FOOTBALL TERMS

FOOTBALL TERMS

You may have heard the term "on-side" kick and wondered from where it came. It is a tactic used usually by a team that is behind in the score and desperate. After you score, you have to kick off to your opponent. Once the ball goes 10 yards, it is a free ball and can be recovered by either team. If the kicking team recovers it, it has a chance to score again immediately. If the receiving team recovers it, they have great field position and can score or run the clock out.

For the last twenty years or so, teams have been teeing the ball up like a normal kick-off and having their kicker kick the top of the ball so that it takes a high bounce. Its amazing how often it works.

When I was first playing football and you wanted to take the chance of recovering the kick-off, the kicking tee would be left on the sidelines and the ball would be laid on its side instead of being put on the tee - thus the name "on-side" kick. The ball would spin on its way to the other team and you would hope they would muff it.