Hi Linda,
Welcome back. We've missed you.
This question that arose last week in a monthly medal.
There was a strong discussion about an incorrectly dropped ball. Player A dropped his ball from a penalty area. Player B claimed he had dropped it from an incorrect height because his legs were bent and his knees were lower than the prescribed knee height. Player A claimed that although his legs were bent he had measured knee height before stooping and dropped from that height which was in fact above his stooped knee position. My understanding is that the position of the body is irrelevant and provided the ball is dropped fairly from the correct height (height of knee when standing) then the drop is correct. I gave that ruling. Was that the right decision?
Lou from France
Dear Lou,
Yes. Rule 14.3 states that the player must drop the ball straight down from knee height. “Knee height” is defined as “the height of the player’s knee when in a standing position.” The Rule does not require the player to stand at attention and bend from the waist until his hand reaches the level of his knee before releasing the ball (although this method would eliminate all arguments regarding whether the height were correct). Some more-seasoned players may have back issues precluding bending from the waist. The player may take whatever position is comfortable or necessary to drop the ball from what would be knee height if he were standing straight.
Linda
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