4 Kicking Rules That You Need To Remember
Brion Hurley
Article posted on 9/2/2013

Here are some common questions we receive, that all kickers should be aware of, so you aren't surprised or caught off guard during a game.

1) If the FG/PAT goes over the top of the upright, is it GOOD or NO GOOD?

NO GOOD! The kick must go BETWEEN the uprights to be good. Since many kickers can kick the ball over the top of the height of the uprights, that makes it difficult for referees to determine whether it was inside the posts or not. If it's too close to call, most will call it NO GOOD since it wasn't clearly in (or their angle of view was not ideal). The only advice I can give is to improve your accuracy, so you don't leave it in the hands of the referee to decide.

2) At what point can a kicker/punter be hit by the opposing team so that they are not called for "roughing the kicker"?

There are three situations you need to be aware of:

- After the kicker has had a reasonable opportunity to regain his balance and the ball is still in play (blocked, botched or fake kick)

- On a free kick (kickoff), when the kicker has advanced 5 yards downfield (beyond his own free kick line)

- The kick has touched another player or the ground

3) How many timeouts can the opposing team call to try and "freeze" the kicker before an important kick?

In high school, a team can call successive timeouts, so if they have three remaining timeouts, they can call all three in a row.

In the NFL, a team can only call one timeout between plays. Teams that attempt to call two consecutive timeouts are penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the offense is awarded an automatic first down.

Most kickers we've talked to feel being "iced" is a good thing, allowing for more time to concentrate on mechanics, and get focused on the actual background they'll be looking at, as well as calm down their nerves.

Read more about icing the kicker on these pages:

What Happens When You Ice Your Own Kicker

Wikipedia: Icing the Kicker

4) If my FG or PAT is blocked, does that go against my stats?

Unfortunately a blocked kick is counted against the kicker and team stats, even if it wasn't the fault of the kicker. On your Kicking.com profile, we recommend making a note in the comments area with the number of kicks that were blocked.

However, if the kicker never gets the kick attempted (bad snap that is recovered, or bobbled snap or fake kick), those do not count as an actual attempt. To get more technical, if the ball crosses the line of scrimmage after the kick, it's considered a "deflected" kick, and if it stays behind the line of scrimmage, it's considered a "blocked" kick. Both result in a missed attempt.

If you would like to see some of these rules, along with more unique situations, visit Gem City Kicking - Kicking Rules

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