onside kick

or onsides kick

noun

, Football.

1. a kickoff deliberately kicked a short distance in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball by recovering it after it has traveled forward the legally required distance of 10 yards, beyond the 50-yard line.

Word History and Origins

Origin of onside kick¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

His belief that possession is far more valuable and predictive of success than field position also had him going for onside kicks every time the score was within three touchdowns.

From Washington Post

The proposal related to onside kicks that was ratified Wednesday was made by the competition committee.

From Washington Post

By prohibiting the receiving team from having 10 or all 11 of its players in that “setup zone,” the new rule could tilt the odds somewhat in favor of the kicking team as it tries to recover an onside kick.

From Washington Post

NFL team owners could consider rule-change proposals this offseason to create a fourth-and-15 alternative to the onside kick and to delay the hiring process for head coaches and general managers.

From Washington Post

Under previous versions of the proposal, the onside kick would not have been eliminated but a team trailing late in a game would have had another option.

From Washington Post

His most important contribution was recovering an onside kick while playing with the special team.

From The Daily Beast

The young men he called his boys must have all agreed that it was very hard to hurt yourself demonstrating an onside kick.

From The Daily Beast

The old man was demonstrating an onside kick when he injured his hip.

From The Daily Beast