I got into a discussion this weekend about a play in which
is legal in the NFL, but was unsure whether or not it was
legal in H.S.

1-K kicks an on-sides free kick which pops up high in the
air and is going to land in bounds near the sideline. R25
jumps up and intentionally bats the ball backwards and out
of bounds. My gut feeling is that this is a legal (and
smart) play, and R would get a 1st and 10 wherever the ball
went out of bounds.

1b-What if R25 intentionally batted it forward and out of
bounds? My guess is that this would be illegal (Assess the
yardage and re-kick).

2-What if it was a deep free kick and the ball is rolling
towards R's endzone and R35 intentionally bats the ball on
R's 3 yard line into the endzone? Is this illegal batting
and does the act of batting represent a new force which
would not make the ball dead when it breaks the plane of
the goal line?


Only 2 months to go ...

Under Federation rules, all of these acts are illegal batting. They are all loose-ball plays. Acceptance of the penalty by K would result in a rekick* following enforcement of the 15-yard penalty from the previous spot.

Declining the penalty would result in: 1, 1b) A new series awarded to R at the inbounds spot; 2) Touchback. Illegal batting does not add a new force to a kick entering R's end zone.

*If this was a free-kick following a fair catch or awarded fair catch, K may elect to put the ball in play by snap or free-kick.

Thanks Middleman.

So even (in #2) if the ball came to rest on the three
yardline and R25 batted the ball into the endzone, it
is illegal batting, but not considered a new force and
the ball would be dead when it broke the plane of the
goal line? This actually would be a smart play for R
if they tought there was any question that they would
be able to secure posession of the ball inbounds.

Interesting stuff. I know the NFL (and possibly NCAA)
permits backward batting. Federation rules are not
specific to any direction, therefore all batting is illegal.
(including K batting a grounded punt backwards to prevent it
from crossing the goal line?)

Not ALL batting is illegal. Federation rules DO allow K to bat a grounded scrimmage kick (but not a free kick) toward their own goal line (away from R's goal line, thus preventing a touchback), but it an exception to the batting rule (batting of a pass or fumble in flight or a low scrimmage kick in or behind the neutral zone are also legal acts).

Force is not a factor on kicks entering R's endzone, and a kick remains a kick until possession is secured or the ball becomes dead by rule. So even in #2 with the ball nearly at rest, the motion imparted by the illegal bat by R does not constitute a new force for the purpose of determining a safety or touchback. It will be a touchback, period. K will have to rekick and give R another shot at a return. Is that fair? Perhaps not, but since it was a free-kick, R's choice to give away 15 yards on a rekick may have been preferable to giving the ball up to K (who may gain possession of a free-kick) on his own three. And another kick means another chance to muff, and another chance for K to recover.

It's fun, but I'm sure most will agree that the kicking game provides many interesting challenges.

Kicking Game
 

AGREED! I think any official who is serious about his/her job will take the time to learn the nuances of the kicking game. I'm only in my third year but I've taken great pains this year to learn about the kicking game this off-season. I realized the number of mistakes I made.

There are a number of differences between the levels of football (HS, College, and Pro) regarding the kicking rules.

8-{