A refresher on an illegal free kick out of bounds by Team A (which may be different from other rule codes).
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Free kick (kickoff, or kick after safety, time/score irrelevant).
A1’s kick flies to the B-20, where it lands inbounds and bounces toward a sideline. B99 moves toward the sideline, to the point where the ball will travel out-of-bounds. B99:
A) steps out-of-bounds, and, with both feet touching the ground out-of-bounds, touches the previously untouched ball;
B) has one foot on the ground out of bounds and one foot on the ground inbounds when he touches the previously untouched ball;
C) steps out-of-bounds with at least one foot touching the ground then leaps into the air, with the last body part to leave the ground being the out-of-bounds foot. While airborne, B99 grasps the previously untouched ball, then returns to the ground with both feet inbounds;
D) is striding across the sideline with one foot touching the ground inbounds, and the other foot in the air when he touches the previously untouched ball, then continues his stride out-of-bounds;
E) leaps from inbounds and grasps the previously untouched ball and returns to the ground with one foot being his first body part to touch the ground out-of-bounds.
A) Foul by Team A for a free kick out-of-bounds.
B) Foul by Team A for a free kick out-of-bounds.
C) Foul by Team A for a free kick out-of-bounds.
D) B’s ball at the point where the ball crosses the sideline.
E) B’s ball at the point where the ball crosses the sideline.
When a player has any body part touching the ground out-of-bounds, his entire body is considered out-of-bounds, until he has a body part touching the ground inbounds without any body part touching the ground out-of-bounds. When a loose ball touches anything out-of-bounds (including an out-of-bounds player just described), the ball is out-of-bounds and becomes dead immediately.
A player who becomes airborne from inbounds remains inbounds until any body part touches the ground or anything out-of-bounds.
A player who becomes airborne from out-of-bounds remains out-of-bounds until any body part touches the ground inbounds without any body part touching the ground or anything out-of-bounds.
Team A commits a foul for an illegal kick out-of-bounds when the ball, untouched by Team B, touches a player (including uniform/equipment/attachments), an official (including uniform/equipment), or anything else that is out of bounds.
Yes, a Team B player may deliberately step out of bounds and touch a free kicked ball to cause a Team A foul for a free kick out-of-bounds (if previously untouched by Team B). If Team A wants to avoid that, they just need to keep the kick far enough inbounds to make that impossible.
