Kicked Ball?
 

I'm not an official, I'm a coach. We had an unusual occurence in a game the other day that I've never seen before and doubt I'll ever see again but I'm still curious.

The other team is pressing us in a JV game. In the midst of a scrum for a loose ball, one of our players ended up with the ball between his feet. He squeezed the ball between his feet, jumped and flipped it behind him down the floor to one of his teammates soccer/hacky-sack style. He didn't kick it at all, just flipped it with his feet. The crew let it go. Is this legal?

No, that's a kickball violation.

Kicked ball. If it happened as described, the crew missed the call.

No.
Rule 4, section 29 (in its entirety, emphasis mine)
"Kicking the ball is intentionally striking it with any part of the leg or foot."

I guess my question is what constitutes "striking it"? Does any kind of impetus on the ball constitute striking it?

Then, the question that would follow would be whether the player was striking the ball in the OP. While the answer is no, the NFHS has made it clear that deliberate use of the feet/legs to play the ball violates the intent of the rule.

Honestly I think they were so surprised when it happened they just couldn't really process it. The whole gym blew up in laughter.

I have called a jump ball this season where one player had the ball pinned, intentionally, between his thighs and the opponent had two hands on the ball. Neither could break away so had to whistle it. I don't believe that this is a kicked ball situation. He didn't "kick" it or "strike" it. He simply possessed it, in my opinion.

Should that be a kicked ball? In order to secure it between his legs he obviously must have first intentionally touched it with his legs. But just doesn't seem right to me.

See Cameron's post above...NFHS has made clear that using any part of the feet/legs to play the ball should be ruled a kick...so yes, that should be a violation.

Thanks. That's what I was really wondering.

Ok thanks! I definitely missed that one then. Won't miss it again....I hope!

Additionally, the held ball rule requires that both opponents have their hands on the ball. So, even if it were not a kick, a ball pinned with anything other than with the hands is not a held ball.

Did you tell them to get a room? :D

I actually did LOL when I read that!

Incorrect. A kickball violation is a rules infraction during the coolest game played in 3rd Grade PE.