Quote:
Originally Posted by rockyroad
"Intentionally striking" does not have to be a violent act. I think the confusion is arising because some of us are looking at those words and thinking that the ball has to go sailing up into the 4th row as a result of the "stiking" with the legs. If the player clamps his/her legs around the ball, then they have "struck" (strucken? stricken? whatever) the ball with their legs, and it's a violation. Don't let commonly held definitions of a word limit what you are visualizing the rule to cover.
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I agree with the interpretation that "clutching" is striking. And I really want to go along with what you're saying, because it would give rules backing for that interp.
But words have widely accepted meanings. One should choose carefully among the various synonyms to ensure the correct shade of meaning is communicated. "Striking" is a pretty, well striking word for the rules writers to have chosen if their intent was to include all types of deliberate contact between leg/foot and the ball. They need to either select a different word or phrase -- like "deliberately contact" -- which could be done as an editorial change, or they should expand the definition of kicking to include "trapping or grasping the ball with the leg/foot", or else issue a case play or interp. The NCAA already has.