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Onside Kick Rules


Bobref

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As we get deeply into the playoffs, one would think the games would get closer and closer. Close games often mean onside kicks. The high school rules regarding onside kicks differ significantly in some respects from those you see on Saturday and Sunday. Onside kicks are a real challenge to officiate, because there's a lot happening in a very short time and a restricted space. Also, it's usually a critical play in the game. So let's review.

  • An onside kick, like all kickoffs, is considered a "free" kick. For a free kick, the kicking team (K) may place the ball anywhere between the hashes to kickoff.
  • After the ball is whistled ready for play, there are certain formation requirements for K:
    • No K player, other than the player who ultimately kicks the ball, may be more than 5 yds. behind K's free kick line, which usually means they can't be behind the 35 yd. line. The object is to prevent K from getting a big running start, which increases the risk of injury.
    • At the time the ball is kicked, there must be at least 4 K players on each side of the kicker. Doesn't matter where they line up initially, only at the time the ball is kicked.
  • Any K player can catch or recover a free kick and then K gets to keep it, provided it is not kick-catching interference or first touching. More on that later. If a K player catches or recovers the kick, the ball is immediately dead and they cannot advance it.
  • K may legally recover the ball before it goes beyond the receiving team's (R's) free kick line, usually the 50 yd. line, if it is touched first by an R player.
    • Such touching by R is ignored if it is caused by K pushing or blocking R into contact with the ball, of if K muffs the ball into contact with R.
    • Any K player may legally recover a free kick if it has both touched the ground and goes beyond the plane of R's free kick line. These two requirements may be fulfilled in any order.
  • If K touches a kick before it has crossed R's free kick line, and before R has touched it, it is referred to as "first touching." R may take the ball at the spot of first touching, or may choose the result of the play. As before, "first touching" is ignored if it is caused by R pushing K into contact with the ball. The right to take the ball at the spot of first touching can be canceled if there are fouls, but it gets a little complicated to explain here. You'll know if there's first touching because the covering official will drop a beanbag on the yard line where the first touching occurred. Or, at least, he's supposed to. :classic_wink:
  • While the free kick is in flight, R is entitled to an unimpeded opportunity to catch the kick. This includes a prohibition against not just contacting R players in position to catch the kick, but obstructing R's path to the ball. This does not apply after R touches the kick while it is in flight.
  • Unlike at other levels, in high school K cannot touch or catch an onside kick on the fly. This is kick catching interference regardless of whether an R player was in position to catch the kick. If K touches or catches an onside kick on the fly, the foul can be enforced several different ways, at the option of R:
    • R may accept the result of the play
    • R may accept an awarded fair catch after 15 yds. enforced from the spot of the foul. The significance of an awarded fair catch is that it allows R to then elect to try a free kick for a field goal.
    • R may accept a 15 yd. penalty from the previous spot and a re-kick. But no one in his right mind is going to elect that, unless it was a "surprise" onside kick, rather than one at the very end of the game by a trailing team.
  • Also unlike at other levels, a "pop-up" kick is illegal. A pop-up kick occurs when the kicker drives the ball immediately into the ground, the ball strikes the ground once, and goes into the air in the manner of a ball kicked directly off the tee. If K attempts a pop-up kick it is a free kick infraction, the ball is dead immediately, and K is penalized 5 yds.
  • On an onside kick, no member of the kicking team can initiate contact with an R player until the kick has traveled 10 yds., K is eligible to recover the kick, or R initiates a block in the neutral zone.

That's a lot to digest. Now picture the back judge and line judge standing on the teams' free kick lines, in the last minute of a close playoff game and trying to run all these things through his mind while the crowd, and coaches, and players, are all going crazy.

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I have seen the high pooch kick executed 3 times (K caught it on the fly) in my career and called correctly 2 of the 3 times. Years ago, we used to practice it once a day. We get to the last game of the season and decide to try it. Of course, the flag was thrown. I was coaching a JV game a few years ago and our opponent tried it, and possession was given to them. I tried explaining it to the officials that it was kick catch interference, but to no avail. We saw it on film this year late in the season and it was called correctly. 

 

I was not aware of the popup kick rule though. Thanks for posting this. 

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@Bobref Based on my interpretation of Art. 3 of Rule 6-1, a kicker can cross the free kick line prior to the kick. So, a kicker that executes an onside kick from such a severe angle that his plant foot lands beyond the free kick line yard line prior to the kick is not offsides, correct? I have seen this called both ways in the past few years.

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44 minutes ago, CoachWes said:

@Bobref Based on my interpretation of Art. 3 of Rule 6-1, a kicker can cross the free kick line prior to the kick. So, a kicker that executes an onside kick from such a severe angle that his plant foot lands beyond the free kick line yard line prior to the kick is not offsides, correct? I have seen this called both ways in the past few years..

