grounded punt
 

NFHS

K1 punts the ball into a heavy wind. It is grounded, untouched by K or R beyond the line of scrimmage and rebounds behind the line of scrimmage. It has been my contention that this ball can be recovered and advanced by either team according to casebook 6.2.3 situation A. Comment.
A fellow official argued that is only the case if it is muffed by R as it says in 6.2.3 A.
Which is correct? other rules reference always appreciated.

K can catch or recover any kick behind the LOS and advance.

Where R comes into play is that if R touches the ball beyond the ENZ (and no non-psk foul occurs before the kick ends), which ever team is in possession at the end of the down will be awarded a new set of downs.

In your play situation, when K recovers the ball, the ball is still live. But K still needs to advance beyond the line to gain to be awarded a new series.

If R would have muffed the ball beyond the ENZ and then K recovered the ball behind the NZ, K can advance the ball and whereever they end up will be 1st and 10 for K.

If the grounded, untouched kick beyond the line of scrimmage rebounds behind the line of scrimmage, K may recover and advance. However, if it is 4th down K must make the line to gain to retain possession.

6-2-3 . . . Any K player may catch or recover a scrimmage kick while it is in or behind the neutral zone and advance, unless it is during a try.

If the kick is touched by R beyond the line of scrimmage, it will be 1st down for the team in possession when the down ends.

5-1-3f …. The team in possession at the end of the down, if R is the first to touch a scrimmage kick while it is beyond the expanded neutral zone, unless the penalty is accepted for a non post-scrimmage kick foul which occurred before the kick ended.

You are correct. Either team can advance the ball if it's recovered behind the LOS.

5-1-4 . . . Unless first touched by R beyond the neutral zone, if the kickers recover a scrimmage kick in or behind the neutral zone, the ball remains live and belongs to K and the down counts.

And whether it's grounded or not has no signficance. R has no specific right to a catch on K's side of the neutral zone.

Canadian Ruling
 

CANADIAN RULING:

K can do whatever they want with the ball: kick, pass, or run. Same for R, but they cannot execute a forward pass.

How does R kicking the ball work?

Canadian kicking
 

Same as by the original kicking team, except that the definition of "blocked kick" makes no reference to the line of scrimmage.

They obtain possession of the ball, and then kick it.

Or, they kick the loose ball, which is called a dribbled ball, and rulings from here differ than punts or open field (post-COP) kicks.

In Canada, we may kick pretty much anytime we want.

I imagine a kick by R that is blocked must by simultaneously touched by R's foot and K's body part that does the blocking.

No, but after contact with the player who blocked it, the ball has to travel forward from that team's perspective. Just deflected doesn't count.

i must have missed the memo. (or else I'm in the wrong sport.)

?????????????????

best of luck