attempt breaks the plane of R’s goal line.
R could choose spot of first touching by K.
It’s a three-point field goal attempt and while in flight touches a K player in the end zone.
It’s a three-point field goal attempt and it’s clearly unsuccessful when it breaks the plane of R’s goal line.

19. Free Kick: Momentum!
R player catches kick in flight between his 5 yard-line and his goal line and his momentum carries him into the end zone.
While he’s in the end zone the ball becomes dead in his possession or goes out of bounds in the end zone

20. Free Kick: Score!?!?!?!
Huh?
A free kick after a fair catch (regular or awarded) can score!
R may choose to free kick after a fair catch.
Same as any free kick, but dead ball rules change to those of a field goal.

21. Scrimmage Kick: Who’s Ball is it?
If everybody just stares at it, it’s R’s ball.
K can recover the kick in certain circumstances and get a new series. Joint recovery ALWAYS goes to R.
K can advance a scrimmage kick if recovered behind the neutral zone (except during a try or if touched by R beyond neutral zone).
Any R player may catch or recover scrimmage kick in the field of play and advance (except during a try).

22. Scrimmage Kick: Neutral Zone
Same as any normal scrimmage play…
May be expanded up to 2 yards but not into the end zone.

23. Scrimmage Kick: Roughing the Kicker/Holder
You know it when you see it.
R doesn’t get any ball when blocking kick.
Serious displacement.
Contact on planted leg.
Blow/contact to the helmet.

24. Scrimmage Kick: Running Into the Kicker/Holder
The “cringe” factor: all those fouls we used to hesitate throwing. Now we can throw something.
Don’t throw if:
R player blocked into kicker/holder by K.
An R player gets ball and contact is unavoidable.
Only slight contact.

25. Scrimmage Kick: Roughing the Snapper
Applies only when A is in scrimmage kick formation.
A scrimmage kick formation is where at least one player is at least seven yards behind the line of scrimmage.
No player is in position to receive a hand-to-hand snap.
Is a snapper until he has had a chance to regain balance and protect himself or he participates.
K can’t run directly into him.

26. Scrimmage Kick: Touching
First Touching occurs when K touches ball beyond expanded neutral zone before ball comes to rest.
Touching of a low scrimmage kick by any R player is ignored in or behind expanded neutral zone.
If an R player who’s clearly beyond the neutral zone touches the kick it’s first down for the team that recovers!

27. Scrimmage Kick: Out of Bounds
Any scrimmage kick that goes out of bounds between the goal lines belongs to R.

28. Scrimmage Kick: Fair Catch
Only beyond neutral zone to goal line.

29. Scrimmage Kick: Interference
Can only happen while kick is in flight beyond the neutral zone to R’s goal line.
K can’t touch an in-flight kick while R is in a position to catch it.
K CAN catch, touch, muff or bat a kick in flight beyond neutral zone if no R player is in position to catch it.
K CAN touch the ball if R touched it first or it hits the ground.

30. Scrimmage Kick: Touchback
Any non-scoring kick that breaks the plane of R’s goal line.
Any grounded scoring kick or a scoring kick that’s obviously not successful breaks the plane of R’s goal line.
Any scoring kick that touches a K player in the end zone.

31. Scrimmage Kick: Score!
Place kick or drop kick that passes through the INSIDE of the uprights extended and above the crossbar.
If R fouls, K gets choice of accepting penalty and repeating the down or declining penalty and accepting the score.

32. Scrimmage Kick: Try
Anywhere on the 3 yard-line between the hash marks.
The try ends when:
B secures possession.
It’s obvious the kick won’t score.
The kick is good.
The ball becomes dead for any other reason.

33. Scrimmage Kick: The Holder
Controls the ball on the ground or a kicking tee.
Normally a guy in possession of the ball with his knee(s) on the ground causes the ball to be dead.
Dead Ball Exception: scrimmage kick formation, a place kick holder, a teammate in kicking position.
The holder can:
Catch or recover snap while on his knees.
Place ball to kick.
Rise and do something else.
Rise in place to get a high or wide snap and immediately go back down to his knees.

34. Scrimmage Kick: More Holder
The holder can’t:
Muff or fumble the snap and chase after it and then drop back down to his knees.
One step is a good guideline.
Pitchout or pass from his knees.

35. Have a great season!!!
Get a kick out of it! 