Off the centre pass, a short aerial ball is sent into a crowded area. Although the opposing player is allowed to take it cleanly, the passer’s teammates don’t allow the ball to be controlled before …
ARGvNED No danger to teammate
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. …
GBRvNZL Not illegal for a player to attempt to legally play the ball while on the ground
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 …
INDvBEL Aerial into circle 2
This is a tricky aerial because the angle we have from the camera makes it impossible to see the true trajectory of the ball. Our side-on assessment may be that the attacking teammate would have been …
ESPvGER 5m infringement or not
A foot foul brings a quick whistle from the umpire. With the ball slightly moving, the attacker takes a self-pass and a third defender comes in to attempt the tackle. This scenario shows the …
AUSvNED Sideline ball management
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 …
NZLvARG Managing appealing
After awarding an obstruction foul just outside the circle, the attacker visibly (and presumably audibly) berates the umpire. The umpire immediately communicates back to him, sending a clear message …
AUSvBEL VR breakdown foul outside the circle
A team video referral is requested to review the umpire’s decision that a foul outside the circle constituted a breakdown. A pursuing defender may not change his line but if that line cuts across the …
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NZLvBEL GC breaking play
Notice the area of the pitch where this defender chooses to commit a lazy, “oops sorry” stick tackle from behind. Although innocent in appearance, the break stops what was a productive run by the …
GBRvNZL Yellow card for breakdown in Q4 stepping in with shoulder
Late in the game, the fouling team is up a single goal. After turning over the ball outside their 23m line, an attacker is able to beat a tackle. That tackler puts his shoulder in to interrupt the run …
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GERvKAZ Hit out of mid-air
A crossing pass is deflected slightly into the air on the attempted interception. It bounces once but before it settles onto the court the oncoming attacker hits is out of mid-air into the goal. The …
ARGvNED PC dragflick strikes below knee for foot
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 …
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AUSvBEL Clarity on the self-pass
The importance of establishing where the self-pass is taken from is shown in this clip. The foul occurs ~2m behind the 15m line, and from a dead stop, the AUS player puts the ball in motion. He then …
NZLvESP GC for 5m infringement
After a NZL player is judged to have deflected an attempted interception up into himself, he plays the ball after the whistle has gone against him. As the ESP attacker taps the ball in his self-pass, …
AUSvBEL Penalty stroke
A penalty stroke is given for this tackle. What factors do you see present to support this decision, and what factors would be contrary? To access this content, you must purchase FHU3T …
USAvNED Positioning on turnover
The umpire here gets caught supporting too high and then watching the turnover with planted feet rather than getting on her bike immediately. Often when we realize we’ve made a mistake we get caught …
NEDvAUS VR for ball intentionally off the endline
When the ball is cleared off the end line by a defender, the umpire deems it unintentional, and the attacking team requests their video referral. When you examine the travel of the ball, the body …
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GBRvNZL Call for stick shield for tackle coming from behind in the other direction
This is a fascinating and unusual call. The player in possession of the ball is stationary and somewhat facing up the field in the direction of his team’s attack when a defender attempts to make …
ARGvNED Playing ball away for PC upgrade after aerial mistrap
A player mistraps the reception on the aerial and clearly plays the ball off her own foot. She then pokes the ball away in a subtle but cynical motion to ensure the opposition can’t take a quick free …
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NZLvESP Player management
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 …
AUSvNED Attacker interfering
Just prior to offloading the ball to a teammate, an attacker slips as he attempts a change of direction, knocking his defender back onto the floor as his teammate picks up the ball. It can be tricky …
GERvKAZ Ball placement on free push
Not every free push taken away from the spot of the foul requires intervention in indoor. However, when the team in possession gains an unfair advantage by cutting out non-fouling defenders as happens …
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ESPvGER Difference between a PC and PS
A shove in the back from the pursuing defender is appropriately penalized with a penalty corner. The temptation may be to give a penalty stroke because it presents as an intentional foul, but the …
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GERvESP Ball intentionally played off back-line
Description to follow To access this content, you must purchase FHU3T Green, FHU3T Green 365, FHU3T Yellow 365 or FHU3T Yellow. …
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ARGvBEL Non-obstruction going to end line
In many parts of the playing field, this tackle may well be deemed a body obstruction as the defender steps in with his shoulder and blocks the path of the attacker. However, when you take into …
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ESPvBEL Aerial to attacker 5m infringement before control
Attacker is occupying the space and is the intended receiver of this aerial. Before the attacker can control the ball to the ground, the defender infringes on the 5m space. As the play …
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NZLvBEL Mobility in the circle
