Onside Kick Rules

The onside kick is one of the most exciting plays in football. It is designed so that the team kicking off will have an opportunity to get the ball back quickly, without playing defense. It's most often used towards the end of the game when a team is losing and needs to get the ball back in a hurry to score. There are, of course, a few rules that must be followed so that the onside kick is legal.

  1. Distance

    • In order for any kickoff to be considered legal the ball must travel 10 yards forward. It doesn't matter if the ball travels all 10 yards on the ground or in the air or a combination of the two. Therefore, for an onside kick to be legal the kicking team must let the ball travel at least 10 yards. As soon as the ball has traveled that far it is a fair ball for anyone to recover.

    Touch

    • The only way the 10 yard rule no longer becomes a factor, is if the receiving team touches the ball during a kickoff before the ball has traveled 10 yards. The moment any player on the receiving team touches the football it becomes live and can be recovered by either team. The receiving team typically will line up 10 yards back of the kicking team to avoid having the ball directly kicked at them in the hopes it bounces off of them and back to the kicking team. If the kicking team touches the ball prior to the receiving team touching it or the ball traveling the necessary 10 yards, the play is called dead and the team must kick again.

    Recovery and advancement

    • The onside kick attempt is successful only if a player from the kicking team recovers the ball and has possession. This means the player from the kicking team must have control of the ball, while having two feet in bounds and either must be tackled or downed with the ball or be knocked out of bounds. For an onside kick where the ball travels 10 yards and is not touched by a member of the receiving team, the kicking team can only recover the ball. It may not advance the ball on that play. If the receiving team touches the ball either prior or after it travels 10 yards, then the ball is live and may be recovered and advanced by either team.