The first strike on this penalty corner is a hit, which sails undeflected over the logged goalkeeper and crosses the goal line higher than the backboard height. To access this content, you …
NZLvBEL Attempt to cut out aerial pass
The attacking aerial is heading for a NZL player, who is clearly occupying the receiving zone and is the intial receiver. The BEL defender attempts to cut out the pass but in doing so, encroaches in …
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AUSvGBR 15m FH ball placement
A ball goes out off the endline, touched last by an attacker. The defending team attempts to set up a 15m free hit in the middle of the circle, and the opposition is reasonably close in their …
ESPvNED PC for foot on the line
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 …
ESPvNED Goal on potential GK obstruction
The fine line between the onrushing goalkeeper putting himself into the attacker and the attacker receiving to back into the goalkeeper is in question here. Expanding your vision so you can perceive …
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ESPvNED Aerial to undetermined receiver
An attacking aerial is thrown beyond and equally between two opposing players and the free hit is awarded to the defending team.One way to interpret this situation is that the ball is receivable in an …
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AUSvGBR Reversal of free hit
The free hit is reversed at a crucial moment in the game. GBR had held a 4-2 lead until the later moments when they gave up 2 late goals, so AUS were carrying the momentum in the last minute.Whether …
AUSvGBR GC taking a shot after the whistle
The attacker attempts to bring down an overhead but it has exited the pitch. He continues the play and unleashes a hard cross towards goal after the whistle has blown. For the reckless play, the green …
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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 …
AUSvGBR Penalty corner collision
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 two …
AUSvGBR Shot after whistle
An attacker who fails to stop the motion of their shot after a whistle has been blown needs to be cautioned with a green card. As all other players will relax immediately after they hear the call, it …
NZLvBEL Stick over head foul
The ball carrier executes a dodge and lifts his stick over the defender’s head, slightly striking him on the way down. The defender confronts the attacker after the ball is turned over (on that foul …
AUSvGBR Body contact on GK
As an overeager attacker attempts to reach a rebound, he puts his hand on the goalkeeper and pushes him to the ground. A quick whistle helps to avert any “afters” or complaints from either team. …
AUSvGBR Stick over the head
An attacker attemps to place pressure on a defender who has recovered the ball, but swings his stick over his head from behind. A quicker whistle on these situations can help avoid the ball carrier …
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 …
ESPvNED Sliding tackle YC
A slide tackle brings down the ball carrier running freely through an extremely dangerous area of the pitch as the time in the quarter is winding down. The 10-minute yellow card must be issued in …
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 …
ESPvNED Intentional use of body
A defender goes to ground outside the circle and creates a long barrier. The ball hits his stick onto his leg, and so this is adjudged an intentional breakdown of play on video referral and is a …
ESPvNED Flashing in the circle
When the play is in the deep far side of your circle, “flashing” a few metres inside the circle towards the penalty spot is an effective and relatively safe way to get yourself a better view of the …
ESPvNED Ball placement on the sideline
After a sideline ball is given to the attack, the player tries to take the self-pass quickly with a rolling ball, too far from where the ball exited the pitch. Be prepared for players trying to take …
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USAvNED VR no goal 5m before entering circle
This goal is referred by USA for not going 5m before it enters the circle. It’s difficult to see from the limited angles and resolution available to us, but here are some considerations to have in …
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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 …
USAvNED Transition positioning getting caught
A common positioning mistake is for umpires to get caught ball-watching on difficult decisions like aerials. Without knowing exactly where she began at the 15m free hit, it’s likely the umpire is too …
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USAvNED Transition positioning
This is an excellent piece of positioning by the far side umpire. After the ball carrier evades a tackle, the umpire anticipates a route one pass and is already a full quadrant ahead of the play and …
USAvNED No third party obstruction x 2
Two examples in quick succession where players “cross” each other but don’t create a third-party obstruction. In the first instance, a defender doesn’t cleanly trap the ball and it continues to her …
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USAvNED Ball likely to lead to danger
A defender attempts to intercept a pass, deflecting the ball back towards a teammate who further tries to cut out the pass. That attempt deflects the ball high into the air where it’s falling into an …
