Transcript Slide 1

PLAY-ON TECHNIQUE
The Technical Fouls (Pushing, Holding,
Warding off, Illegal offensive screening,
interference, withholding ball)
Fouls that cause an unfair advantage!
PLAY-ON TECHNIQUE
TECHNICAL FOULS + PLAY-ONs
Penalty Enforcement
If the ball is loose, there should be a
Play-On, and if the offended team does
not gain possession, they are awarded
the ball at the spot where the ball is–
 if ball was inside the attack area--- then
move Laterally outside attack area.
Play-ons are also used for crease
violations and goal keeper interference
and all loose ball line violations
PLAY-ON TECHNIQUE
TECHNICAL FOULS
Penalty Enforcement
 If the team that has possession commits a technical foul,
there is an immediate whistle and the ball is awarded to
the opposing team at the spot or outside the attack area.
 If Team A has possession and Team B commits a technical
foul (other than goalie interference or crease violations)
the Flag down, Slow-Whistle (FDSW) technique is used.
If Team A does not score a goal during the FDSW
situation, then the player committing the foul will serve a
30-second penalty.
 If the ball was blown dead in the offended team’s defensive half,
they will be awarded ball just over midfield (Free Clear)
 If blown dead in the team’s offensive half, the ball is awarded at
the spot or laterally outside the attack area closest to where the
ball was.
 If the offended team A scores a goal during the flag down
situation, then the technical foul penalty is wiped out by the goal.
Wave flag overhead and re-affirm goal is good.
PLAY-ON TECHNIQUE
TPOAD (The Principle of Advantage
Disadvantage)
Advantage/disadvantage is best left to "judgment"
calls, not to clear rule infractions. Judgment calls you
can always say "Hey, it was my call and I don't think
it was a push". You cannot say "Hey, B1 was clearly 5
feet over the line, but I'm not going to call it this
time".
Applying TPOAD is important in lacrosse because it
keeps the game moving. If you called everything
that was technically a rules violation even if there
was no advantage gained, a high school game would
take 2.5 hours.
Good Officiating tips to live by:
 “Proper Preparation Prevents Poor
Performance”
 “If you are not getting better - you
must be getting worse.”
 “It is not who you are - it is who
people think you are.”
Play-On Technique
PLAY-ON Technique (7-10)
 Remember to use the PLAY-ON for all loose ball
or line violation technical fouls and crease
violations and goalie interference.
 Raised hand and Verbal Play-on!
 If the offended team gets possession, point in
the direction of play and indicate the
offended team (e.g., “Blue ball!”) to signal the
end of the play-on
Play-On Technique

