Fair catch

[1] A player, usually a return specialist, wishing to make a fair catch signals his intent by extending one arm above his head and waving it while the kicked ball is in flight.

Since 2018, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has had a touchback provision where fair catches caught anywhere inside the 25-yard line on a kickoff are placed at the 25 for the ensuing drive.

In 2023, the National Football League (NFL) adopted the same rule in order to reduce the frequency of player injuries on kickoffs.

The receiving team on a kickoff or punt is always entitled to an unobstructed attempt to catch the ball in its initial flight, before it is touched by a player or it hits the ground.

In the NFL, the receiving team has the option to attempt a fair catch kick from the location where the ball is spotted after the penalty is assessed.

It was abolished early in the development of soccer, then in the middle of the 20th century by Canadian football, and slightly later by rugby league.

In Arena Football, there is no fair catch; however all members of the kicking team must refrain from penetrating the five-yard line in coverage, but only while the ball is in the air.

American football allows the ball to be juggled, but not to be intentionally batted forward to improve the position of the catch (as for a free kick at goal).

In the 19th century in rugby, and into the 20th in American and Canadian football, a fair catch was allowed from certain kicks of a teammate—a punt-out or punt-on.