For field hockey umpires, by field hockey umpires
Two points on this clip. First, on the sideline ball, it’s crucial to read ahead whenever possible and protect your mission-critical area first when there is a possibility of a quick transition into …
Continue Reading about INDvBEL Anticipation and no foul signalling →
Some excellent cooperation on display on this attacking aerial across the circle. The ball travels across the pitch to a receiving area clearly occupied by an attacking teammate. A defender is in the …
Continue Reading about AUSvNED Aerial across circle supporting umpire help →
The ball gets unintentionally trapped for a short period of time between two players who maintain good control of their weight. The umpire sees the space around players and takes into account that …
Continue Reading about BLRvNED No bully for trapping obstruction →
Two points on this play to examine. The first is that the passage begins with a centre-line restart after the ball is played unintentionally off the back-line by a defender. Although initially …
Continue Reading about BLRvNED 3m self-pass centre line and not intentionally off back-line →
The difficulty in detecting third-party obstruction on the penalty corner attack is that you’re concerned with whether the ball has left the circle and defenders being struck with the initial shot, …
Continue Reading about ARGvUSA Third party obstruction on PC →
On this aerial pass, the defender moves laterally, slicing across the line of the ball as she should. The real question is whether the interception attempt is outside playable distance and done …
This collision on the penalty corner is worth examining, for a variety of reasons. For context, there was a significant incident at last year’s Pro League Finals during the semi-final between these …
A green card is awarded after the turnover in the circle leads an attacker to use her arm to push against the defender in possession. It’s a small bit of physical play properly dealt with. …
On the penalty corner, if the ball strikes a defender who has closed to within 5m and that ball is under the height of the knee, that ball is not considered dangerous and another penalty corner should …
Continue Reading about ARGvNED PC dragflick strikes below knee for foot →
An aerial ball is outlet from the left sideline on the diagonal into the middle of the pitch. From the side angle, it appears that the AUS player infringes within 5m of the NED player standing …
Continue Reading about AUSvNED Aerial interception outside 23m for goal →
Each time the ball is turned over, it’s important to prepare for the team who gave away possession to attempt to break the play down and allow their teammates a chance to get numbers and structure in …
Continue Reading about GBRvNZL Green card for breakdown after turnover of possession →
Although the green card was given for playing the ball after the whistle, it could well have been given for the breakdown foul that brought on the free hit. This is the second green card for NED, and …
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The third green card of the game and the first to ESP is given when the defender breaks down play with this attempted tackle, which catches the ball carrier’s stick after the initial attempt and …
Continue Reading about NZLvESP GC for breakdown stick tackle →
Despite the prevalence of one of the biggest urban myths about the rules, It is not illegal for a player to attempt to play the ball by legal means when on the ground in outdoor (only in indoor). The …
The umpire reverses the free hit as the player on the ball fails to put it in play within a reasonable amount of time according to the tempo established throughout the game. To access this …
Continue Reading about AUSvBEL Reversal of free hit for time-wasting →
The first step in our Free Hit Drill is to locate the spot of the foul. If the ball moves away, we can proactively communicate with the players and let them know where we need the free hit taken from …
Two instances within 45s of the same team playing the ball after the whistle and breaking down play. In both examples, the fouling player subtly moves the ball further away from the spot of the foul …
Continue Reading about AUSvNED GCx2 playing ball after whistle →
It’s a fine line picking out whether a ball is within playable distance of an obstructed attacker who is at a full run. Inside the circle, given the close proximity of many players and the goal, a …
Continue Reading about AUSvBEL No call third party obstruction →
Three incidents happen in quick succession here. A ball hit at pace deflects off a defender’s stick and is only dangerous at that point to his teammate who ducks out of the way, so no foul is awarded. …
Accepting the pass inside the circle, the BEL attacker picks the ball up to make a 3D manoeuvre but in mid-air takes the ball very close to a defender. Had the ball been taken away from the defender, …
Continue Reading about AUSvBEL Dangerous 3D skills in circle →
The umpire detects an early break by at least one defender on this penalty corner. Notice that the signal he uses is the same as a free push and leads to some initial, albeit good-natured, confusion …
The ball carrier is at full stretch and easily works through the two fouls committed on her. The umpire fails to play advantage and the player has to bring the ball back 10m from where the is when the …
In fiery, physical matchups where tempers can really get out of control, player management is a crucial part of both your skillset and your #thirdteam match plan. Adam Kearns shows some of his …
At the apex of this aerial’s path, the attacker was actually likely the clear initial receiver of the ball, particularly given it’s high trajectory and sharp drop into the circle. However, it’s …