Why the “Game Interrupter”?
 The main idea behind the play-on, it allows
play to continue so that a team that is on
the receiving end of a loose ball Technical
foul can continue play with out being
disadvantaged. It also adds the feature of
improving the flow of the game by
reducing the number of whistles.
Play-On Technique
 Play-on enforcement :
If the offended player gains possession, the whistle is not
blown and no penalty is given. If the offended player fails
to gain possession , then the whistle is blown and the ball
awarded to the team fouled.
 Crease violation play-on enforcement: (a) If the
goalkeeper with possession, continues to play on,
withhold the whistle, no penalty if the offended team
maintains advantage of the ball. (b) If the goalkeeper,
with possession does not play on, the whistle is blown and
the ball is awarded to the offended team in it’s offensive
half at center X, no penalty time served.
Play-On Technique
• Watch for residual action from any play
• Short: “Loose … push … blue ball!” or even
“Push … blue ball!”
• Make call loud and clear, with big signals!
• Move ball out of Zone 4 if necessary
• Quick restart: everyone should be “in the
play” (exceptions: 5-count for GK out of
crease, player too close on free play)
Play-On Technique
Things to Consider on Play-ons:
Letting loose ball scrums continue too long can be
hazardous where players are much more likely to get
hurt or a team to get a personal foul. If you let a play-on
continue to long you risk having the other team commit
a personal foul and then you have simultaneous fouls and
confusing over why a player has to serve time for a loose
ball technical foul.
Play-On Technique
When to use short play-ons:
• At higher levels of play, don’t let the play-on go on for more
than a few seconds and even less if it’s obvious the offended
team will not have an advantage and would rather have a
restart. Examples include:
1. Near sidelines, end lines, or in a large group scrum where
the ball will be check out as soon as it is scooped up.
2. Plus most EAST-WEST play-ons, that is going across the
field toward sidelines.
3. The farther from the offended team’s goal, the shorter the
play-on should be.
 The defensive team would rather have a nice clean re-start with uninterrupted possession of the ball than the possibility of scooping it
and loosing it quickly after gaining possession.
Play-On Technique
When to use short play-ons cont’d:
4. If it seems like it might be near the end of a 10 or 20
second, consider a shorter play-on. This will simply help
avoid the situation where you have two fouls to consider
and sort out rather than just one.
5. Near the end of a quarter or when a penalty is in effect,
consider a shorter play-on. Generally a team with little
time remaining either in a quarter or in penalty will have
a greater advantage with possession, so you are not
creating a disadvantage by ending the play-on.
6. Consider how the teams are playing. If a game is getting
physical, consider a shortening your play-ons to give
players fewer opportunities to commit other fouls
during loose balls. Stopping play and awarding
possession can settle a game and avoid both fouls and
even injuries.
Play-On Technique
When to use short play-ons cont’d:
7. The lower the level of play the shorter the playons should be.
 Call play-on and than immediately blow the
whistle since this communicates that you know
the ball was loose and a technical foul was
committed. Delaying the whistle for a technical
foul makes it more difficult for the players to know
exactly what behavior is being penalized and
hopefully learn from it.
Play-On Technique
When to use short play-ons cont’d.
8. The more players around the ball, the shorter the play-on.
When there are lots of players around the ball, it is
difficult for one player or team to get an advantage.
Even if a player scoops the ball, it is often checked out of
his stick immediately. In that case, the offended team
has been disadvantaged by your decision to let play go
on: had you blown the whistle they’d have possession
with a clean restart, but the play-on ended when he
gained possession and now the ball is back on the
ground.
In addition, with more players around the ball, there is a
greater chance of another foul being committed.
Play-On Technique
When to use short play-ons cont’d.
9. Play-ons for loose, rolling balls toward midfield
line with players lined up on other side of
midfield line and someone goes off sides
 If let go too long, when the ball becomes
possessed, a player who went off sides may still
be off and now you have a time-serving penalty.
Play-On Technique
Examples of When to use longer play-ons:
1. North-South going play-ons especially in the attack area
are better to let go on.
2. Play-ons favoring the Attacking team in their Attack area
are better than play-ons favoring the defensive team in
their defensive end in most cases.
The closer to the offending team’s goal, the longer the
play-on: if the defense commits a loose-ball technical in
front of their goal, the attacking team has a good chance
of scoring and so the play-on should be allowed to
continue a little longer than usual to allow the possibility of
a scoop and shot. In this case, a quick whistle really does
take away an advantage.
Play-On Technique
 A common rule of thumb is that, in general, no play-on should go on
for more than about 3 seconds unless the ball is rolling away from
most of the players and if the offended team is uncontested as it
attempts to run down the loose ball.
