Fair catch the ball touches the ground. A fair catch may be followed by a snap or a type of free kick — the fair catch kick — at his team's choice, and an expired playing period may be extended if the free kick is chosen. The NCAA abolished the fair catch from its version of American football in 1950, but restored it in 1951, minus the option of kicking from the mark of the catch, which is retained in rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations and the National Football League. If the kicking team commits kick catching
Comparison of American football and rugby union play is also stopped when a player is ruled down or when a forward pass falls incomplete. The forward pass and the stoppage when a player with the ball is downed results in short plays and a generally episodic game play in American football, as opposed to the longer and more fluid passages of play found in rugby union. If a player in rugby is tackled then the ball must be released and any player arriving at the scene may pick up the ball and run with it. If two or more opposing players arrive at the same time then