On-Sides Kick

Question
What is the ruling regarding an on-sides kick that is caught in the air by a kicking team player?  Does the ball have to hit the ground before a kicking team member can recover it?  Does the kicking team have to give the receiving team an unobstructed opportunity to catch the ball, even if the receiving team did not signal for a fair catch?

Answer
Hello David, thanks for using AllExperts.

I will first answer your question, then give the variables. Once a kickoff goes 10 yards it is a live ball, be it in the air or on the ground. So the kicking team can recover it, whether it is in the air or on the ground.But they CANNOT interfere with a receiving team player attempting or moving forward to catch the ball.(while it is in flight) Now for the pro and college game, it is easy to go back and review the play on camera and tell if the ball went 10 yards or not. High school and under it is just just a judgement call by the line official, who should be standing at the 10 yard mark. Now the kicking team CANNOT interfere with the receiving team player who is attempting to catch a "airborne" kick, even if a fair catch WAS NOT called. That even goes for a "pooch" (short) kick. But the key to that is the ball has to be "airborne" or in flight. That is why most onside kicks, are kicked on the ground or into the ground first. Once it is kicked on the ground and crosses 10 yards, It's who ever recovers it first.

Now some leagues have different rules. I even know of a Little League group that rule states: " If the ball is kicked into the ground and then bounces high, a  fair catch can be called if the ball doesn't take a second bounce." But NFL, college and majority of football has NO such rule.

I hope that I helped you with your question.