Obscure Free Catch, Free Kick Rule

 
Seen it many times over the years.

Great rule... love seeing teams punt from the endzone late in the half, to see if this can happen
 
Not sure why the officials were confused and had to meet for a few minutes. It is a basic rule they all should know.

The first I ever saw this was in like 2000 or so, when St. X played UA at Welcome Stadium in the playoffs and St. X did this at the end of the 1st half.
 
During our Thursday walk through practice, my HS Head Coach would end practice on this play. Always thought it was crazy that it wasn’t we’ll known.
 
Though it's rare this should be common knowledge. It's one the throwbacks to the origins of American football.

In rugby this is called a Mark. A clean catch of a kick gives the receiving player an uncontested kick for goal.

Aussie Rules has the same rule and name. In American Football it's a fair catch. And like rugby you have the option to kick or scrum (line up for first play from scrimmage, which is where the term scrimmage originates (scrum - - > scrimmage) ). Since American football got rid of the scrum in Camp's modifications to the rules. But kept some terms (touchdown used to mean touching the ball to the ground beyond the goal line, which resulted in a try for point, which is why old reports called TDs tries).
 
I saw this at a HS game in the Pittsburgh area in the 1970s. Pretty cool that they pulled it off.
 
I've seen it a few times in NFL games but never in a HS game. John Madden would mention it frequently. I can still hear his voice saying that a team can attempt a "free kick after a fair catch."
 
It's funny, the reason it can happen so much more often in the high school level is also the reason it's not attempted: bad kicking.

You first need your opponent to have a really bad punt from deep in their territory. But then have a good enough kicker yourself to attempt the kick. Odds are, your kicking game is just as suspect as your opponents, so it's not tried.
 
Just so I have this right:
-You can kick a "free kick" (essentially a kickoff) from where you fair caught a punt
-If it goes through the uprights, it counts as 3 points

Do I have that right?

Questions:
1) I assume you then immediately kick off after scoring the 3 points like a normal kickoff?
2) If you miss, does the other team get the ball where you missed the kick from?

I think I remember Lima Central Catholic doing this at one point with Tyler O'Connor, but I'm not certain.
 
Saw this tried at a state championship game back in the 90's? The kick missed.

Minster was prepared to do this back when they had the Schultz kid who was a great kicker. The situation (end of half / end of game / fair catch of punt in opponent territory) just rarely comes up.
 
*67 said:
Just so I have this right:
-You can kick a "free kick" (essentially a kickoff) from where you fair caught a punt
-If it goes through the uprights, it counts as 3 points

Do I have that right?

Questions:
1) I assume you then immediately kick off after scoring the 3 points like a normal kickoff?
2) If you miss, does the other team get the ball where you missed the kick from?

I think I remember Lima Central Catholic doing this at one point with Tyler O'Connor, but I'm not certain.
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I think if the ball doesn't get to the endzone, it is a dead ball, as long as it has traveled 10 yds. I can only be returned by the receiving team if they
catch it.
 
*67 said:
Just so I have this right:
-You can kick a "free kick" (essentially a kickoff) from where you fair caught a punt
-If it goes through the uprights, it counts as 3 points

Do I have that right?
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Yes. It's counted as a field goal if it's good. Not sure if at the HS level a tee is allowed of it's just held by another player.
*67 said:
Questions:
1) I assume you then immediately kick off after scoring the 3 points like a normal kickoff?
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Yes
*67 said:
2) If you miss, does the other team get the ball where you missed the kick from?
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Yes. But it's also a live ball. So if the kick is short, the receiving team has to recover it (unless it's in the endzone and a touchback), or the kicking team can get it.

You generally only see this at the end of the first half, or in the rare circumstance the end of the game and its tied, or such that a missed kick wouldn't be devestating.

What's interesting is that this fair catch kick can be tried even if the clock ran out on the previous punt play. It's part of the fair catch. So, play must continue for the kick.
 
Kurt Rambis said:
Seen it many times over the years.

Great rule... love seeing teams punt from the endzone late in the half, to see if this can happen
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"Many times."

I'm not saying you haven't, but either live or on film I have watched something over 1,000 games and I have never seen it.
 
I've been aware of this rule since I was a kid but have only seen it a couple of times. The problem is HS is that you need alot of things to line up. The play has to be at the end of a half, the punt has to come deep in their own territory, the receiver has to fair catch the ball, and the kicker has to have the leg to make the kick from that distance. I'm not sure I've seen a situation in the last decade where all those things lined up and made the coach consider it.
 
Sykotyk said:
It's funny, the reason it can happen so much more often in the high school level is also the reason it's not attempted: bad kicking.

You first need your opponent to have a really bad punt from deep in their territory. But then have a good enough kicker yourself to attempt the kick. Odds are, your kicking game is just as suspect as your opponents, so it's not tried.
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Actually, a really bad kicker often ends up kicking an end over end worm burner that can’t be caught. Therefore no opportunity for a free kick. Sometimes it’s good to be bad. 😄
 
Yappi said:
I've been aware of this rule since I was a kid but have only seen it a couple of times. The problem is HS is that you need alot of things to line up. The play has to be at the end of a half, the punt has to come deep in their own territory, the receiver has to fair catch the ball, and the kicker has to have the leg to make the kick from that distance. I'm not sure I've seen a situation in the last decade where all those things lined up and made the coach consider it.
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The play doesn't have to occur at the end of a half, does it?
 
Mackinbiner said:
The play doesn't have to occur at the end of a half, does it?
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It doesn't have to happen at the end of the half but little time remaining is the reason that it is used. Doesn't make much sense to kick a FG on first down unless the clock is almost at zero for the half.
 
Interestingly, I think I've only seen one fair-catch this season. And that player started to run with the ball and got a penalty.

The number of caught punts that I've witnessed this season is close to only 15%. Most are uncatchable or the returner is not experienced enough to make the catch in traffic.
 
Yappi said:
It doesn't have to happen at the end of the half but little time remaining is the reason that it is used. Doesn't make much sense to kick a FG on first down unless the clock is almost at zero for the half.
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I could see it in a severe weather game or any game in which neither team is able to move the ball.
 
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