Drop kick A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football . It involves a player dropping the ball and then kick ing it when it bounces off the ground . It contrasts to a punt , wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first . 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 . Rugby . Drop kick technique . 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 . Rugby league . In rugby league , drop kicks are mandatory to restart play from the goal line ( called a goal line drop - out ) after the defending team is tackled or knocks on in the in - goal area or the defending team causes the ball to go dead or into touch - in - goal . Drop kicks are also mandatory to restart play from the 20 metre line after an unsuccessful penalty goal attempt goes dead or into touch - in - goal and to score a drop goal ( sometimes known as a field goal ) in open play , which is worth one point . Drop kicks are optional for a penalty kick to score a penalty goal ( this being done rarely , as place kicks are generally used ) and when kicking for touch ( the sideline ) from a penalty , although the option of a punt kick is usually taken instead . Rugby union . In rugby union , a drop kick is used for the kick - off and restarts and to score a drop goal ( sometimes called a field goal ) . Originally , it was one of only two ways to score points , along with the place kick . Drop kicks are mandatory from the centre spot to start a half ( a kick - off ) , from the centre spot to restart the game after points have been scored , to restart play from the 22 - metre line ( called a drop - out ) after the ball is touched down or made dead in the in - goal area by the defending team when the attacking team kicked or took the ball into the in - goal area , and to score a drop goal ( sometimes called a field goal ) in open play , which is worth three points . Drop kicks are optional for a conversion kick after a try has been scored . This is rare , as place kicks are almost always used for the conversion ; a drop kick is sometimes used late in a game if the scoring team needs to score again quickly , and taking a place kick would be slower . Also , if a gust of wind blows the ball over on a place kick attempt after the kicker has begun their run - up , thus allowing the opposing team to begin a charge down , then there is no time to reset the ball , and the kicker may attempt a quick drop kick . Drop kicks are also optional for a penalty kick to score a penalty goal . This is rare , as place kicks are almost always used . When kicking for touch ( the sideline ) from a penalty , a drop kick may be used . This is rare , as the option of a punt kick is almost always taken instead . Rugby sevens . The usage of drop kicks in rugby sevens is the same as in rugby union , except that drop kicks are used for all conversion attempts and for penalty kicks , both of which must be taken within 40 seconds of the try being scored or the award of the penalty . Gridiron football . In both American and Canadian football , one method of scoring a field goal or extra point is by drop kicking the football through the goal . The drop kick was often used in early football as a surprise tactic . The ball would be snapped or lateraled to a back , who would fake a run or pass , but then would kick the field goal instead . This method of scoring worked well in the 1920s and 1930s , when the football was rounder at the ends ( similar to a modern rugby ball ) . Early football stars such as Frank Hudson , Jim Thorpe , Paddy Driscoll , and Al Bloodgood were skilled drop - kickers ; Driscoll in 1925 and Bloodgood in 1926 hold a tied NFL record of four drop kicked field goals in a single game . Driscoll ' s 55 yard drop kick in 1924 stood as the unofficial record for field goal range until Bert Rechichar kicked a 56 - yard field goal ( by placekick ) in 1953 . In 1934 , the ball was made more pointed at the ends . This made passing the ball easier , as was its intent , but made the drop kick obsolete , as the more pointed ball did not bounce up from the ground reliably . The drop kick was supplanted by the place kick , which cannot be attempted out of a formation generally used as a running or passing set . The drop kick remains in the rules , but is seldom seen , and rarely effective when attempted . In Canadian football ( and , until 1998 , the National Football League ) , the drop kick can be taken from any point on the field , unlike placekicks , which must be attempted behind the line of scrimmage . American football . Before the NFL - AFL merger , the last successful drop kick in the NFL was executed by Ray " Scooter " McLean of the Chicago Bears in their 37 - 9 victory over the New York Giants on December 21 , 1941 , in the NFL Championship game at Chicago ' s Wrigley Field . Though it was not part of the NFL at the time , the All - America Football Conference saw its last drop kick November 28 , 1948 , when Joe Vetrano of the San Francisco 49ers drop kicked an extra point after a muffed snap against the Cleveland Browns . The only successful drop kick in the NFL since the 1940s was by Doug Flutie , the backup quarterback of the New England Patriots , against the Miami Dolphins on January 1 , 2006 , for an extra point after a touchdown . Flutie had estimated " an 80 percent chance " of making the drop kick , which was called to give Flutie , 43 at the time , the opportunity to make a historic kick in his final NFL game ; the drop kick was his last play in the NFL . After the game , New England coach Bill Belichick said , " I think Doug deserves it , " and Flutie said , " I just thanked him for the opportunity . " There is video of Flutie describing the event in his own words . Dallas Cowboys punter Mat McBriar attempted a maneuver similar to a drop kick during the 2010 Thanksgiving Classic after a botched punt attempt , but the ball bounced several times before the kick and the sequence of events is officially recorded as a fumble , followed by an illegal kick , with the fumble being recovered by the New Orleans Saints 29 yards downfield from the spot of the kick . The Saints declined the illegal kick penalty . New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski attempted an onside drop kick on a free kick after a safety against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 30 , 2011 . The kick went out of bounds . New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees , a former teammate of Flutie ' s , executed a drop kick late on an extra point attempt in the fourth quarter of the 2012 Pro Bowl ; the kick fell short . The last successful drop kick extra point in the NCAA was by Jason Millgan of Hartwick College on December 11 , 1998 , St . Lawrence University . Canadian football . In the Canadian game , the drop kick can be attempted at any time by either team . Any player on the kicking team behind the kicker , and including the kicker , can recover the kick . A drop kick that goes out of bounds is considered a change of possession . On September 8 , 1974 , Tom Wilkinson , quarterback for the Edmonton Eskimos , unsuccessfully attempted a drop kick field goal in the final seconds of a 24 - 2 romp over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers . This may have been the last time the play was deliberately attempted in the CFL . During one game in the 1980s , Hamilton Tiger - Cats wide receiver Earl Winfield was unable to field a punt properly ; in frustration , he kicked the ball out of bounds . The kick was considered a drop kick and led to a change of possession , with the punting team regaining possession of the ball . Two defensive open - field kicks were attempted " on the same play " by the Toronto Argonauts on October 29 , 2010 , against the Montreal Alouettes . With 9 seconds remaining and the game tied at 30 – 30 , Montreal ' s Damon Duval attempted a 36 - yard field goal but missed . After Argonaut kicker Noel Prefontaine leaped into the air to keep the ball in bounds before it could exit the back of the end zone for the single , his teammate Mike Bradwell scooped up the ball and then kicked it out to about the 20 - yard line . There it was caught by Duval , who immediately kicked it back to the end zone to attempt a single . Prefontaine seemed ready to reply with his own catch - and - kick , but Argo linebacker and backup punter Grant Shaw stepped in front of him , muffed the catch , and attempted to kick the loose ball out of the end zone . This fourth kick of the play failed to clear the end zone . Montreal ' s Dahrran Diedrick eventually gained possession of the ball for a touchdown . ( Video ) Arena football . In Arena football , a drop - kicked extra point counts for two points rather than one and a drop - kicked field goal counts for four points rather than three . The most recent conversion of a drop kick was by Geoff Boyer of the Pittsburgh Power on June 20 , 2012 ; it was the first successful conversion in the Arena Football League since 1997 . Australian Rules Football . Once the preferred method of conveying the ball over long distances , the drop - kick has been superseded by the drop - punt as a more accurate means of delivering the ball to a fellow player . It is , therefore , no longer used in the game as it is considered too unpredictable .