ART. 3 . . . After the ball is marked ready for play, and until the ball is kicked, the following formation requirements must be met:

a. No player, other than the kicker and the holder for a place kick, may be beyond his free-kick line ...”

The kicker may be beyond the free kick line when he kicks the ball. This is something I would suggest you address with the crew in the pregame conference, to make sure everyone is on the same page.


 

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5 hours ago, Bobref said:

ART. 3 . . . After the ball is marked ready for play, and until the ball is kicked, the following formation requirements must be met:

a. No player, other than the kicker and the holder for a place kick, may be beyond his free-kick line ...”

The kicker may be beyond the free kick line when he kicks the ball. This is something I would suggest you address with the crew in the pregame conference, to make sure everyone is on the same page.


 

By philosophy that allows him/her to have his/her foot down in the neutral zone before the kick. I probably wouldn't allow him/her to run down the line in front of the ball and then kick it. That is not the intent of the rule. I'm not sure what advantage he/she would get by doing that thought.

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On 11/12/2019 at 4:36 PM, Bobref said:
  • Also unlike at other levels, a "pop-up" kick is illegal. A pop-up kick occurs when the kicker drives the ball immediately into the ground, the ball strikes the ground once, and goes into the air in the manner of a ball kicked directly off the tee. If K attempts a pop-up kick it is a free kick infraction, the ball is dead immediately, and K is penalized 5 yds.

That's a lot to digest. Now picture the back judge and line judge standing on the teams' free kick lines, in the last minute of a close playoff game and trying to run all these things through his mind while the crowd, and coaches, and players, are all going crazy.

Is a "pop-up" kick defined?  Just curious.

I know what one is, and I know what one isn't.  I was just wondering if it was defined in a specific manner or just open to the famous quote, "You know it when you see it..."

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8 minutes ago, oldtimeqb said:

Is a "pop-up" kick defined?  Just curious.

I know what one is, and I know what one isn't.  I was just wondering if it was defined in a specific manner or just open to the famous quote, "You know it when you see it..."

Straight out of the rule book. "A pop-up kick occurs when the kicker drives the ball immediately into the ground, the ball strikes the ground once, and goes into the air in the manner of a ball kicked directly off the tee."

The quote you're looking for is from Justice Potter Stewart in the landmark obscenity case of Jacobellis v. Ohio in 1964:

"I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description ["hard-core pornography"], and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that."

 

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tough call in Andrean Eastbrook game,  IMO, you should of a CLEAR touch prior to throwing the flag for illegal touching.    Then mechanics were shaky on that too, Andrean thought they had the ball, based on Referee's mechanics, jubilation followed by, oopsie, and time to send the defense back out.  

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2 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

tough call in Andrean Eastbrook game,  IMO, you should of a CLEAR touch prior to throwing the flag for illegal touching.    Then mechanics were shaky on that too, Andrean thought they had the ball, based on Referee's mechanics, jubilation followed by, oopsie, and time to send the defense back out.  

First touching as it's called in NFHS is not a foul so it should have been a bean bag rather than flag. It was a close call but the covering official loses some credibility by not using the correct mechanic.

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3 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

tough call in Andrean Eastbrook game,  IMO, you should of a CLEAR touch prior to throwing the flag for illegal touching.    Then mechanics were shaky on that too, Andrean thought they had the ball, based on Referee's mechanics, jubilation followed by, oopsie, and time to send the defense back out.  

 

1 hour ago, JustRules said:

First touching as it's called in NFHS is not a foul so it should have been a bean bag rather than flag. It was a close call but the covering official loses some credibility by not using the correct mechanic.

FYI, the crew that had this game is on the 4A state final, their first. What do you want to bet that onside kick mechanics is a part of their pregame? 😂🤣

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1 hour ago, JustRules said:

First touching as it's called in NFHS is not a foul so it should have been a bean bag rather than flag. It was a close call but the covering official loses some credibility by not using the correct mechanic.

There is a distinct possibility that the covering official knew it was not a foul, bur in the heat of the moment, went to his belt and came out with a flag instead of a bag. I’ve seen it happen. That’s why when I observe a crew, one of the fist things I look for on the opening kickoff is that the “up” officials (back judge and line judge), as well as the Referee, have a beanbag in hand on every single free kick. No exceptions.

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5 hours ago, Bobref said:

There is a distinct possibility that the covering official knew it was not a foul, bur in the heat of the moment, went to his belt and came out with a flag instead of a bag. I’ve seen it happen. That’s why when I observe a crew, one of the fist things I look for on the opening kickoff is that the “up” officials (back judge and line judge), as well as the Referee, have a beanbag in hand on every single free kick. No exceptions.

