For field hockey umpires, by field hockey umpires
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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When an attacker breaks away via the through pass, the goalkeeper leaves his circle and plays the ball away legally with his stick. Given that goalkeepers are a bigger, more heavily-equipped player, …
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This collision on the penalty corner is worth examining, for a variety of reasons. For context, there was a significant incident at last year’s Pro League Finals during the semi-final between these …
There's been a lot of talk recently about determining if a player is dragging the ball on penalty strokes. Foot position is key to understanding if the ball has been pulled from behind the player, …
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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 …
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 …
An early instance where the defending team taps the ball away has the intended effect of allowing the defenders to get back in front of the ball in numbers. Although this particular moment may not …
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A green card is awarded after the turnover in the circle leads an attacker to use her arm to push against the defender in possession. It’s a small bit of physical play properly dealt with. …
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 …
This passage of play shows not one but two clean tackle attempts between the ball carrier’s legs. In each instance, the attacker was quite stationary and the defender did a good job in coming in low, …
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 …
As an outnumbered counterattack flows into the circle, the deflected crossing attempt is deflected high off the goalkeeper’s stick. It then strikes his defending teammate in the chest and slowly …
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 …
The ball carrier is at full stretch and easily works through the two fouls committed on her. The umpire fails to play advantage and the player has to bring the ball back 10m from where the is when the …
On this penalty corner, the sweep hit crosses the goal line at a height over the top of the backboard. Because the sweep hit involves a backswing, it meets the definition of a hit under the rules and …
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A foul is upgraded just outside the circle to a penalty corner when the defender clearly uses his shoulder to push the ball carrier. Look for defenders who actively try to prevent attackers from …
Not every free push taken away from the spot of the foul requires intervention in indoor. However, when the team in possession gains an unfair advantage by cutting out non-fouling defenders as happens …
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This team referral comes after the umpire chooses to play advantage from the body foul by the defender, and while the attacker manages to put a stick on the deflected ball the shot goes wide. The …
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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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Excellent communication from the supporting umpire over the radio throughout this sequence leads to an accurate and accepted penalty corner decision. It’s just as important for the support to say …
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An upgrade penalty corner is awarded on this last-ditch desperation tackle, a classic example of attempting to stop the play with no real opportunity on the ball. To access this content, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Although this doesn’t appear to be a swinging motion, the stick is not in contact with the court at any point before making contact, which doesn’t result in a pushing motion of the ball. …
The ball is struck with a hit from the top of the circle flat on the ground. A deflection, whether it came from the defender or attacker’s stick, raises the ball over the height of the backboard as …
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Some excellent cooperation on display on this attacking aerial across the circle. The ball travels across the pitch to a receiving area clearly occupied by an attacking teammate. A defender is in the …
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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 …
A defender makes a great save on the goal line, hitting away a deflection made by an attacker from her knees. Although the ball could have been seen as dangerous, the attacker had put herself in that …
An attacker is awarded a side line ball. Taking it on the roll, she doesn’t quite move it 5m before sending the cross into the circle, and the free hit is given. To access this content, …
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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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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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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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Just as breakdowns tend to be committed by defending teams just outside the 23m line in the outdoor game, the centre line is a big marker for players who are looking to avoid the team upgrade penalty …
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An unusual third-party obstruction goes unspotted in the deep far corner of the attacking 23m. The defender was within playing distance and attempting to get to the ball when #28 passed off the ball …
This clip shows better anticipation and protection of the mission-critical area of the circle. Even as the ball is moving around behind the centre-line, the umpire is already deep in his attacking …
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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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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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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. …
A defender commits a great block tackle and the dispossessed attacker goes over his back. As the attacker is getting up, the defender trips him with his stick and puts him back down again, which is …
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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 …
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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The initial decision on the penalty corner was a free hit for the defence. The attacking team referred it for a stick obstruction. On review, the video umpire found simultaneous fouls by both the …
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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 …
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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The umpire does a great job here making a quick decision on a free hit inside the dotted 5m line, and immediately “double-tweeting” to get the players’ attention and verbally signal the correct ball …
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This is a good example of when an obstruction isn’t a foul. The ball carrier pushed the ball away from him past the nearest defender, and then lifted his stick over his head without making a real …
If a player sets up a free hit inside the 23m line that should be taken outside and is looking to pass backwards, should the umpire interrupt play to move the hit outside the 23m, even if that …
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