• Football players wrestle over a ball.Football image by Richard McGuirk from Fotolia.com
  
  Punting in American football typically happens when the offensive team cannot attain the necessary yardage for a first down (10 yards in four plays). When punting, a player designated as the punter will kick the ball to the opposing team, which will have a chance to return it for yardage until they are tackled or "fair catch" the punt and take the ball where they catch it. Punts can be blocked by the defending team, and the rules for this are clearly defined.
  
  

Blocking Punts

• When the ball is snapped, the defensive players will have a chance to chase down the punter as if they would a quarterback. The punter must rely on his blockers to keep him protected while he catches the ball and punts it. If a defensive player or players reach the punter as he is punting the ball, they may try to knock the ball out of the air, resulting in a blocked punt.
  
  

Recovery

• Once the punt has been blocked, any team may recover the ball even after it has touched the ground. If the punting team recovers the ball, they must advance the ball far enough to make up the necessary yardage to give them a first down (provided the ball was punted on fourth down) or else give up possession of the ball to the other team on the following play. If the defensive team recovers the ball, they will be granted possession wherever they are tackled unless they manage to reach the opposite end zone, in which case they will be awarded a defensive touchdown.
  
  

Roughing the Kicker

• "Roughing the Kicker" is a penalty risked by defenders attempting to block a punt that is defined by tackling or knocking down the punter after the ball is in the air. Roughing the kicker is when the kicker falls down and carries a 15-yard penalty in favor of the kicking team and an automatic first down. There is also "Running into the Kicker" whereas the punter is pushed but does not fall down; this results in just 5-yard penalty, and may result in a first down if the punting team needed 5 yards or less to attain a first down. These penalties are not called if the contact was incidental, a blocker pushed a defender into the punter, the punter's fall was caused by his own motions, or after a punter drops a ball or attempts to run with the ball.