The offensive player is obstructed initially when the defender comes over the top of her stick in an attempted tackle. However, she uses her stick to move the defender’s stick away in a dangerous …
AUSvNED Aerial interception outside 23m for goal
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 …
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ESPvGER GC hitting ball away
After creating body contact with an attempted tackle and the whistle sounding for the attacking free hit, the defender continues his attempts at the ball and knocks it away from the ball carrier, who …
GERvKAZ Obstruction trapping on boards and caught inside 3m
The ball carrier dribbles towards the left sideboards and as he comes into contact, moves his stick to trap the ball against the boards, actively preventing the defender from playing it. This is a …
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CHNvNED GC playing ball after the whistle
At this level of play, a quick and subtle touch by the offending team after they’ve committed the foul and the whistle has gone can eliminate the chance for their opposition to take a quick free …
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AUSvNED Low tackle attacker over top
This tackle shows the fine line between a well-executed block and tackling illegally with body contact. The defender is tracking body-to-body and is able to get his stick completely flat and cleanly …
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ARGvNED PS VR for stick shield denied
A penalty stroke is called on this tackle, and the defending goalkeeper requests a review on the basis that the attacker shielded the ball with his stick. There is a turn made but at real speed, …
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AUSvNED 15m watch the players
All of us, even the top umpires, make the occasion mistake on out-of-bounds calls. Having the awareness to notice authentic body language by players can help us fix them. Here, the defender who sent …
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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CHNvBEL Aerial one backs off another infringes
An aerial goes into two opposing players. One attacking player (BEL) backs off to grant the defender 5m to bring down the ball, but one of their teammates from behind the receiving space rushes into …
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AUSvBEL 3rd Party Obstruction
A third party is missed along the sideline when the red player screens a yellow player from attempting to make a tackle that was within reach. Sidelines are congested areas and our positioning is …
NZLvARG GC breakdown just outside
The umpire deems this foul to be intentionally committed just outside the circle, and gives a green card at the same time. Given the physical nature of the breakdown, this is a good time to send the …
SCOvNZL Free Hit Reset Timing
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 …
NZLvBEL VR PC stick block by attack
An upgraded penalty corner is awarded by the umpire after two loud stick tackles. The decision is referred to the video umpire, who determines that on the first tackle attempt, the ball carrier …
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GERvAUT Missed GC stick breakdown
A danger area for correctly identifying and deciding to intervene on breakdown play is when the play is closer to one umpire but is moving away from them such that they are unsighted from the call. In …
INDvAUS Danger into GK
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 …
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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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 …
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. …
NZLvESP Clean tackle with noise
Here is a good, up-close example of a tackle with lots of noise, but none of it caused by the defender. Watch his stick jab only slightly forward, and the direction of the ball after the successful …
NZLvESP Two breakdown stick tackles for GC
A cynical breakdown of play with two consecutive stick obstructions in the double-team leads to a green card. To access this content, you must purchase FHU3T Green, FHU3T Green 365, FHU3T …
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AUSvARG Missed YC for breakdown from behind
What would have been the second yellow card of the game to ARG is missed on this breaking tackle involving a push on the back that takes the ball carrier to ground. These can be difficult to spot if …
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BLRvNED 3m self-pass centre line and not intentionally off back-line
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 …
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AUSvNED stick block
A very subtle stick block gives the ball carrier two steps of clearance to get spacing in the circle to try to attempt a shot. Notice the stick moving over the ball and then the movement to the left …
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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ARGvESP GC breakdown stick tackle
A breakdown tackle is rewarded with a green card just as the tempers start to rise in this game. It’s difficult to see exactly what occurred due to the players’ body positions and the distant camera …
AUSvARG YC for breakdown dangerous tackle from behind
On a dangerous break, the chasing defender effectively tackles the ball but her feet trip up the ball carrier. This is the same player who took a green card for a breakdown tackle in Q2 of this game …
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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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INDvBEL GC playing ball after whistle
After the ball goes off his foot and both whistles have sounded, the BEL player continues to play the ball and passes the ball away. This breaks down a potential quick counterattack and is met with a …
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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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NZLvUSA VR PS for intentional stick obstruction
This penalty stroke decision is referred to the video umpire to downgrade it to a penalty corner. The defender reached in from behind and obstructed by briefly hooking the attacker’s stick, preventing …
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ESPvARG Danger on ball entering the circle
A ball is raised into the circle off a reverse sweep hit, rising dangerously past one defender and heading for a set of opposing players where the defender is marking very tightly. Either for the …
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AUSvNED Interference with stick after clean tackle
After a clean tackle, the defender’s stick gets knocked out of his hands by the dispossessed attacker’s leg coming through. This is a great time for a quick whistle to reward the skill and maintain …
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INDvBEL Back stick
The defender attempts to clear the ball out of his end but mishits on his reverse. This is not danger but, as he goes over the ball, uses of the back of the stick. To access this content, …
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 …
NEDvAUS Opponent within 5m of initial receiver on aerial
As this aerial goes up, two opposing players may have been within 5m of each other in a receiving area. However, from where the ball is heading there is an initial receiver from the attacking team who …
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GERvAUT Advantage for attack then FHD rolling ball
Several issues of note in this passage of play: The umpire plays an advantage off the stick tackle along the side-boards. The attacker has good options available to him, including the immediate 2v1 …
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NZLvARG GC playing ball after whistle
A green card is given for playing the ball after the whistle, following up from an incident late in Q1 where the card was not given. To access this content, you must purchase FHU3T Green, …
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ESPvBEL Warning for arm on back breakdown
After a vigorous challenge comes in from ESP #14, you can hear the umpires talking over the radio to confirm who it was and how they agreed they would deal with it, which was by a verbal warning. 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 …
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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BELvAUS breakdown tackle not penalized
Although this tackle happens early in the game, only 30 seconds into the first quarter, it’s important to be engaged and prepared to provide the correct intervention. This defender reaches in …
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AUSvBEL No call third party obstruction
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 …
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NZLvGBR Long barrier upgrade PC
As the ball carrier comes into contact, the defender plants his feet, placing his stick and his back lower leg on the pitch. The long barrier he creates increases the area with which he’s able …
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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NZLvESP Obstructions around GK
The ball is stopped by the goalkeeper splayed on the ground and rests against his kicker. The attacker makes no effort to bring the ball away and traps the ball there, other hand raised to demand the …
ARGvESP GC breakdown tackle outside 23
A green card is awarded for this breakdown tackle just outside the 23m area. The intent is easy to divine from where the defender decides to step in and stop the attacker’s progress. To …
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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 …
ARGvNED Aerial into D
An aerial is launched into the circle safely over the heads of the players with established positions, falling into a landing area where only a solitary attacker was making a great cut for the ball. …
ARGvBEL Caught within 5m and retreating for good tackle
Note the exact spot where the BEL defender commits the initial foul, which is around 1m outside the 5m dotted line. She stands vertically to take up as little passing space as possible and picks up …
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