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AUSvBEL Third party obstruction on penalty corner runner
On this penalty corner, an attacker runs in front of a defender, jumps in the air to avoid the ball but lands on top of her as the ball strikes her. What are the arguments for this being a third party …
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AUSvBEL Tackling a turned player
The ball carrier turns her back to the defender while keeping the ball mostly moving. Twice, the defender attempts to tackle, the first around the attacker’s legs and the second between them. On the …
AUSvBEL Stop-time management with captain
The umpire uses a lightning interruption as an opportunity to have a word with the captain about her players tapping the ball away after the whistle. This is an excellent management step and should …
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AUSvBEL Stick obstruction by attacker on swing through
Before getting the pass away, a defender is able to successfully poke the ball away from the attacker, who swings through anyway. Although there is a loud clash of sticks, the contact is created by …
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AUSvBEL Reversal of free hit for time-wasting
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 …
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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 …
AUSvBEL No goal no attacker touch inside circle
A ball off the post rebounds (extremely slowly) into the goal. However, because the ball had not been touched by an attacker inside the circle, the correct award is a 23m restart. To …
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AUSvBEL Dangerous 3D skills in circle
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, …
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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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BLRvNED YC for breakdown
A defender (#5) reaches in after being beaten at the centre line and the umpire plays advantage through until a free push is awarded near the circle in front of her. The umpire initially has the …
BLRvNED Breakdown just outside attacking half
Just as breakdowns tend to be committed by defending teams just outside the 23m line in the outdoor game, the centre line is a big marker for players who are looking to avoid the team upgrade penalty …
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BLRvNED Third-party to advantage
A defender is blocked from attempting a tackle when a teammate of the ball carrier cuts in front of the defender. However, by running that line she brought the ball carrier right into another …
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 …
BLRvNED Outlet of reasonable size
An attacker dribbles in the low right corner in front of the controlling umpire. A second defender joins the first to cut off the playing lanes, and then a third. The third defender initially cuts off …
BLRvNED No obstruction
After being awarded a free push, the attacker takes the self-pass and dribbles straight at 3 defenders at the top of their circle. She pushes the ball ahead as she makes contact with one of them, …
BLRvNED No foul on raise inside circle
As the ball is being switched across the circle through the defenders, a reception is bobbled to a small height. The nearest pressing attacker is far enough away that she is not disadvantaged or …
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BLRvNED No bully for trapping obstruction
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 …
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BLRvNED Head injury bully
A player misplays her pass and, when she steps to follow-up, an opposing player inadvertently collides with her and strikes her head. Head injuries should be tended to immediately and so, if the play …
BLRvNED Supporting high
The play moves into the high left corner for the supporting umpire/far deep corner for the controlling umpire. The support moves up very high and close to the opposite back-line in order to assist …
BLRvNED Good goal no 3 pts
Another big decision on a goal in this game as the clock is ticking down. The turning moment here is the diving deflection from the top of the circle, and the question is whether that player had three …
BLRvNED Goal disallowed for hit
Big decisions require clarity, timing and a strong presentation. In disallowing this goal, the umpire is looking at the size of the backswing of this hit. Although the stick remains on the court …
BLRvNED GC for tripping
As the play is moving across the circle away from the controlling umpire, a chasing attacker clips the heels of the defender chasing down the ball. This may well have been blocked from the view of the …
BLRvNED GC for playing ball after whistle
With 3m left in Q4 and the attacking team up a goal, an attacker who has just turned over the ball on a stick obstruction foul pushes the ball away from the defender and prevents a quick …
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BLRvNED GC 3m infringement
The BLR defender commits a stick obstruction along the side-boards and, within hearing distance of the whistle, clearly puts her stick down in the way of the NED attacker’s self-pass, breaking down …
