onside kicks
Short surprise kicks
An onside kick is a short kickoff in American football designed to be recovered by the kicking team rather than yielded to the receiving team.
The ball must travel at least ten yards before the kicking team can legally possess it.
Teams attempt onside kicks when trailing late in a game and needing the ball back: They recovered the onside kick with two minutes left.
The strategy is risky—most fail and give opponents excellent field position.
- attemptsEfforts to accomplish
- muffMishandle clumsily
- playbooksDocumented tactical strategies
- footballField sport with goals
- college footballUniversity-level American gridiron
kickoff · recovery · live ball · possessions · touchback · returner · tactics · special teams · special teams unit · desperation · last ditch effort · fourth quarter · high stakes · blockers · scrimmage line · trick play · strategy · end zone