There is an important but subtle advantage played here just outside the circle. The initial defender takes three swipes at the ball, obstructing the ball carrier twice from within 1-2m from the circle …
GERvAUT Fine line drilling vs. mishandle
The rule prohibiting dangerous play by way of “drilling” the ball at an opponent is intended to protect players’ hands, feet and faces from injury caused by balls behind played at them at high …
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ARGvNED YC 10′ for dangerous tackle
A breakdown foul occurs on the sideline on which the umpire plays advantage. The ball enters the circle, and the ball is then sent intentionally off the end line. The foul is dangerous and physical, …
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AUSvNED GCx2 playing ball after whistle
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 …
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ESPvARG GC 5m aerial infringement breakdown
The initial receiver of the ball is an attacker in navy, standing just in front of the 23-metre line. He is sandwiched by two defenders. One defender possibly unintentionally infringes by coming from …
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NZLvUSA Ball placement accuracy and flow
The umpire corrects the ball placement after the free hit had been taken, forcing the ball to be replaced and flow is broken. Also of note is reading whether the potentially incorrect ball placement …
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AUSvARG Aerial to attacker 5m infringement
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 …
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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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NZLvESP GC for playing ball after whistle
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 …
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NZLvBEL First shot hit high on PC
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 …
GBRvAUS Cooperation from supporting umpire
One difficult area for the controlling umpire is the top of the circle, when the ball is received by a player facing in the opposite direction. Their body will often block the view of the ball, making …
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NEDvAUS SO taken not from centre
It’s difficult to be prepared for first time a player at your level breaks a relatively unknown regulation. The FIH shoot-out regulations (which are often mimicked in domestic competitions but not …
INDvAUS Free hit taken
After a free hit is awarded, the player on the ball cutely moves it slightly but pretends it hasn’t been played. The umpire audibly calls “play on” when an opponent closes and attempts to tackle. …
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 …
ARGvNED YC breakdown tackle
A yellow card is awarded for this breakdown of play that comes, as it frequently does, after a turnover in possession. This was the second card to ARG for a breakdown, and the 4th card overall. …
NEDvBEL No advantage
This is an example of when possession isn’t accompanied by opportunity, so the better remedy is to blow your whistle. Although the ball carrier may have had the skill to dribble away from the …
INDvNED VR intentional use of the foot
This video referral gives us the opportunity to examine a decision we aren’t faced with often, which is whether a player intentionally uses their foot to play the ball. The giveaway here is the …
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NZLvGBR GK scramble and off end line
A scramble in front of the prone goalkeeper sees no foul awarded. Despite not moving the ball constructively for a long period of time, the attacker didn’t make the mistake of pushing the ball at the …
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NZLvBEL PC upgrades
Upgrades are given during these sequences of play. What are you looking for in these situations, and when would you upgrade or not? Is the defender tackling from behind the ball? Does the defender …
ARGvESP Stop time management
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 …
AUSvARG GC breakdown quickly given
The defender takes an extra bite on this tackle as a clear attempt to slow down the attacker by making little attempt at the ball and just throwing her stick in the way. A green card is (quickly) …
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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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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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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ARGvBEL GC playing ball away but no PC
A professional foul is committed right around the 23m line as several defenders converge around the ball carrier and put their bodies in his path. After the whistle is blown, a defender casually taps …
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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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ESPvARG Extreme set of quick decisions and shots on the penalty corner and management
In this extraordinary sequence there are several shots, saves and near fouls. Notice the initial position of the umpire on the penalty corner injection, which is close to the end line; this serves him …
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 …
INDvBEL Aerial into circle
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 …
ESPvGER VR late stages in the circle
A video referral late in Q4 of a tied game shows on the first attempted tackle a potential push, although an argument can be made that the collision is 50/50. After a second push on the same attacker …
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NZLvESP Aerial attacker no control
On the aerial reception, the initial receiver isn’t given 5m to control a difficult aerial coming from overhead. The defender infringes the 5m immediately after the first touch, resulting in a quick …
ESPvGER Height of drag flick on PC
When a raised shot at goal strikes a defender who is 5m or fewer from the ball, the rule requires us to examine the height. Had this shot struck the runner below the knee, it is not considered …
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 …
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 Back stick no goal
A back stick shot is correctly called in the first instance by the umpire. The slowly looping trajectory of the ball contrasts with the pace of the stick swing, a good indicator that energy has been …
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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UKRvAUS Rebound played in the air and drilling
A goalkeeper save rebounds towards a waiting attacker. The player is only allowed to let the ball hit the stick but not actively play it out of the air, and it appears from the umpire’s signal that …
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AUSvNED No foul push in circle
At the end of matches, you’ll be called upon to make split-second decisions that could have an outsized impact on the perception of the weight of that call on the result of the game. It’s …
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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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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ARGvBEL Attack positioning with space
The attack begins well behind the centre line. As there are large channels for the ball to move through, the controlling umpire is very high up the pitch and close to their end line. The lack of …
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ESPvGER Green card 5m infringement
The tactic of tackling “in numbers” makes it difficult to sort out which defenders are caught within the 5m zone around the spot of the foul when the whistle blows, and which defenders are not and can …
NZLvARG VR not available
One for the video referral nerds out there: after ARG concedes a goal, they attempt to refer a free hit decision outside their attacking circle at the other end. This decision isn’t referrable because …
INDvBEL Danger on raised hit not on target
This attempted shot at goal is not on target or close enough to it so it’s deemed dangerous as it rises at pace and strikes a defender in the knee. Technically, this could also be called as an …
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ARGvNED No stick block 2
A stick block is called against the attacker who appears to move his stick across the ball in a blocking motion. On the reverse angle, you can see more clearly when you focus on the defender’s stick …
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 Obstruction on chasing tackle
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 …
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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 …
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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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 …