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 …
BLRvNED Rolling and raised ball
Two separate elements can be highlighted in this passage of play. First, after the ball is rolled in from the ball patrol on a 9m free push, the defender puts the ball into play without making a …
NZLvGBR Breakdown missed
A subtle but physical breakdown foul is missed on the near sideline in front of the 23m line. The umpire is running the outside line with her head turned, making it difficult to see the push in the …
NEDvBEL Mis-timed intervention from support
Be very careful about the timing of your interventions when you’re not the controlling umpire. Sometimes you can be not focused on the ball enough and lose the fact that the play is underway and an …
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AUSvARG VR drag flick danger
A drag flick that strikes a defender who has closed to within 5m will be judged as dangerous if it hits at knee height or above. It’s crucial that in the absence of video referral, the supporting …
GERvAUT Flashing circle positioning
Just as in outdoor, flashing to the penalty spot or even higher inside your circle can give you a terrific view around and away from the goalkeeper when the ball is on the far side and low in the …
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ESPvARG 5m not shadowing and 3rd party obstruction
The first decision of note here is the quick self-pass taken inside the 23m with a defender caught within the 5m zone. That defender isn’t expected to disappear and can, in some circumstances, work …
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ESPvBEL Body shield or not?
Amazingly difficult clip to determine whether there was any kind of shield or not. The ball carrier’s stick didn’t come over the ball to shield, but was the ball dropped behind his leg in order to …
CHNvNED Ball placement moving outside the 23m
If a player sets up a free hit inside the 23m line that should be taken outside and is looking to pass backwards, should the umpire interrupt play to move the hit outside the 23m, even if that …
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NZLvBEL Management of tempers
There are a couple of little nigglies shown by the players here. The controlling umpire double-tweets to get a pause in the play in order to talk to the players, keeping her voice calm. The supporting …
NEDvAUS Early break on PC
A defender breaks early and although she does stop her forward momentum into the circle, the umpire calls for the restart immediately in order to keep things safe for everyone. When the regular pace …
NZLvGBR Attacking free hit directly into circle
A free hit is taken just inside the 23m area. It travels towards the circle and hits the edge of the circle line, which constitutes inside the circle. A free hit is given for the defence, taken where …
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ESPvNED Diving tackle
A diving attempt at the ball takes the ball carrier to ground. Questions to ask yourself include: from what angle did the defender approach (were they behind and trying to stop the play, or making an …
NZLvESP Fair tackle leads to non-bully
Watching this tackle in slow motion, it’s very clear the attacker went straight at the defender, who had to make no movement at all to meet the ball. The action of standing up and lifting the attacker …
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ESPvARG No goal obstruction on the GK
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 …
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BELvAUS PS controlling umpire positioning
There's been a lot of talk recently about determining if a player is dragging the ball on penalty strokes. Foot position is key to understanding if the ball has been pulled from behind the player, …
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BELvNZL Two green cards in succession
Here two green cards are given in quick succession from two different ends of the spectrum. In the first instance, the defender was solidly in front of the ball carrier, attempted a vigorous poke …
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ARGvESP GC breakdown stick tackle 2
The ARG defender comes rushing in at speed, commits one rash stick obstruction and then takes another bite at the ball and breaks the play down by hooking the ball carrier’s stick. The reckless nature …
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ARGvUSA Third party obstruction on PC
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, …
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NZLvESP Interfering with quick self-pass
The umpire awards an upgrade to a penalty corner after the defender subtly interferes with the taking of this free hit. After the ball contacts his foot, he pivots and moves his leg in front of the …
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AUSvBEL Video referral for off-ball incident inside circle
A video referral is requested for a push inside the circle. The rushing defender and the drag flicker get slightly tangled, resulting in some reflexive actions pushing each other away. Although the …
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BLRvNED Body obstruction interfering with stick
As the attacker attempts to avoid the tackle from a defender, the defender is able to get her stick on the ball as the attacker’s legs block and interfere with the defender’s stick. A free …
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NEDvAUS No obstruction
When the attacker makes a moves around the tackler at the edge of the circle, they throw the ball too far towards a second defender. As they were unlikely to catch up to the ball, no disadvantage has …
AUSvNED GC breakdown tackle from ground
A defender attempts a tackle from a poor position in behind and interferes with the ball carrier with their arm or stick. Although the defender is on the ground, they haven’t met the criterion for an …
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