Quote:
Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle
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.
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I don't disagree with anything you've said. But I think even though the word is, well, pretty striking, I think we all know the ball doesn't have to be
strucken, stricken, strucked, er, hit real hard to be a violation, even though the word implies that. The player might swing their leg hard enough to put it in the 4th row, but if the ball just grazes off the leg enough to get re-directed, we all know it's still a violation.
I would also like to see the Fed. come out with an interp like the NCAA's though, just to make it crystal-clear.