Editing Onside kick (section)

{{Short description|Short kickoff in gridiron football to try to keep possession of the ball}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2025}}
[[File:Penn State vs. Michigan football 2014 25 (onside kick).jpg|thumb|280px|Penn State lined up for an onside kick.]]
In [[gridiron football]], an '''onside kick''' is a [[Kickoff (gridiron football)|kickoff]] (under American and Canadian rules) or [[punt (gridiron football)|punt]] (under Canadian rules only) deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a typical kickoff or punt, in which the kicking team kicks the ball far downfield in order to maximize the distance the receiving team has to advance the ball in order to score. The risk to the team attempting an onside kick is that if it is unsuccessful the receiving team gets the ball and usually has a much better field position than with a normal kick.

The onside kick has a low success rate, though its chances of success increase in a situation where the returning team does not expect it. In American football, it is generally only seen late in a game when a team has just scored but is still trailing by 8 points or fewer (the most points that can be scored on a single possession) and needs to regain possession in order to score again before time expires.