Forward or Backward Pass

[Robert Goodman]

I take it this was moved here, but unfortunately half of it concerns American football codes:

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

It might be better if that was the distinction the various codes made, but it's not. Consider a "leave pass" (as it would be called in hockey or probably soccer): a player puts the ball on the ground and runs away from it while a teammate picks it up. That's not a pass but a fumble in the USAn codes, even though it's an intentional act. I've suggested a leave pass as an effective way to not waste a blocker or time in passing the ball; it's not legal in current Fed or NFL codes if done by team A in the vicinity of the snapper, but it could be useful in other circumstances.