I agree and could see that if it was a surprise onside kick. It was an obvious situation. It's the main thing that position needs to anticipate. They didn't show the R to see if he gave any kind of signal. They did give K the ball at the spot of the flag so it appears they awarded first touching properly. Not 100% certain the judgement part was right though because I knew they got the mechanic part wrong. Little things matter. Judgement is one thing. Mechanics are another.

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15 hours ago, Bobref said:

 

FYI, the crew that had this game is on the 4A state final, their first. What do you want to bet that onside kick mechanics is a part of their pregame? 😂🤣

I would say there is a very good chance! They are a solid, experienced crew. Technically 4 of the 5 have worked a state final but none with this referee. This won't be their first major experience like this and they had big games throughout the tournament.

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16 hours ago, Bobref said:

There is a distinct possibility that the covering official knew it was not a foul, bur in the heat of the moment, went to his belt and came out with a flag instead of a bag. I’ve seen it happen. That’s why when I observe a crew, one of the fist things I look for on the opening kickoff is that the “up” officials (back judge and line judge), as well as the Referee, have a beanbag in hand on every single free kick. No exceptions.

Just out of curiosity have you ever seen the momentum exception come into play on a free kick from K's 40?

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1 hour ago, Impartial_Observer said:

Just out of curiosity have you ever seen the momentum exception come into play on a free kick from K's 40?

Oh, yes. Several times. And with high school kickers threatening the goal line with increasing frequency, I would expect to see it more and more.

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On 11/12/2019 at 5:36 PM, Bobref said:

On an onside kick, no member of the kicking team can initiate contact with an R player until the kick has traveled 10 yds., K is eligible to recover the kick, or R initiates a block in the neutral zone.

Bobref, I understand everything you wrote and have read the rule book.  My question is the source of the material I quoted.  I don't see that in the book, maybe I'm not interpreting something correctly.  If you can expound, that'd be great.  Here's my situation I want to be clear on.

K1 onside kicks (slowly)from the 40.  R1 runs forward and makes an attempt to recover the kick at K's 47 yard line.  Assuming that no R initiates a block on any K player, K2 hits R1 before R1 contacts the ball and pushes R backwards to R's 48 yard line and K recovers the ball at   A) K's 49 yard line   B)R's 49 yard line. 

What's the call regarding any penalty or possession?

My understanding of your remark is that there is either a penalty involved or R is awarded the ball somewhere.  

Thanks

 

When in doubt Gopher2

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7 hours ago, gopher2 said:

Bobref, I understand everything you wrote and have read the rule book.  My question is the source of the material I quoted.  I don't see that in the book, maybe I'm not interpreting something correctly.  If you can expound, that'd be great.  Here's my situation I want to be clear on.

K1 onside kicks (slowly)from the 40.  R1 runs forward and makes an attempt to recover the kick at K's 47 yard line.  Assuming that no R initiates a block on any K player, K2 hits R1 before R1 contacts the ball and pushes R backwards to R's 48 yard line and K recovers the ball at   A) K's 49 yard line   B)R's 49 yard line. 

What's the call regarding any penalty or possession?

My understanding of your remark is that there is either a penalty involved or R is awarded the ball somewhere.  

Thanks

 

When in doubt Gopher2

Taking my wild guess, the key is the ball was not touched and had not gone 10 yeard when K initiated contact. So yeah, penalty on the kicking team. Had R touched the ball at the 47, then no penalty call for contact. 

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39 minutes ago, gopher2 said:

Thanks Irishman.  So therein is my question regarding the case when R is hit early.  Is it a rekick after a 5 yard penalty or would R get the ball at the spot of the foul?  I assume rekick, just looking for certainty.

R has options. It is a 10 yard penalty, they can choose to re-kick from K's 30, or if it is touched, 10 yards from that spot. If there is no touching, it's a loose ball foul and goes from the previous spot. 

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On 11/12/2019 at 5:36 PM, Bobref said:
  • Unlike at other levels, in high school K cannot touch or catch an onside kick on the fly. This is kick catching interference regardless of whether an R player was in position to catch the kick. If K touches or catches an onside kick on the fly, the foul can be enforced several different ways, at the option of R:
    • R may accept the result of the play
    • R may accept an awarded fair catch after 15 yds. enforced from the spot of the foul. The significance of an awarded fair catch is that it allows R to then elect to try a free kick for a field goal.
    • R may accept a 15 yd. penalty from the previous spot and a re-kick. But no one in his right mind is going to elect that, unless it was a "surprise" onside kick, rather than one at the very end of the game by a trailing team.

