A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground.
Drop kicks are most importantly used as a method of restarting play and scoring points in rugby union and rugby league. Association football goalkeepers also often return the ball to play with drop kicks. The kick was once in wide use in both Australian rules football and gridiron football, but is today rarely seen in either sport.
The drop kick technique in rugby codes is usually to hold the ball with one end pointing downwards in two hands above the kicking leg. The ball is dropped onto the ground in front of the kicking foot, which makes contact at the moment or fractionally after the ball touches the ground, called the half-volley. The kicking foot usually makes contact with the ball slightly on the instep.
In a rugby union kick-off, or drop out, the kicker usually aims to kick the ball high but not a great distance, and so usually strikes the ball after it has started to bounce off the ground, so the contact is made close to the bottom of the ball.
A drop kick in rugby union is a type of kick that involves someone dropping a ball and then kicking when it hits the ground, in contrast to a punt wherein the dropper kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first.
In rugby union, a drop kick is used for the kick-off and restarts and to score a field or drop goal. Originally it was one of only two ways to score points, along with the place kick.
Drop kicks are mandatory:
Drop kicks are optional:
Drop kick or dropkick may refer to: