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, specifically the right foot of the stroke taker, which is a clear indicator of a drag.
Ali Keogh is trying a new positioning style. This helps her see if the player starts behind the ball as required by the rules and if their right foot is ahead when picking up the ball. The downside is that it's hard to see both the release or play of the ball and the goalkeeper's movement simultaneously.
This might lead to reallocating responsibilities so that the supporting umpire watches the line and checks the ball release and goalkeeper movement. The supporting umpire might stand further back than customary, about five meters away, to see both players in their peripheral vision.
It will be interesting to see if this trend catches on and helps umpires make better decisions in these crucial calls.