Just saw this one in action last night.  After their first TD, Harrison pulled off a perfect crossfield floater from the right hash all the way to the left sideline and it dropped down right around Logansport's 40 or so.  The problem is that it was too perfectly executed.  Logansport's front line, which was skewed toward the kicking hash, thought it was a regular long kick ... as Harrison's first kick of the game was a long ball that resulted in a touchback after the receiver mishandled the ball and it went into the end zone ...and immediately dropped back.  The gunners on Harrison's left side got down to where the ball was going to land and there was no one on Logansport's team near it.  It came down just as the gunner got there and he caught it without letting it hit the ground first.  Logansport ended up getting the ball around Harrison's 45 or so after the 15 yard penalty.

I understand the reasoning for the rule and it certainly seems to make even more sense if there's a receiving player attempting to catch it, but it was a bummer because Harrison's kicker and kick team executed it so well and completely caught Logansport off guard.  Given that there was no one from Logansport around it, if it'd hit the ground, Harrison would have still likely recovered.

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On 10/8/2022 at 10:53 AM, foxbat said:

Harrison's kicker and kick team executed it so well and completely caught Logansport off guard.

Actually, if the Team K player touched the kick before it was grounded, they didn’t execute it perfectly, since that’s against the rule. 🤣 Too many people watching those internet videos of NCAA onside kicks.

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Funny story.....as an assistant at Cathedral, we practiced special teams every day. Defensive staff ran the defensive teams, KO, Punt return, FG Block. Every week, we practiced the popup with a guy running under it to catch it, making sure it went 10 yards. Late in the season, we get a chance to try it. Not a player on R any where near the ball, our guy runs under and makes an easy catch. The flag IMMEDIATELY goes up. It was at that point we learned what Kick Catch Interference was. Just a few years ago in a JV game game, we are up late in the game at home. Outr opponent tries the exact same thing and sure enough, the kid catches it. I calmly look at the white hat, who was also a TV news anchor here in Fort Wayne, and I sad that is kick catch interference Rod. he gets pissy with me, but I am almost jokingly telling him. I finally said I will bet you a case of beer that it is illegal. he told me to shut up lol. I am chatting up the line judge on our sideline who eventually says, you know coach, I think you are right. I say back, Oh I know I am. I never did follow up with Rod on that one. That was his last season as an official as he moved to Cincy that year. I am willing to bet he remembers that as well as I do. lol 

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On 10/6/2022 at 2:06 PM, gopher2 said:

Bobref, I understand everything you wrote and have read the rule book.  My question is the source of the material I quoted.  I don't see that in the book, maybe I'm not interpreting something correctly.  If you can expound, that'd be great.  Here's my situation I want to be clear on.

K1 onside kicks (slowly)from the 40.  R1 runs forward and makes an attempt to recover the kick at K's 47 yard line.  Assuming that no R initiates a block on any K player, K2 hits R1 before R1 contacts the ball and pushes R backwards to R's 48 yard line and K recovers the ball at   A) K's 49 yard line   B)R's 49 yard line. 

What's the call regarding any penalty or possession?

My understanding of your remark is that there is either a penalty involved or R is awarded the ball somewhere.  

Thanks

 

When in doubt Gopher2

Rule 9-3-7 provides that K may not initiate contact unless (a) the legal kick has traveled 10 yds., or (b) Team K may legally recover the kick, or (c) an R player initiates contact within the neutral zone. The foul is for an illegal block, which is a 10 yd. penalty.

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30 minutes ago, Irishman said:

Funny story.....as an assistant at Cathedral, we practiced special teams every day. Defensive staff ran the defensive teams, KO, Punt return, FG Block. Every week, we practiced the popup with a guy running under it to catch it, making sure it went 10 yards. Late in the season, we get a chance to try it. Not a player on R any where near the ball, our guy runs under and makes an easy catch. The flag IMMEDIATELY goes up. It was at that point we learned what Kick Catch Interference was. Just a few years ago in a JV game game, we are up late in the game at home. Outr opponent tries the exact same thing and sure enough, the kid catches it. I calmly look at the white hat, who was also a TV news anchor here in Fort Wayne, and I sad that is kick catch interference Rod. he gets pissy with me, but I am almost jokingly telling him. I finally said I will bet you a case of beer that it is illegal. he told me to shut up lol. I am chatting up the line judge on our sideline who eventually says, you know coach, I think you are right. I say back, Oh I know I am. I never did follow up with Rod on that one. That was his last season as an official as he moved to Cincy that year. I am willing to bet he remembers that as well as I do. lol 

He does...  I lit him up about that call when he asked me about it!   And YOU know who I am....Mr. U2 🙂  

As an aside, he married Hannah (meteorologist).  You do know who HER Dad is?....  Greg Sankey, SEC President.  It was cool talking to him off the cuff a few times about things.  Great guy, better FAMILY.  But terrible call.  

One last thing: Is it ok to have 12 guys on defense when it's a BLOWOUT, and all you are thinking about is....Where are we going after the game?  Asking for a friend.  

Edited by Yuccaguy
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