This is a fascinating and unusual call. The player in possession of the ball is stationary and somewhat facing up the field in the direction of his team’s attack when a defender attempts to make …
ARGvNED Aerial no control
An aerial ball falls to two opposing players, and the attacking teammate attempts an unsuccessful interception 5m away from the defender, after which the latter is permitted to initially receive the …
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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ARGvNED YC for trip
A yellow card is given for this tackle, which in real-time appears to be a legitimate attempt on the ball. However, on replay, the stick narrowly misses the ball and goes under the receiver’s foot. …
BLRvNED Drilling on cross pass
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 …
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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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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NZLvESP PC for intentional foul attacker not in possession
An intentional foul is committed by a defender inside the circle but the ball had yet to reach the attacker when it occurred. The question was asked by the attacking team’s captain as to whether it …
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AUSvNED Verbal warning to leave the ball
After an unsuccessful tackle leading to a clear and obvious body obstruction, a teammate follows through on the clearance perilously close to after the whistle. The controlling umpire uses a very …
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AUSvARG Body obstruction shield by attacker
A common area where ball carriers commit body obstruction and shield the ball from a tackle is when they’re dribbling down the left attacking channel. The ball is initially in a natural carrying …
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INDvBEL Yellow card for physical breakdown
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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NZLvGBR GC hitting ball away
After committing the foul, the GBR player clearly hits the ball away from the spot of the foul. Green card is awarded. To access this content, you must purchase FHU3T Green, FHU3T Green …
GERvAUT Drilling and 3m self-pass inside dotted line
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 …
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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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AUSvNED No advantage
Making a decision early as to whether advantage exists is a crucial element of timing and, in turn, your management of a game. The umpire is able to assess very quickly that although a defender …
ARGvBEL Quick Whistle To Eliminate Defenders
Whistle timing is a critical tool in an umpire’s arsenal to create more flowing, attacking hockey. Here the stick obstruction occurs when the ball carrier has three defenders converging on her. While …
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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 …
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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INDvBEL PC upgrade inside 23m
This tackle is upgraded to a penalty corner as a second defender comes in to bail out his teammate after a dangerous turnover. The extra shove off the ball with the elbow is spotted and the …
NZLvGBR PS for intentional foul
An attacker is sprung free entering the top of the circle. A chasing defender collides with her, taking herself to the ground and committing a stick obstruction in the process. This is clearly an …
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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NZLvGBR 5m infringement FH GC
After the free hit is given, the fouling player never disengages from the channel and interferes immediately and continuously with the self-pass. A green card is the result. To access this …
NZLvESP GC for breakdown immediately after turnover
A green card is awarded for a breakdown tackle which is made immediately after the attacker is successfully tackled at the top of the circle, stopping a counter down the centre channel. A team that …
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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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ARGvNED Attacker breaks early on PC
On the first penalty corner of the game, the far right attacker breaks early into the circle prior to the injection. The umpire correctly stops the play, sends the injector to the centre line, allows …
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UKRvAUS Drilling
This attempted pass towards the circle is sent through the set defender’s stick hard from close range. To access this content, you must purchase FHU3T Green, FHU3T Green 365, FHU3T Yellow …
NEDvBEL Penalty stroke for stick tackle from behind
A penalty stroke is awarded for this intentional stick tackle which interfered with the shot taken by the attacker. To access this content, you must purchase FHU3T Green, FHU3T Green 365, …
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NZLvUSA GC reckless tackle
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 …
ARGvNED PC dragflick strikes below knee for foot
On the penalty corner, if the ball strikes a defender who has closed to within 5m and that ball is under the height of the knee, that ball is not considered dangerous and another penalty corner should …
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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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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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GERvAUT No advantage ball placement
Early in a match is a great time to set your standards for ball placement. When advantage doesn’t accrue after this stick obstruction foul, the umpire steps in with a clear double-whistle and …
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ARGvUSA VR PS stick obstruction
After video referral, a penalty stroke is awarded on this play. Although we don’t hear a full explanation from the video umpire as to which stick obstruction was deemed the intentional foul (or both), …
NEDvBEL Dangerous tackle from behind on shot
When this defender “bravely” comes in behind the shooter, she is struck in the head with the attacker’s backswing. The attacker lacks eyes in the back of her head and cannot be held responsible for …
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ARGvNED Stop time captains
The umpire calls for the captains to have a discussion about physical play off the ball. Early in a game, this is an excellent strategy for player management, inviting the captains to take …
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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NEDvAUS Turnover drill
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 …
GBRvAUS Rolling ball on free hit reversed
The attacker is awarded a free hit a few metres inside the sideline, also inside the 23m area. She retrieves the ball which is rolling towards the sideline, and continues the roll without any change …
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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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NZLvUSA PS taking no questions
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 …
AUSvNED Recovery on PC counter
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 …
NZLvBEL 5m from free hit inside dotted line
Very similar to the play in Q2, a free hit awarded right on the circle edge has a delay before the play can be restarted. This time, the umpire ensures the defenders stay 5m from the spot of the foul …
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INDvNED Caught high in support
Here’s an example where positioning choices made 70m away can impact our ability to be in the right spot for our mission-critical calls. As the supporting umpire, we can get very enthusiastic about …
AUSvNED Clean tackle from behind
Although it’s rare, it is possible for players to make successful and clean tackles from behind their opposition. It’s important to make no assumptions and focus on the defender’s stick and body to …
ARGvNED Triple advantage goal
Three consecutive advantages are well-given, clearly signalled with the one arm high in the air, and lead to a goal. Read ahead where the ball may fall after a missed reception or a foot foul, and …
GERvKAZ No drilling danger
A defender attempts to clear the ball from within his circle and sends the ball hard directly at a set opposing attacker, who was around 4m away. Although 3m is not a firm line when considering …
INDvNED Green card for breakdown stick tackle
Either just before or on the 23m line, a defender throws in a tackle that lands halfway up the ball carrier’s stick. These tackles can be dangerous so it’s a good time to show a green card and try to …
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CHNvNED 5m infringement for GC
When NED turns over the ball on a foot foul, the CHN pass off the free hit is intercepted by a forward running back inside the 5m radius of the ball, resulting in a green card being shown. …
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 …
NEDvAUS No obstruction
When the attacker makes a moves around the tackler at the edge of the circle, they throw the ball too far towards a second defender. As they were unlikely to catch up to the ball, no disadvantage has …
