Fisting the Ball

Hoosier Daddy · #1 (**permalink**) Mon Nov 05, 2001, 11:50pm

In short Rule 9.4 (NFHS) states that a player cannot intentionally strike the ball with a fist. Has anyone ever called this or seen it called?

bigwhistle · #2 (**permalink**) Tue Nov 06, 2001, 09:35am

At the lower levels, especially girls where they have just finished with volleyball season, you may see this by one or both of the jumpers during the opening toss.

Mark Padgett · #3 (**permalink**) Tue Nov 06, 2001, 03:28pm

Believe it or not, this story is absolutely true. It happened about 10 years ago in a men's rec league game. I was working the game with a long-time veteran who has since retired.

The game was extremely rough and we had already called a bunch of technicals when it got out of hand and one player threw a really hard elbow in the nose of a defender. Another player on the defensive team then ran up and hit the first player right in the crotch.

He went down like a tree, as you might imagine. After we restored some semblence of order, we dealt with the ejections.

Afterward, my partner said I was too harsh on the guy who threw the punch and only should have called a violation, not a flagrant foul. I asked him why. He replied that it is only a violation for striking the ball with the fist.

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. · #4 (**permalink**) Thu Nov 08, 2001, 03:13pm

I have seen this call made by a partner in a boys' H.S. jr. varsity game years ago and I called it twice on the same player in the same game this summer in the YBOA Boys' Nat'l. Champ. Tourn. (14U age group).

It is a rare one, that is for sure

Richard Ogg · #5 (**permalink**) Thu Nov 08, 2001, 08:02pm

I've called it, probably Frosh or JV boys. I don't recall where the air ball came from (it was not a shot) but the player wanted to really send it toward his own end.

My problem is thinking "fist" and coming up "open hand".

dhodges007 · #6 (**permalink**) Sun Nov 11, 2001, 09:27pm

Quote:

Originally posted by Mark Padgett
Believe it or not, this story is absolutely true. It happened about 10 years ago in a men's rec league game. I was working the game with a long-time veteran who has since retired.

The game was extremely rough and we had already called a bunch of technicals when it got out of hand and one player threw a really hard elbow in the nose of a defender. Another player on the defensive team then ran up and hit the first player right in the crotch.

He went down like a tree, as you might imagine. After we restored some semblence of order, we dealt with the ejections.

Afterward, my partner said I was too harsh on the guy who threw the punch and only should have called a violation, not a flagrant foul. I asked him why. He replied that it is only a violation for striking the ball with the fist.

ROFL my head off