Snap ( American and Canadian football ) A snap ( colloquially called a " hike " , " snapback " , or " pass from center " ) is the backwards passing of the ball in American and Canadian football at the start of play from scrimmage . Action . The ball begins on the ground with its long axis parallel to the sidelines of the field , its ends marking each team ' s line of scrimmage in American football ; in Canadian football line of scrimmage of the team without the ball is 1 yard past their side of the ball . The snap must be a quick and continuous movement of the ball by one or both hands of the snapper , and the ball must leave the snapper ' s hands . The various rules codes have additional requirements , all of which have the effect of requiring the ball to go backwards to a player behind the line of scrimmage ( i . e . in the " backfield " ) . The ball may be handed , thrown , or even rolled , and its trajectory and the ball during that passage are called " the snap " . The snapper is almost always the center . The ball is almost always sent between the snapper ' s legs , but only in Canadian football is that required . Additional rules apply regarding the positioning and stance of the snapper as one of several " line " players in anticipation of the snap . For a handed snap , the snapper will usually have his head up , facing opponents . For a thrown snap , especially in formations wherein the ball may be snapped to players in different positions , the snapper will commonly bend over looking between his legs . Because of the vulnerability of a player in such a position , the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) and the National Federation of State High School Associations ( " Fed " ) have adopted rules providing that if a player is positioned at least 7 yards behind the neutral zone to receive a snap , opponents are not to deliberately contact the snapper until one second after the snap ( NCAA ) , or until the snapper has a chance to react ( Fed ) . However , in professional football it is common for a center to be able to practice a single " shotgun " formation thrown snap enough to keep his head up and toss it blindly . Snap count . The team entitled to snap the ball will usually know in advance the moment when the snap is to occur as one of their players calls out signals , which usually include a loud sound such as " hut " voiced one or more times , the number of which they know ; they are thus said to know the " snap count " . Therefore they have a considerable advantage over their opponents . The snapper is not , however , allowed to make motions simulating part of the snap action ; therefore their opponents can be confident the first motion of the ball or the snapper ' s hands is the beginning of the snap . The snap count is decided on in the huddle , usually expressed as " . . . on < number > . " being the final words spoken by the quarterback after calling the play but before the huddle breaks and the players go to the line of scrimmage . The snap count allows offensive players to have a small head start . The defensive players want to predict the snap , and build up speed such that they cross the line of scrimmage exactly as the play begins , so as to increase their chances of getting a tackle for a loss , or a sack . By varying the snap count , a quarterback forces the defensive players to react to the movement of the offensive players , or risk being called for an offsides or encroachment penalty . Unfortunately for the offense , this advantage can sometimes become a disadvantage . When faced with an exceptionally loud stadium , players may be unable to hear the snap count , and are forced to concentrate more on visual cues ( silent snap count or a hard count ) , or risk false start penalties . The offense must also be mindful of the play clock . If they fail to snap the ball in time they incur a delay of game penalty . Also , with a dwindling play clock , the defense has better chances of guessing when the ball will be snapped . It is easier to predict when the ball will be snapped with 2 seconds left on the play clock , rather than 5 seconds . History and rationale . The snap , the set scrum and ruck in today ' s rugby union , and the play - the - ball in rugby league have common origins in rugby football . As the rules of rugby ' s scrimmage were written when the game came to North America , they had a significant flaw which was corrected by custom elsewhere , but by the invention of the snap in American football . The rule adopted by a committee for American football in 1880 first provided for the uncontested right of one side to play the ball by foot ( in any direction ) for a scrimmage . A certain use of the foot on the ball which had the same effect as heeling it back was known as a " snap " . Later in the 19th Century the option of snapping the ball back by hand was added . The option to play the ball with the foot was preserved , however , for several decades , although by early in the 20th Century it was restricted to kicking the ball forward . The kick forward in scrimmage was a surprise play which did not work against a prepared defense . Also for several decades alternatives to the scrimmage for playing the ball from across the sideline after it had gone out of bounds - - a throw - in or " fair " , and " bounding in " - - existed . Note also that until well into the 20th Century , rather than an official readying the ball for scrimmage , the side entitled to the snap had complete custody of the ball and could snap it from the required spot at any time ; for instance , a tackled ball carrier might feign injury , then suddenly snap the ball while recumbent , there being no stance requirement yet . The neutral zone and the right of the snapper not to be contacted by an opponent before the snap also was not an original feature . As the 20th Century drew to a close , the NCAA and National Federation of State High School Associations extended that protection to some time after the snap , in cases where a player is positioned at least 7 yards deep to receive a thrown snap . Canadian football used the rugby scrimmage unaltered until near the end of the 19th Century , when , regionally at first , under the influence of the American scrimmage , the number of players in the scrimmage was limited to three - - a " centre scrimmager " bound on either side by props called " side scrimmagers " . The centre scrimmager was later renamed the " snap " , and in intercollegiate play one side was given the right to put foot to ball first . Beginning regionally again and universally by 1923 , the Burnside rules led to the 3 - man scrimmage being reduced to the centre alone , the number of players on the field being reduced commensurately from 14 to 12 , and a snap rule and neutral zone similar to that of American football was adopted . In addition to the between - the - legs requirement noted above , for several years after the adoption of the hand snap , a hand - to - hand snap was illegal , the ball required to be thrown instead , in Canadian football . ( Though it was technically legal , the hand - to - hand snap was not used on the American side of the border until the 1930s . ) Apparently a complete break was desired from system of backheeling , and the T formation having gone into eclipse in American football at the time , the Canadian snap was modeled on the formations then in common use in the USA , such as the single wing . The game design rationale for requiring the snap to be a quick and continuous motion to the backfield is to eliminate the need for rules provisions for a live ball in scrimmage . In Rugby Union the ball may be retained by the forwards and played for a time via the foot in a scrummage ( which Rugby League has as well ) or ruck , or by the hands in a maul , necessitating additional restrictions on play and player positioning during those intervals . In American and Canadian football , the ball as it is put in play is only held in the line ( by the snapper ) for a fraction of a second . The uncontested possession also , as Walter Camp pointed out , allows for better offensive and defensive planning by the side entitled to snap the ball and their opposition , respectively . A muffed snap can be recovered by either team .