On-Side Kick Rule

[VaCoach]

We have had some debate in our office about an On-Side kick rule, can someone help us out please. Is their a rule that states that the kicking team CAN NOT touch or block anyone on the kick receiving team UNTIL the kicked ball has travel the ten yards needed to be recovered by the kicking team. Thanks for your help in this question!

[julian]

Yes. Rule 6-1-3 states that no Team A player can touch a free kick until it break the plane of Team B restraining line. Rule 6-1-1 places such line 10 yards away. Finally, rule 6-1-12 states that no Team A player may block a Team B player until is eligible to touch a free-kicked ball.

[NVFOA_Ump]

Full text from NCAA Rule 6-1:

Touching and Recovery of a Free Kick
ARTICLE 3. a. No Team A player may touch a free-kicked ball until after:
1. It touches a Team B player (Exception: Rules 6-1-4 and 6-5-1-b);
2. It breaks the plane of and remains beyond Team B’s restraining line (Exception: Rule 6-4-1) (A.R. 2-12-5-I); or
3. It touches any player, the ground, an official or anything beyond Team B’s restraining line.
Thereafter, all players of Team A become eligible to touch, recover or catch the kick.

and

Eligibility to Block
ARTICLE 12
No Team A player may block an opponent until Team A is eligible to touch a free-kicked ball. (A.R. 6-1-3-II)

[Etref]

We have had some debate in our office about an On-Side kick rule, can someone help us out please. Is their a rule that states that the kicking team CAN NOT touch or block anyone on the kick receiving team UNTIL the kicked ball has travel the ten yards needed to be recovered by the kicking team. Thanks for your help in this question!

Or the ball is touched by a receiving team player making the kicking team eligible to touch or recover.

[Morningrise]

A good thing to remember is, it doesn't matter WHERE the block takes place, only WHEN. Even if the block is beyond the restraining line, it's still a foul unless the ball has ALSO gone beyond the restraining line (or been touched by B). This is so Team A cannot just run down and clear out a big area, then wait for the ball to roll across the line.

This is one of the more frequently missed calls, at all levels, even heavily televised ones. The mechanic is for the far-side officials to help out, since the near-side officials have to concentrate on touching and OOB.

It's also important (and sometimes tough) to be sure that Team A is initiating the block. If Team B initiates the contact, it's not a foul on Team A. However, this is uncommon. Team B players aren't usually thinking about throwing blocks on an onside kick. Usually they're busy panicking about grabbing the ball at all costs.