Afree kick is an action used in several codes offootball to restart play with thekicking of aball into thefield of play.
Inassociation football, thefree kick is a method of restarting the game following an offence by the opposing side.
For more serious offences, such as handball or seriousfoul play, a direct free kick is awarded, from which a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side. (If such an offence is committed in a team's own penalty area, apenalty kick is awarded instead).
For less serious offences, such as offside, an indirect free kick is awarded, from which the ball must touch another player before a goal is scored.[1]
InAmerican football, after asafety is scored, the ball is put into play by afree kick. The team that was scored upon must kick the ball from their own 20-yard line and canpunt,drop kick, orplace kick the ball. In professional play, a kicking tee cannot be used – however, a tee can be used inhigh school orcollege football. Once the ball has been kicked, it can be caught and advanced by any member of the receiving team, and it can be recovered by the kicking team if the ball travels at least 10 yards and bounces at least once or a player of the receiving team touches the ball.[2][3][4]
InCanadian football, after scoring a safety touch, the scoring team has the option of taking control of the ball and beginning play from their own 35-yard line, kicking the ball off from their 35-yard line, or accepting a kickoff from the 25-yard line of the team that conceded the score.[5] If a kickoff is chosen it must be a place kick, and the ball can be held, placed on the ground, or placed on a tee prior to the kick. As in American football, the ball must go at least ten yards before it can be recovered by the kicking team.[6]
Another example occurring in American football is thefair catch kick, a field goal attempted freely from the spot of a fair catch. Although theNational Football League (NFL) does not consider the play a free kick, theNational Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and media analysts regard it as being a free kick. The kick must be either aplace kick or adrop kick, and if it passes over the crossbar and between the goalposts of the defensive team's goal, afield goal, worth three points, is scored to the offensive team.
Under NFHS rules,kickoffs are also classified as free kicks.[4]
Afree kick inAustralian rules football is awarded after a player commits a penalty. The player must then kick the ball back to the other team. When a free kick is awarded, the player's opponentstands the mark, standing on the spot where the umpire indicates that the free kick was paid or mark was taken. The player with the ball then retreats backwards so that the ball can be kicked over the player standing the mark; the player must retreat on the angle such that he, the man on the mark and the centre of the attacking goal are in the same straight line.
Afree kick inrugby union is usually awarded to a team for a technical offence committed by the opposing side. Once awarded a free kick, the team must decide how they wish to play it. Options include choosing to play a place kick, drop kick, punt, or take it as ascrum.
The dictionary definition offree kick at Wiktionary