For field hockey umpires, by field hockey umpires
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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The difficulty in detecting third-party obstruction on the penalty corner attack is that you’re concerned with whether the ball has left the circle and defenders being struck with the initial shot, …
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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 …
This scenario shows the difficulty in balancing the need for flow and penalizing players who breach the rules. A free hit is awarded to the attack 1-2m outside the circle and inside the 5m dotted …
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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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As this penalty corner is being injected, the far right-side attacker breaks early into the circle. The supporting umpire communicates this to the controlling umpire over the radios and the penalty …
This is a fairly standard movement pattern, keeping in mind that NZL is at the moment pressing BEL very intensely. What if at the moment when the ball is played backwards to the deepest defender, …
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An upgraded penalty corner is awarded by the umpire after two loud stick tackles. The decision is referred to the video umpire, who determines that on the first tackle attempt, the ball carrier …
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The ball carrier is called for shielding as she carries the ball on her left side down the left sideline. The first defender isn’t in a front-on position but is parallel, while the ball carrier has …
An attempted aerial pass is called for danger on the way up as a defender was able to close within 5m and had to take legitimate evasive action from the ball. The free hit is awarded where the danger …
The second green card of the game, first to this team, comes after the ball carrier is dispossessed. She chases back and attempts a shave tackle, which results in a stick obstruction. A long advantage …
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Right at the 23m line (and arguably over it), the attacker plays the ball into the feet of the defender, who then clearly pushes the ball away in order to prevent the attacker from taking a quick …
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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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For a goal to be scored, an attacker must touch the ball inside the circle before it crosses the goal line. There was no touch by an attacker here, and also no defender, so the correct decision is a …
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Notice the area of the pitch where this defender chooses to commit a lazy, “oops sorry” stick tackle from behind. Although innocent in appearance, the break stops what was a productive run by the …
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 …
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, …
The umpire takes an opportunity early in this game to set the standard for communication from the players. After the message isn’t received as well as he would like, the umpire formally stops time and …
Watch the path of movement of the goalkeeper’s arm as she attempts the clearance, which travels too directly off the end line. This is deemed intentional by the umpire and play is restarted with …
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A green card is given for playing the ball away after the whistle.Be aware of players frustrated by a non-call. A loss of composure earlier in the sequence often results in a lashing out at the next …
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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The timing of the umpire’s movement here is a bit off and in the end, has her running inside her circle as the ball is moving around. When the attacker picks up her dribble, the umpire pauses and …
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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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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 …
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This clean tackle is misread by the umpire. Notice the front-on positioning, lack of movement by the defender’s stick, the path of travel of the ball after contact, and the attacker’s …
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 …
Off the centre pass, a short aerial ball is sent into a crowded area. Although the opposing player is allowed to take it cleanly, the passer’s teammates don’t allow the ball to be controlled before …
Upgrades are given during these sequences of play. What are you looking for in these situations, and when would you upgrade or not?Is the defender tackling from behind the ball? Does the defender stop …
The first strike on this penalty corner is a hit, which sails undeflected over the logged goalkeeper and crosses the goal line higher than the backboard height. To access this content, you …
The attacking aerial is heading for a NZL player, who is clearly occupying the receiving zone and is the intial receiver. The BEL defender attempts to cut out the pass but in doing so, encroaches in …
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A ball goes out off the endline, touched last by an attacker. The defending team attempts to set up a 15m free hit in the middle of the circle, and the opposition is reasonably close in their …
A shot taken on the penalty corner goes between the post player’s legs, strikes the post and on its way out, hits his back heel. The correct decision here is another penalty corner rather than a …
The fine line between the onrushing goalkeeper putting himself into the attacker and the attacker receiving to back into the goalkeeper is in question here. Expanding your vision so you can perceive …
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An attacking aerial is thrown beyond and equally between two opposing players and the free hit is awarded to the defending team.One way to interpret this situation is that the ball is receivable in an …
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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 …
The attacker attempts to bring down an overhead but it has exited the pitch. He continues the play and unleashes a hard cross towards goal after the whistle has blown. For the reckless play, the green …
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After the umpire gets caught a little close to the play on this penalty corner rebound, she makes an excellent adjustment and moves 5m off the end line in order to give herself a broader view of a …
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 two …
An attacker who fails to stop the motion of their shot after a whistle has been blown needs to be cautioned with a green card. As all other players will relax immediately after they hear the call, it …
The ball carrier executes a dodge and lifts his stick over the defender’s head, slightly striking him on the way down. The defender confronts the attacker after the ball is turned over (on that foul …
As an overeager attacker attempts to reach a rebound, he puts his hand on the goalkeeper and pushes him to the ground. A quick whistle helps to avert any “afters” or complaints from either team. …
An attacker attemps to place pressure on a defender who has recovered the ball, but swings his stick over his head from behind. A quicker whistle on these situations can help avoid the ball carrier …
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 …
A slide tackle brings down the ball carrier running freely through an extremely dangerous area of the pitch as the time in the quarter is winding down. The 10-minute yellow card must be issued in …
A diving attempt at the ball takes the ball carrier to ground. Questions to ask yourself include: from what angle did the defender approach (were they behind and trying to stop the play, or making an …
A defender goes to ground outside the circle and creates a long barrier. The ball hits his stick onto his leg, and so this is adjudged an intentional breakdown of play on video referral and is a …
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 …
After a sideline ball is given to the attack, the player tries to take the self-pass quickly with a rolling ball, too far from where the ball exited the pitch. Be prepared for players trying to take …
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A defender attempts to intercept a pass, deflecting the ball back towards a teammate who further tries to cut out the pass. That attempt deflects the ball high into the air where it’s falling into an …
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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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