I'm going to go with attempting to eat you.
So, the way ball pythons strike can vary heavily. I have watched the following:
Strike from a distance, coil.
Move in closer, tongue flicker gradually reducing in length, and then strike.
Move in closer, tongue flicker doing whatever (seriously this one has no associated tongue flicker, it can be long and fast, short and slow, anything), touch nose to prey, remain for a moment, take prey into mouth and coil (no associated speed).
The last one sounds like what happened to you, and is the oddest feeding response I have experience with.