In practice, most free kicks under the rule come in one of two situations: either when a player puts the ball directly out of bounds to relieve a high pressure situation; or when a player gains territory from a longer disposal which goes out of bounds without any teammate having a reasonable chance of possessing it.
[2] This was extended to putting the ball out of bounds from an in-play situation at the intercolonial conference prior to the 1886 season.
[3] The rules were introduced largely to put an end to the disliked strategy of kicking the ball out of bounds as a means of timewasting.
[5] Following a specific directive to apply the rule more strictly was introduced for the 2016 AFL season in an attempt to reduce the number of boundary throw-ins,[6][7] the law was formally changed to its current wording in 2017.
An alternative rule which penalises a player whose kick or handball crosses the boundary line with a free kick to the opposition, known as a last possession out of bounds (or last touch) rule, has returned in leagues including the South Australian National Football League (since 2016) and AFL Women's (since 2018).