Question Number: 12098

Law 18 - Common Sense 1/24/2006

RE: competitive High School

falone malley of waycross, georgia united states of america asks...

when you are down on the ground, can you kick the ball?

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Of course you can. This is yet another myth that you cannot kick the ball while on the ground. What you may not do is play in a dangerous manner. If you kick at a ball while on the ground, and an opponent is nearby, and the opponent is disadvantaged by your action, then you have played in a dangerous manner. Merely kicking the ball while on the ground is not in itself an infraction.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Being on the ground while kicking the ball or even falling on top of the ball is not illegal
As you are within playing distance it is quite legal to shield the ball.
As long as you make a reasonable effort to get up and play the ball
As long as no opponent must refrain from playing the ball for fear of kicking you while you only lie there covering said ball .

I have seen players in a crab position trying to kick the ball away after falling while the opponenets mill about also trying to kick the ball.

As long as that ball is out by the feet I see no real issue of playing in a dangerous manner simply because of the fact the opponents can still play the ball and I see no imminent danger to the player sitting on thier keester.

Now have that ball roll up under the legs we have a different circumstance. Did an opponent kick the ball under the grounded player or did the player roll it back to cover it up? One I see no infringement in the other I see possible PIADM as the actions of the player CAUSE an unfair situation. Is that downed player making a reasonable effort to get up and back into play?

There is nothing in law that say if a player is on the ground or even lying on top of the ball that player must get up in such a way as NOT to shield the ball.

What the law states in both text and spirit is if the player on the ground creates an unreasonable situation during active play on the field of play whereby an opponent is unfairly disadavataged and can not play the ball for fear of injuring the downed player or by the actions of the downed player they place said player in danger we have an infringement .
Cheers

The following questions were asked as a follow up to the above question...

See Question: 12519