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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 …
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 …
AUSvNED SO GK obstruction no VR
This is a highly complex shootout attempt. The first issue you may see is that the attacker backs into the goalkeeper, knocking him off-balance. Then, the goalkeeper attempts a poke tackle between 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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GERvAUT Shot before 3pts of contact
This is an example of what is sometimes a difficult call to make regarding 3 points of contact. Accompanying the advent of the prohibition against “drilling” as a specifically-described piece of …
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ARGvNED Obstruction kicking stick away
This is an excellent pick by the umpire of an obstruction that goes unpenalized too often. As the attacker carries the ball towards the baseline, she kicks the stick of the defender away from the only …
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NEDvAUS GC for breakdown play along sideline
After a turnover, a defender tracks the ball carrier up the near sideline and presumbly trips her up. Note that the side-on camera angle doesn’t show what we need to see, but from the umpire’s angle …
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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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MASvIND Ball doesn’t leave circle before the shot enters the goal
The ball doesn’t leave the circle after being injected on the penalty corner. The umpire allows play to continue and the shot to be taken, but calls the free hit once it has entered the goal. …
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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 …
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 …
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 …
BELvAUS GC breakdown tackle
This is a classic turnover situation. A retreating defender chases the ball carrier from behind, gets close, but can’t make a tackle from there. Instead, the defender attemps to block space away …
MASvIND Yellow card for stepping into running line of attacker
After a series of turnovers, the attacking team moves away at speed with the ball. A chasing defender clips the heels of the ball carrier, who is maintaining a straight line in his run (although there …
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NZLvGBR No stop on the free hit
The ball deflects off the surrounds and back towards where it needs to be taken on the sideline. The attacker takes the ball in full flight and doesn’t stop the ball. Given where the defenders are, …
NZLvGBR Danger on deflected shot off turf
An unusual circumstance where the ball is hit with pace onto the turf and deflects high into the defender. The general principle is that from close proximity and at that height, a defender isn’t in a …
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BELvAUS GC playing ball after the whistle
Although a green card is given, there’s an argument for a yellow due to the impact of the foul and the late stage of the game. The defender subtly kicks the ball ahead and pretends to play it …
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CHNvBEL Body shield on left circle top
An attacker carries the ball towards the top left (far) side of the circle as a defender approaches from the front. The attacker drops the ball behind her body just as the defender attempts to make …
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CHNvBEL Long barrier or good tackle
This high-risk tackle could go either way. If you focus on the movement of the defender, they are basically set in position as the ball carrier comes in. They take a very low body position, and the …
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CHNvBEL No danger and no intent off end line
There are two events in quick succession in this clip. The first save by the goalkeeper rebounds high and quickly towards an attacker, who confidently reached up and receives the ball, and is able to …
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ESPvBEL Far side positioning adjustments
Martin Madden’s movement here is a great example of how there isn’t necessarily one “correct” place to be vis-a-vis the play. When the ball gets bogged down in a crowded area, he moves quickly to a …
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ARGvBEL Breakdown tackle just outside 23m
As soon as the ball popped past the planted defender near the centre line there was always going to be a breakdown tackle to stop this threatening run down the middle of the field. Note the exact spot …
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BELvNZL Stickwork in the circle
When the ball is on the opposite low side of the circle, it’s almost impossible to see exactly what may be going on through the players’ backs. This is where off-ball supporting umpire assistance is …
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 …
BELvNZL GC for stick obstruction breakdown
A defender is beaten to the ball and as she is beginning to fall off the pace, throws her stick in from behind and breaks down the play. This is a clear green card. To access this content, …
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NZLvUSA YC after turnover
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 …
GBRvAUS GC breakdown stick tackle
A green card, the first of the game, is awarded for this tackle attempted from a risky position which breaks down the play. To access this content, you must purchase FHU3T Green, FHU3T …
NZLvGBR Aerial pressure from behind
An aerial ball is sent to a space occupied by an opposing player. A teammate of the passer starts behind the initial receiver and begins to close. At this level, is it a disadvantage for a receiver to …
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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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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 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 …
GERvKAZ Bully for 2 balls on the pitch
A shot rebounds off the boards and is in possession of the attacking team inside the circle when the ball patrol mistakenly throws in a second ball. A bully is called, and the ball is brought back to …
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UKRvAUS Lifted reception in the circle
This bobbled reception isn’t called for a penalty corner. Two potential reasons are that the height was below the threshold set in the briefing to be disadvantageous for the opposing team, or the …
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INDvBEL Green card outside 23m
A green card is given for this tackle which is cleverly attempted just outside the 23m while the defensive team is scrambling to get numbers back after a turnover. To access this content, …
ESPvBEL 5m from free hit around circle
Although the defender was arguably within 5m of the quick self-pass as it was taken, he takes a jog of a step backwards to complete the 5m distance and then engages with the attacker. A good play on …
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ARGvESP VR for foot after arm
A video referral for a foot is not normally noteworthy, but what is interesting about this is the communication between the pitch umpires and the video umpire. It’s incredibly refreshing for the …
INDvNED SO Retake ball trapped in GK
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 …
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AUSvNED PC upgrade for not 5m
A free hit is taken 2-3m from the circle edge with multiple defenders in play. One defender who had worked to back pedal doesn’t back off the full 5m and heads back towards the ball to attempt a …
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 …
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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ARGvESP YC for physical play after advantage
After a ball is turned over in the midfield on an aerial interception, the receiver feeds a terrific through ball into space and gets clattered from behind by a dangerous and physical tackle. …
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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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INDvNED Green card for 5m infringement
This green card for a 5m infringement has two interesting aspects. First, note the frustration of the NED player when he doesn’t earn the call he believes he’s entitled to on the immediately preceding …
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NZLvESP Aerial not given for initial receiver
There are several moving pieces in this aerial, and shows the difficulty in parsing out exactly 5m of clear space for an initial receiver. In tracking the reception area prior to the ball arriving, …
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NZLvESP PC upgrade without goalkeeper
The trailing team has pulled their goalkeeper in an effort to tie the game late. A sloppy turnover brings about a late tackle attempt, with the defender’s stick wrapping around the ball carrier’s legs …
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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 …
GBRvAUS 3D skills
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 …
CHNvNED Stick obstruction no advantage
An attacker receives the ball in an unusual kneeling position after fighting her way around her tightly-marking defender. The defender clearly holds her stick down with her own, but the ball springs …
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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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