For field hockey umpires, by field hockey umpires
The defensive foot just outside the circle could have been blown but, in this case, that would have disadvantaged the attack who would have had to stop the ball and then move it 5m before heading in …
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The attacker is the initial receiver of this outlet aerial, and two defenders encroach on the 5m area. The first freeze frame is the moment when the free hit is awarded; the second where the self-pass …
Continue Reading about ESPvGBR Aerial for attack and ball placement →
The attacker receives a ball in the bottom left corner and attempts to send a hard pass across the circle to a teammate. A defender is set at a close and near to 3m distance, and the ball is sent …
Here’s an alternate view on the trapped ball and how long to wait until calling the bully when the trap has occurred unintentionally. One approach is to jump quickly on the obstruction as soon …
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, …
Continue Reading about NZLvARG GC playing ball after whistle →
A defender plays the ball off her foot on a missed trap and after the whistle has sounded, pushes the ball well away from the spot of the foul. The two exacerbating factors are the obviousness of the …
Continue Reading about GBRvAUS PC upgrade playing ball after whistle →
Knocking the ball away after the whistle leads to a certain yellow card at this stage of the match (and after a few cards had already been given). In addition, this same player had committed a …
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Within the last minute or so of the game, there are two examples where being overly fussy about ball placement breaks up the flow of the attack. A team defending a lead loves when an umpire clamps …
Continue Reading about NZLvBEL Fussy ball placement late in game →
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 …
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 …
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 …
Continue Reading about NZLvGBR Attacking free hit directly into circle →
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 …
It’s a small detail but makes a mammoth difference in the end positioning result. When the ball is turned over in the midfield, the umpire immediately turns to sprint hard towards her own circle. When …
It’s natural to look for absolute guidelines as to what should or should not be called as a raised ball. However, the most important factor to consider should always be: was an opponent …
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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. …
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 …
Continue Reading about GERvAUT Shot before 3pts of contact →
Two distinct issues are shown in this clip. The defender dribbles himself into pressure on the left side-board and tries to drill the ball at and potentially over one of the pressing attacker’s …
Continue Reading about GERvAUT Drilling and 3m self-pass inside dotted line →
After a turnover, the intercepted (now) defender breaks play down with a failed tackle from behind. The umpire indicates she’s going to come back to the breakdown by continuing to signal the …
Continue Reading about NZLvUSA GC for double breakdown and advantage →
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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As of the beginning of 2020, the FIH Rules Committee has confirmed that this interpretation can no longer be implemented, and if a personal penalty is given within the 23m area, it must be accompanied …
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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 …
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 …
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 …
The camera work on this goal is poor but it appears that the attacker used her right hand to stabilize her body as she took a very low position and spin to deflect this ball into the goal. Note that …
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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A yellow card for the 3rd breakdown by the same team in the match, now in Q3. Note the space available to the attacker behind the two defenders he’s beaten that he would have been able to burst …
A clear foul occurs when the defender misses the initial tackle and pursues from behind and pushes down the attacker when in a dangerous scoring position. A penalty stroke is unquestionably the …
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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 …
In this lead-up down the left side, the ball carrier’s continuing movement sidestepping and using the body to block the defender’s stick amounts to an obstruction that isn’t called in this instance. …
Continue Reading about ARGvNED Body shield on circle entry →
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 …
The umpire on the far side recognises early the potential for an end to end counter and, being aware of the attacker high in the circle, moves quickly to get to his “happy place” behind the base line …
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A dangerous play emerges when a defender deflects the ball up in the air and the attacker attempts to pick it with their stick, hitting the fouling player in the forehead. The initial danger was still …
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The supporting umpire would have been positioned well upfield to be properly placed to assist his colleague during the taking of the PC. Focus on anticipating the breakdown and try to predict where …
As we are seeing more frequently, players have the skill to hit the ball out of the air and raise it and do so safely. However, there are real questions to ask whether we should be allowing it. In …
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Showing patience inside the circle when little incidents occur can show dividends when an umpire has a thorough understanding of the skill level of the players involved. There is a minor bump by the …
Continue Reading about ESPvGBR Patient whistle on smaller fouls inside the circle →
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 …
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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In attempting to clear the ball, the defender sends it at a sharp angle off the back-line. Giving his body position and the full purchase he had on the ball, it’s appropriate to deem this an …
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A video referral is sought when the goalkeeper ends up with the ball underneath her body after a save. The important things to look for are whether the goalkeeper actively moved for that purpose or …
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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 …
Continue Reading about BELvNZL Two green cards in succession →
Yellow card for the breakdown comes as the defender moves into the path of the attacker on the dodge. If the attacker has embellished the contact, is it to the degree that the initial foul was not …
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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 …
This tackle comes in from behind and the stick hits the ball carrier on the leg. An advantage is played to the out of bounds play at the far end, and the umpire from the near side stops play and …
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 …
The attacker on the free hit elects to take a self-pass that moves the ball back and forth—every umpire’s worst nightmare.Let’s do some maths: a stick length is just shy of 1 metre. The free hit …
An upgraded team penalty is given after this breaking tackle in a dangerous position just outside the circle. At this point in the game with the physical play and previous cards that have been given, …
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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, …
On this penalty stroke, the umpire is proactive about whether the taker is properly lining up her feet behind the ball. She also clearly indicates the stroke will proceed on the whistle, not giving …
Consider the timing of when you give cards. Although the foul itself was reckless it had no effect on the development of the play and the attacking team was in full possession with options available …
