The instruction I have always received mirrors much of the discussion here-- the keeper is in "possession" of the ball any time that any part of his body is in contact with the ball; this includes having the ball trapped below a knee, or under an outstretched palm, when "control" is questionable
as a goalie myself in high school, I always felt that having a discrete [yes/no] decision rather than a judgment call was a good idea; consistency counts, and part of consistency is a clear guideline of fair/foul; does the keeper have protection/possession if, in handling the ball while blocking a shot, he or she "juggles" the ball, much like a wide receiver in football?? The interests of protection force us to err on behalf of the keeper, and I wholeheartedly support the notion of "any contact" as the delineator
and rapmaster is correct, once you blow the whistle for violating goalie control/possession, the restart is to be an indirect kick; sometimes this restart can be seen as a penalty-- I would much prefer that I be allowed to punt a ball out, but, unfortunately, that's not what the rules say...
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