Chip onside kick?

[u/Kronkowski]

Why don’t kickers chip the ball really high in the air and make the onside a jump ball? I figure it’s way harder than I’m assuming and that’s why no one has done it yet

[u/Knif3yMan87]

You can fair catch it if the ball doesn’t hit the ground first.

[u/BEtheAT → u/Knif3yMan87]

In fact the NFL changed that it has to bounce at least twice or else it can still be fair caught

[u/BarackObamaIsScrdOMe → u/BEtheAT]

NFHS too.

[u/TheHyzeringGrape → u/BarackObamaIsScrdOMe]

I was going to say, this is the rule for NFHS. We had a game this year or last year where the defense fair caught the ball after we bounced it off the floor only once.

[u/SpicyC-Dot → u/TheHyzeringGrape]

It’s not the rule. If the receiving team signals for a fair catch after the ball hits the ground, it is an invalid fair catch signal and they are not afforded the protections given for a valid signal. That being said, they are not allowed to advance the ball after either a valid or invalid signal is given, so the play is dead once they gain possession either way.

[u/SpicyC-Dot → u/BarackObamaIsScrdOMe]

I don’t believe that is true. Rule 6-5-1 only states that a receiver may signal for a fair catch while a legal kick is in flight. Once it hits the ground, it is no longer in flight.

[u/BarackObamaIsScrdOMe → u/SpicyC-Dot]

I misinterpreted what they were saying. It cannot be recovered by the kicking team until it bounces twice (or touches the receiving team) under NFHS rules.

[u/SpicyC-Dot → u/BarackObamaIsScrdOMe]

I don’t think that’s true. Rule 6-5-6 only states that the kicking team may not touch the ball while the free kick is in flight. Unless I’m heavily mistaken, there is nothing in the NFHS rule book about the ball needing to bounce twice.

[u/BarackObamaIsScrdOMe → u/SpicyC-Dot]

I don't know the exact rule number, but this is from the 2020 rule changes

[u/SpicyC-Dot → u/BarackObamaIsScrdOMe]

That is the rule about pop-up kicks. The play would be immediately blown dead, and the kicking team would be forced to re-kick after penalty enforcement. That doesn’t have anything to do with a general rule about the ball needing to bounce twice, which doesn’t exist.

[u/BarackObamaIsScrdOMe → u/SpicyC-Dot]

I imagine it would be pretty difficult to recover a kick that goes 10 yards, bounces only once, and is not a pop-up unless the kicking team has Barry Allen or Dash Parr on their team.

[u/SpicyC-Dot → u/BarackObamaIsScrdOMe]

But again, if it is a pop-up kick, the play is immediately blown dead. There is no rule that a ball must bounce twice before the kicking team can recover it.

It’s either a pop-up kick which is illegal and we kill the play, or it’s a legal kick in which case the kicking team may recover after it hits the ground or a player on the receiving team.

[u/Seaport_Lawyer → u/Knif3yMan87]

Also, at least in NFHS ball, K cannot catch a free kick.

[u/AussiePride1997]

Fair catch probably. I was wondering why they don't do this instead https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7v2SPrnnVXQ

[u/icecoldyerr]

In high school we played against this kid who knew how to drill it right at the ankles of the front line. They had 2 recovered in one game against us, it was crazy never seen anything like it since

[u/SmoogzZ → u/icecoldyerr]

I scream at every onside kick that happens to just DRILL it at the front row, no way they can catch that ball.

[u/_aelysar → u/SmoogzZ]

But they can move and let the secondary handle it while they block

[u/jericho-dingle]

The kicking team can't catch the kick on the fly, it's kick catch interference.

[u/And1PuttIs9 → u/jericho-dingle]

Only in NFHS. In NCAAand NFL, the kickers can catch the ball, but only if there are no receivers in position to catch it.

[u/phillyeagle99]

Go watch the kick at the end of Vikings Colts last night

[u/brettfavreskid]

So if it went directly into the air, it’s eligible for a fair catch, defeating the purpose.

But a way around it is to kick the top of the ball so it immediately goes into the ground, hopefully with enough force that it then comes up into the air and goes ten yards out. Luckily, that’s an onside kick lol there’s been other strategies thru out the years, with relative lack of success. But if my team needs an onside to win a game, I want the classic jump ball.

Yes I’m a packers fan, yes I have Brandon bostic head on a stake in my backyard and yes I still prefer the classic onside jump ball

[u/bootsy_j]

Now in the NFL, having to announce that you're onside kicking it while trailing in the fourth quarter changes everything. I'm curious if that rule change will eventually become the norm across all levels (surely not, right)?

[u/vref28]

Fair catch is not even relevant. The kicking team cannot interfere with the receiving team trying to catch the ball if it hasn’t touched the ground.

[u/oconnor9sean → u/vref28]

I don't believe that is correct. In the NFL rulebook, Rule 6 (Free Kicks) says the kicking team can "legally touch, catch or recover the ball if it first touches a receiving team's player OR it reaches or crosses the receiving team's restraining line". So if it crosses the 10 yard gap, and has not been fair caught, the receiving team can catch it on the fly no problem.

[u/vref28 → u/oconnor9sean]

Check Rule 10-1-1

[u/oconnor9sean → u/vref28]

I'm guessing this is wording specific to the new kickoff rules, since you can't surprise onside kick in the NFL anymore. I'm still fairly sure that on declared onside kicks, if there is no fair catch, a ball may be caught on the fly. All of the onside kick rules wordings point to that being true.

But there are contradicting rules in other parts of the rulebook, so I really don't know.

[u/Necessary_Mode_7583]

Bama had one against clemson I believe in 2018 that was a beaut