Holder (gridiron football)

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In gridiron football, the holder is the player who receives the snap from the long snapper during field goal or extra point attempts made by the placekicker. The holder is set on one knee seven yards behind the line-of-scrimmage. Before the play begins, the holder places the hand which is closest to the placekicker on the ground in a location designated by the kicker's foot, with their forward hand ready to receive the snap (in high school games, the holder/kicker combo is responsible for a kicking block, which lifts the ball off the turf). After receiving the snap, the holder will place the football on the turf, or block, ideally with the laces facing the uprights and the ball accurately placed where the backhand was initially, then balancing the ball with one or two fingers until the ball is kicked.

For the kick to be successful, the holder needs to do more than just place the ball on the ground. Before the snap, the kicker will approach and will mark a certain spot, and will then take steps backward to prepare for the kick. When the ball snaps, the holder is responsible for making sure that the ball is placed directly on that spot, the laces of the football are facing outward to produce better contact with the football, and that it is leaning in the direction that the kicker has specified.^[1]

The holder, like the placekicker and the long snapper, is protected from intentional contact from the opposing team. The penalty for roughing the holder is 15 yards and an automatic first down.