Drop Ball
A neutral restart in football (soccer) used after the referee stops play for a reason not covered by another restart.
Definition
A drop ball restarts play after the referee halts the game for something outside the normal run of play — such as an injury, outside interference, a defective ball, or simultaneous fouls. Under current Laws the ball is dropped for one player of the team that last touched it, or for the defending goalkeeper if play was stopped inside the penalty area, and all other players must stay a set distance away until it touches the ground.
The modern uncontested drop ball replaced the older contested version, in which players from both sides could challenge for it, because that form frequently caused confusion and collisions. The ball is in play once it touches the ground, and at least one player must touch it before a goal can count.
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Equipment
- Tennis ballA hollow rubber ball covered in felt used in tennis and related racquet sports.
- Table tennis batA small wooden blade covered with rubber used to hit the ball in table tennis.
- Football (soccer ball)A round, inflated ball used to play association football and futsal. Futsal uses a smaller, heavier ball that bounces far less on a hard court.
- Football boots (cleats)Studded footwear that grips the pitch for football and other field sports.
- BasketballA large, inflated ball with a dimpled surface used to play basketball.
Techniques
- HeaderA technique for controlling or striking the ball with the forehead in football, used to pass, shoot or clear the ball in the air.
- Inside-of-the-Foot PassThe most reliable short pass in football, played with the inside surface of the foot for accuracy over a short to medium distance.
- The push and the chopTable tennis's backspin strokes — the short push that stops an opponent attacking, the long push that changes the rally, and the chop that defends from distance.
Rules
- Direct and indirect free kicksThe two types of free kick awarded in football to restart play after a foul or other stoppage.
- LetA call that stops a point and has it replayed without penalty, used across several racket sports.
- Off-side in ice hockeyThe rule that stops attackers waiting in the attacking zone — where exactly the blue line is crossed, why skates and not sticks decide it, and what a delayed off-side means.
- Yellow and red cardsThe disciplinary cards a football referee shows to caution or send off a player for misconduct.
- Offside in rugby unionRugby union's most context-dependent law — where the offside line sits in open play, what an offside player must not do, the 10-metre rule after a kick, and how a player is put onside.
Officiating
- Penalty SignalA standardized hand or flag signal an official uses to announce a foul, penalty, or restart so players, teammates, and spectators can read the call.
- AdvantageIn many sports, officials let play continue after a foul when stopping would help the offender, so the fouled team keeps the advantage it has gained.
- Out-of-Bounds CallAn official's ruling that the ball or a player in possession has left the legal playing area, stopping play and handing a restart or possession to the opponent.
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- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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