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 …
NZLvGBR Stick obstruction
The defender attempts a tackle from behind the ball carrier. He misses the ball and strikes the attacker’s stick, but the attacker is able to retain possession of the ball and has an opportunity to …
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 …
CHNvBEL Backside stick on tackle
A tackling player attempts to dispossess the ball carrier but uses the back of their stick. If a player tries to use the edge on a shave technique but their stick isn’t flat, there is a good chance …
UKRvAUS GC dangerous use of stick
The offensive player is obstructed initially when the defender comes over the top of her stick in an attempted tackle. However, she uses her stick to move the defender’s stick away in a dangerous …
ESPvARG Early read on the transition
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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ESPvARG GC Breakdown body obstruction
After a turnover deep in the ARG defensive end, an unexpected amount of space has opened up after the ball crosses the centre line. Although the chasing defender has a teammate in front of the ball …
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INDvBEL Back stick
The defender attempts to clear the ball out of his end but mishits on his reverse. This is not danger but, as he goes over the ball, uses of the back of the stick. To access this content, …
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 …
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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ESPvNED Flashing in the circle
When the play is in the deep far side of your circle, “flashing” a few metres inside the circle towards the penalty spot is an effective and relatively safe way to get yourself a better view of the …
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 …
NZLvESP YC after advantage for trip behind play
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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AUSvNED Too high on backfield transfer
Your positioning on backfield possession transfers will have a big impact on your ability to handle turnovers. We have to read the style and intensity of the defending press and if it’s coming, …
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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 …
BELvUSA Aerial interception attempt for PC
Two slightly different concepts are at play regarding aerial interceptions and 5m infringements here. Although the foul is described as missing the aerial interception, the umpire decides that the …
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NZLvGBR Allow advantage
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 …
BELvAUS GC breakdown tackle 2
This was a reckless tackle attempt by the Australian defender. She reached in from behind the ball carrier who was breaking through the middle and approaching the 23-metre line. The low chance of …
ARGvBEL Reading attacking play
Preferred positioning has the controlling umpire well ahead of the play, turned to face the attack as it transitions into the 23m area and from an inside angle. In order to get to this spot, umpires …
GERvAUT Flashing circle positioning
Just as in outdoor, flashing to the penalty spot or even higher inside your circle can give you a terrific view around and away from the goalkeeper when the ball is on the far side and low in the …
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AUSvARG Back-pedalling to the back-line
The umpire here shows excellent anticipation and reading of the play after the ball turns over deep in her colleague’s end. By the time she comes into the picture as the ball is being dribbled towards …
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ESPvARG Aerial dangerous on way up and management
An aerial is thrown dangerously on the way up, so the free hit is awarded at the take off rather than the receiving area. The umpire then takes a moment to manage this dissent by stopping time and …
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AUSvGBR Ball not trapped under no danger at GK
Two things to look at: what attempts did the attackers make to move the ball out of the goalkeeper’s pads on each engagement, and did they push the ball back under the goalkeeper at any point? The …
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AUSvNED Sideline ball management
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 …
CHNvBEL Management of players pushing in circle
As the ball is being situated for a 23m restart, the players begin jostling for position in the circle. The umpire uses her whistle to get the players’ attention and prevents the ball from being put …
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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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NZLvBEL GC for reckless tackle from behind
The attacker makes a good reception under tight marking and releases down the sideline. Her defender chases from the left side but is significantly behind. The ball is being carried well out in front …
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INDvAUS 2 GCs breakdown and danger
The first two green cards of the game come in quick succession after first, a chasing defender pushes the ball carrier from behind just outside the 23m. The perfectly-timed and well-weighted nudge is …
AUSvNED Attacker interfering
Just prior to offloading the ball to a teammate, an attacker slips as he attempts a change of direction, knocking his defender back onto the floor as his teammate picks up the ball. It can be tricky …
NZLvUSA VR PS for intentional stick obstruction
This penalty stroke decision is referred to the video umpire to downgrade it to a penalty corner. The defender reached in from behind and obstructed by briefly hooking the attacker’s stick, preventing …
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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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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 …
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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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 …
ARGvNED Clean tackles between legs
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, …
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 …
AUSvBEL Stick obstruction by attacker on swing through
Before getting the pass away, a defender is able to successfully poke the ball away from the attacker, who swings through anyway. Although there is a loud clash of sticks, the contact is created by …
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NZLvBEL Management of tempers
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 …
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 …
NZLvESP GC for breakdown stick tackle
The third green card of the game and the first to ESP is given when the defender breaks down play with this attempted tackle, which catches the ball carrier’s stick after the initial attempt and …
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ARGvUSA Deflection of first shot as a hit on PC
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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NZLvARG GC playing ball after whistle
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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NZLvGBR No clear intial receiver aerial
The aerial ball is sent to an attacker downfield who has a defender behind her. This is right on the line where players were in safe positions, and had the ball been sent just a little more shallowly, …
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AUSvARG Missed YC for breakdown from behind
What would have been the second yellow card of the game to ARG is missed on this breaking tackle involving a push on the back that takes the ball carrier to ground. These can be difficult to spot if …
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ARGvNED No third party obstruction
This situation doesn’t result in a third party obstruction as the defender wasn’t within playing distance, preferring to take a more oblique angle to channel the ball carrier into his far corner. …
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 …
BELvAUS PS controlling umpire positioning
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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NEDvBEL GC timing
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 …
ARGvBEL VR for advantage off the body ending in a shot wide
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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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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