The kicking team attempts to gain possession of the football by executing an onside kick. An onside kick may be utilized to make a major play at any moment, but they are most commonly used when the game is on the line and the kicking team badly wants the ball in the hands of its offense. An onside kick is executed when the receiving team has control of the football and appears from the sidelines to have it ready for immediate play. The onside kick was originally invented as a way for American football teams to take advantage of mistakes made by their opponents during punt returns. The idea was to allow the onside-kicking team to get the ball into the end zone without having to go back out again for another punt. Today, most teams use some type of coverage during return situations to prevent their opponents from getting great returns and using them against them later in the game. However, some players might still sneak away from coverages during punt returns or field goal tries in order to set up onside kicks. There are two types of onside kicks: live and dead. During a live onside kick, one member of the kicking team stays near the sideline while the other members of the team form a ring around the center of the field. If the ball is spotted within this circle, the kicking team will execute the onside kick. Otherwise, they will wait for another opportunity. On rare occasions, a second live onside kick might be attempted if the first attempt fails.