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 may be passed backwards an unlimited number of times, but in American football the ball may be passed forward once (and only once) as long as the passer is behind the line of scrimmage, as opposed to rugby union, where the ball cannot be passed forward but only kicked or carried forward. Even when kicked, only the kicker or players behind the kicker are allowed to catch or interfere with play. In both sports, play is stopped when the ball goes out of bounds, when a player or team commits a foul or after any scoring play. In American football,