lateral

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by HLin NC

Lateral is a "civilian" term. It is not used in the written rules of the game.

No, actually the Canadian amateur & pro codes, as well as NFL's, use "lateral" as an alternative word for "onside" or "backward" respectively in reference to passes. NCAA used to do likewise but got rid of it a long time ago.

All the current Canadian & USAn codes distinguish the type of pass on the basis of its relationship to the ground -- either point of origin to point where it next touches the ground, a player, an official, or the sideline; or its initial direction as it leaves the passer's hand. In Rugby Union, last I looked there was still some controversy, but it seems most have decided it must relate to the motion of the passer over the ground, so that a pass may go forward over the ground without being judged as having been thrown forward if the player who passed it was running forward faster than the ball winds up moving forward, and (a rarer case) a pass that goes backward over the ground will be judged as thrown forward if the player was moving backward and passes the ball in such a way that it winds up moving backward more slowly than the player.

Last time I tried posting on an issue that crossed over between rugby & North American football -- it may have been this very issue -- the moderator moved it to the rugby section, maybe on the basis of its needing more traffic.