Editing Knuckleball (section)

===American football===
In [[American football]], a knuckleball is occasionally employed by [[Punter (gridiron football)|punters]]. [[Chris Gardocki]] achieved a knuckleball effect by [[Punt (gridiron football)|punting]] towards the left sideline with his left foot, leading to unpredictable results. [[Sam Koch]] developed the technique further, kicking the [[Ball (gridiron football)|football]] at an angle to reduce spin. Koch would often aim his knucklers towards the middle of the field in an attempt to bait the [[Return specialist|returner]] into trying to catch the ball. Because of the unpredictable nature of a knuckler, this could lead the returner to [[Muffed punt|muff the punt]] and cause a turnover.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seifert |first=Kevin |date=December 15, 2015 |title=Sam Koch has changed the punting game -- and almost no one noticed |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/191948/sam-koch-has-changed-the-punting-game-and-almost-no-one-noticed |access-date=November 2, 2022 |website=ESPN.com |language=en |archive-date=November 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102181700/https://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/191948/sam-koch-has-changed-the-punting-game-and-almost-no-one-noticed |url-status=live }}</ref> A knuckleball may also be used to describe a kick by a [[Placekicker|kicker]], either field goals or extra points, if the ball is not hit well.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tyler Bass tucks 52-yard knuckleball FG inside left upright |url=https://www.nfl.com/videos/tyler-bass-tucks-52-yard-knuckleball-fg-inside-left-upright |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=NFL.com |language=en-US}}</ref>