A melee in front of the goalkeeper goes on for several seconds, where one attacker, two field defenders and the goalkeeper jockey for the ball. Eventually, the attacker gets his stick on the ball but …
When this defender “bravely” comes in behind the shooter, she is struck in the head with the attacker’s backswing. The attacker lacks eyes in the back of her head and cannot be held responsible for …
Continue Reading about NEDvBEL Dangerous tackle from behind on shot →
When the ball carrier collects this reception along the left boards, he steps forward with his right foot pushing into the defender’s space and interposing his leg between the defender’s …
Continue Reading about GERvKAZ Body shielding on the boards →
The umpire stops time to send a calming message to the player that when he’s unsighted, it’ll take a moment to get the message through the radio to get to the correct decision. The game had been …
A shot taken on the penalty corner goes between the post player’s legs, strikes the post and on its way out, hits his back heel. The correct decision here is another penalty corner rather than a …
On this play, a penalty stroke is awarded against the defender for intentionally throwing his body in front of the ball inside the circle. However, on replay it’s clear that he tripped over the leg of …
This aerial is called in favour of the attacking team as the initial receiver of the ball was in 5m of space before the ball began its trajectory towards the landing zone. The opposing defender subtly …
Continue Reading about AUSvARG Aerial to attacker 5m infringement →
The ball becomes trapped in the goalkeeper’s equipment after making a save in this shootout attempt. As this is an unintentional obstruction, the correct decision is a re-award. To access …
Continue Reading about INDvNED SO Retake ball trapped in GK →
Reading the structure and tactics of the teams is crucial when adjusting your positioning. ESP (red) is committing to an aggressive press, which should be accommodated by moving back behind the last …
Continue Reading about ESPvGER Positioning for the press of the 15m FH →
An attacker picks up the ball on a 3D dribble and goes straight at the upright defender, without making any attempt to go around. The umpire correctly calls this as dangerous. Switch your focus to the …
There are times when an imprecisely-placed sideline ball is no issue at all, and then there are times like this. It’s unclear to everyone, including the defender, as to whether the self-pass was taken …
This study in managing off-ball situations is fascinating. The Argentinian attacker slips on his own after he’s entered the circle. As he’s regaining his footing, the Australian defender …
A green card is shown as the NZL player ignores the whistle indicating the ball had gone over the sideline, and then clearly steps in and around the ball to interfere with it either being played or …
Continue Reading about NZLvESP GC for playing ball after whistle →
The defender gains possession of the ball and, after a short adjustment, plays it towards her teammate who is completely unprepared for the pass and actually picks up her feet to get out of the way, …
Continue Reading about BELvNZL Intentional off end line or misplayed →
After a turnover in the circle, the same player who had previously received a green card in Q2 breaks the play down with a stick obstruction. We have also seen a yellow card awarded to this team late …
A dangerous run down the left sideline leaves a defender chasing hard, and starting around the 23m starts to lean in too much with his shoulder, taking the ball carrier to ground and breaking down the …
Continue Reading about AUSvNED Breakdown from the 23m on upgrade PC →
A defender commits a great block tackle and the dispossessed attacker goes over his back. As the attacker is getting up, the defender trips him with his stick and puts him back down again, which is …
Continue Reading about NZLvESP YC after advantage for trip behind play →
The first two green cards of the game come in quick succession after first, a chasing defender pushes the ball carrier from behind just outside the 23m. The perfectly-timed and well-weighted nudge is …
On this nullified goal, an attacker is not only standing in front of the goalkeeper but creating significant contact with him as the shot is being taken on goal, pushing him off balance and …
Continue Reading about ESPvARG No goal obstruction on the GK →
In his attempt to chase down the ball, the attacker slightly trips up and pushes his opponent as they compete for position. Note the stick position which isn’t being used in an attempt to reach the …
Continue Reading about INDvBEL Obstruction on chasing tackle →
After the umpire gets caught a little close to the play on this penalty corner rebound, she makes an excellent adjustment and moves 5m off the end line in order to give herself a broader view of a …
The umpire mistakenly awards a penalty corner (which isn’t possible in a shoot-out anyway), or a retake, when the goalkeeper plays the ball intentionally off the backline during a shoot-out attempt. …
Continue Reading about AUSvNED Shoot-out intentionally off backline by GK →
Although the defender may not have planned to go to ground in this situation, was she sufficiently reckless with her body and presented enough danger for this stopping body obstruction that a card …
The attacker receives the ball over her shoulder, angling her stick so the ball lifts in the air. After a second touch, she tries to spin away from the tackling defender who has been able to make a …
On this penalty corner, the goalkeeper makes a save that sits directly in front of her pads. An attacker comes in and places her stick against the ball, and eventually pushes it up against the pads …
To continue on the theme from AUSvARG Physical tackle warning whistle and AUSvARG Fair block tackle, the same two players who were involved in the very first challenge are in the mix here as well, …
