If a team attempts an onside kick and an opposing player takes steps forward across line and a player from kicking team levels him how is that a personal foul. . Ball went 15 yds. Saw this at odonnell game

You could have roughing the kicker if the kicker hasn't gone 5 yards when he is contacted. Other personal fouls could be leading with crown of the helmet, blocking below the waist. It's not impossible to have a personal foul on that play but I'd have to see it to give a certain answer.

Did the ball go the 15 yards before or after the kid got "levelled"?

at the time the ball is cicked is it a free ball for both teams to have access? can the kicking team block the receiving team awat from the ball as aproaches the 15 yrds? what if it has crossed 15yrds?

what if the receiving team is on his knees when he attepts to gain control of the kick can the kicking team hit him.. saw this and it was called roughing?

Players of the kicking team aren't eligible to block until they're eligible to recover the ball, which usually means either the receiving team has touched it or the ball has gone 15 yards. Where the block occurs doesn't matter, so if an onside kick is dribbling along the 40 and the kicking team blocks on the receiving team's 30, it's a foul. A "regular" block would just be a 5 yard penalty, though; not sure what would cause that to be a 15 yard unless it was targeting, BBW, etc. In the case of the player who recovered the ball while on his knees, perhaps the foul was for a late hit? Like JasonTX said, really hard to say without seeing the play.

let me see if i can describe the kick better. the ball had been kicked and was at or around the point of traveling 15 yards the receiving team was on his knees, the kicking team is advancing at an all out blitz type onset the receiving player did not field the ball cleanly and was bobbling the ball at the time of the collision. the receiving team did gain control just at the point of impact. the ref called roughing because the player was on their knees already so the kicking team could not touch him at the point. the kicking team had left there feet prior to that point, the collision looks like two players going for a fumble with one player definitely hitting the other due to the momentum

Sounds like it was a bad signal more than anything. What you're describing is kick catch interference. The kicking team has to allow the receiving team an unimpeded opportunity to catch the kick(that includes recovering a muff that goes in the air). The rulebook reference is 6.4.1. If this was a free kick that was not an ONSIDE kick, you have a kick-catch interference just the same as if a punt had been kicked and the returner got levelled. The signal is the same as used for pass interference and the enforcement is 15-yards. If the R signalled PF, then that was probably an accident

it was an onside kick

Clearwall, don't be jumping to you conclusion to fast.

Not very often are you going to see a Team B player attempt to catch a free kick (A ONSIDE kick is still a Free Kick) while on their knees. From the description of the play the ball may have (and probably had) already hit the ground before the Team B player attempted to possess (recover the kick) the ball. If the ball has hit the ground there is no catch interference.

Also during an ONSIDE Kick receiving team players are still afforded the opportunity to catch the kick, or even call for a Fair Catch, provided the kick has not hit the ground, just like any other ball that has been legally kicked by team A. the simple fact that the kick is an ONSIDE or short kick does not change the rules.

i posted it the kick was onside, the ball had hit the ground several times prior to reaching the team receiving the kick, there was no fair catch signal nor did the boy have chance really, i wish i had not recordered over it would be much easier... sorry

I was going off your clarification where you just said the kick went 15 yards. If its onside, then the others are correct here, no KCI, but you can still have illegal block(if it was a bit short of 15) or unsp cond if they target a receiver.

Let's say the ball is a slow roller. Before it reaches 15 yards can the receiving team engage the kick off team ?

Maybe one of our smart refs friends online can answer this better, but I understand from refs who have called our games is that the receiving team can "engage" the kicking team anywhere in the 15 yard zone but the kicking team cannot until it goes 15 yards.

Be prepared for some strange Catch-Interference calls this year. New rule change on FR-66:

a. it is an interference foul if, before the receiver touches the ball, a Team A player enters the area defined by the Width of the receiver's shoulders and extending one yard in front of him. When in question it is a foul.

e. During a free kick a player of the receiving team in position to receive the ball has the same kick-catch and fair catch protection whether the ball is kicked directly off the tee or is IMMEDIATELY driven to the ground, strikes the ground ONCE and GOES into the air in the manner of the ball kicked directly off the tee.

Now gentlemen, calling sixman football for 15 years. I have seen some strange things go on with onside kicks!!! But adding these two bits of rule change can make some things go really hairy up on that front line.......

Lets say the ball is kicked directly into the ground and bounces really high! A front line player on the receiving team gives a fair catch signal. This rule gives that player the same fair catch protection as if the ball was puch kicked directly
into air.

So how many chapters are going to have enough officials to have a five man crew so that you can box the onside kick coverage. If so are you going to tell the backjudge(if you have one on the field) and the umpire to count and see if the ball bounced twice on the onside kick, or are you more worried about the blocks that are occuring as the ball is moving forward the the receiving team restraining line.

I guess we will see how this rule change will go!!!