New FK rule interpretation?

[MD Longhorn]

While I agree that your interpretation makes sense, it's not within the letter of the rule. Personally, I think this one of the most poorly written new rules I've seen in a while.

[Sturno]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

While I agree that your interpretation makes sense, it's not within the letter of the rule. Personally, I think this one of the most poorly written new rules I've seen in a while.

Not having a rule book in front of me, I'm at a loss for verbiage, but the MechanicGram from the test discussed this lightly.

The formation in the MechaniGram becomes illegal when the ball has been declared ready-for-play. K3, K4, K5 and K6 are all more than five yards from their free kick line. No K players, with the exception of the kicker may be more than five yards behind the kicking team’s free kick line. A player satisfies this rule when no foot is on or beyond the line five yards behind K’s free kick. If one player is more than five yards behind the restraining line and any other player kicks the ball, it is a foul.

http://nhiaa.org/PDFs/5446/2014NFHSF...Powerpoint.pdf

Page 22 of 56

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

While I agree that your interpretation makes sense, it's not within the letter of the rule. Personally, I think this one of the most poorly written new rules I've seen in a while.

It is, which is why I don't think anybody's likely to enforce it as written. Rather, they'll enforce it as if it were NCAA's wording, i.e. in relationship to the ball when it's kicked, because otherwise it'll have to be like, hmm, where was the guy who just kicked the ball a few secs. before he kicked it, and where was everybody else on his team?

it's like Fed thought they were being all clever by adopting their own provision separate from other codes to try to achieve the same effect while being "original" or "creative" or some such. There was a time when Fed's rules writing was so good it was a model of clarity for other codes, but they didn't get that way by thinking like this. That era ended ~35 yrs. ago, but it's taken a long time for this much badness to accumulate, as they were working from what had become a very good base over the preceding ~35 yrs.

[CT1]

Our state has interpreted the rule to be "when the ball is kicked". Makes perfect sense to me.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by CT1

Our state has interpreted the rule to be "when the ball is kicked". Makes perfect sense to me.

I think that makes perfect sense to just about everyone. Just wish they'd worded it that way.