 The play-on is one area where the rules specifically ask officials to
consider advantage/disadvantage when making a call. A key point
here is that the play-on is intended to allow the offended team to
keep an advantage, not to see if they might eventually be able to
gain an advantage.
 Some officials use the play-on as a clock-management tool, thinking
that just maybe—if they let the play on go for long enough—the
offended team will pick up the ball so the official doesn’t have to
blow the whistle and stop the clock. While this may get you home 20
seconds earlier, it’s poor game management and can lead to a host
of other problems.
Play-On Technique
When a play-on lingers it often makes
understanding the call harder.
Lacrosse is a fast-moving game, and a lot can
happen in just a few seconds. The longer the
time between the offending action and the
whistle, the more likely there will be some
confusion and misunderstanding from players,
coaches, fans and even your crewmates.
Play-On Technique
Some play-ons are extremely short.
However, it is still a good practice to call the play-on even
if you intend to blow it dead immediately, because it gets
you in the habit of doing it when you need to and it also
communicates to the coaches and players that you know
what you’re doing well enough to use the play-on
technique.
If you simply blow the whistle when you see a loose-ball
technical foul, they may think you don’t know that a
play-on can be used there.
Keep your play-ons short
Play-On Technique
Play-On Rulings:
 4.5 SITUATION: During normal play, A1 makes a pass to teammate
A2. While the ball is in flight, B1 commits (a) a technical foul or (b) a
personal foul. RULING: In (a) the official calls out “play on” and if the
pass is completed, the “play-on” is over. In (b), flag down, slow whistle
 “re: situation 4.5....
A1 in possession outside the attack box. 10 second count is underway
when A1 passes to A2 who is also outside the box. While the ball is in
flight B1 pushes A1. (a) Does Team A get a new 10 second count when
A2 catches the ball? (b) If A2 doesn't catch the ball?”
(a) & (b) Absolutely! If there's a play-on for a foul by Team B and Team
A regains possession, give the reset signal and start a new count.
The same would be true for goalie interference on a clearing pass:
reset your 20-second timer.
Play-On Technique
Play-On Technique
Slow Whistle Technique
 If a Defending player commits a foul against
an attacking player and an Attacking player
has Possession of the ball (foul could be
against player in possession or some other
player of the Attacking team) and the act of
fouling does not cause the player in
possession to loose possession, the official
shall drop (throw straight up in the air) a
signal flag and verbally signal “Flag down”
Slow Whistle Technique
 Flag down with hold whistle until any of the following occurs:
1.
A goal is scored
2.
Ball goes OOB
3.
Defending team gains possession of the ball
4.
A shot is taken that does not result in a goal
5.
The ball enters the goal area or is in the goal area at time of foul occurs
and then moves out of goal area.
6.
An injury to a player or either team and deemed serious enough for
immediate whistle
7.
Player loses any of the required equipment in a scrimmage area
8.
A loose ball results, when the ball hits the ground(not a bounce shot)
9.
A player on the attacking team commits a foul
10. The ball was in defensive half and failure to advance
Slow Whistle Technique
 Enforcement after Slow Whistle
If Personal foul committed player suspended from
game for designated penalty time regardless if goal is
scored
2. If a goal is scored after FDSW on a technical foul, no
penalty time is given. If goal is not scored, the penalty
for Tech foul is 30 seconds
3. If a goal is scored after FDSW and it is found that there
were simultaneous fouls committed before the whistle
was blown signaling scoring of goal, the goal is
disallowed, regardless of the nature of the foul on the
attacking team.
1.
Slow Whistle Technique
The wise official only shouts "shot" [a] after the ball hits
the ground [b] and, as Trail, only if Lead needs help
making the end line call. Thus, once the play ends,
neither coach can use the official's signal / words
against them.
This gives the crew some latitude in the situation being
discussed, i.e., the 'shot' never touches the ground and
is caught by another attacker (turns out to be a pass).
("Coach, that was a great pass. Play until the whistle
sounds. Goal is good.")
7.9 Situation I: During FDSW, A1shoots the ball toward
goal. A2 catches the ball and shoots it into goal.
Ruling: Legal goal. What appeared to be a shot turned
out to be a pass.
What if shot passes goal and is caught by teammate
behind goal? Is this a pass no whistle?
Penalty Enforcement

Don’t Do Play-by-Play:

Choose your words carefully, eliminate excess!

Nothing drives me nuts more than working with a guy who goes into "I've got a
loose ball push from behind on 23 blue, we're going green! " First of all, it's too long,
plus it communicates a lot of unnecessary information, has a lot of "filler," and
makes it personal ("I've got . . ."). And those 10 extra words on every call add up over
the course of a game.
There are times when a little extra explanation is warranted. For example, on a
faceoff: “Official: Illegal procedure, blue ball!”
On something like that, can give a short explanation: "Illegal procedure, blue ball,
back hand lifted!" or “went early”. But I don't "got" anything.
The trend is toward even shorter explanations: we’ve should be convinced to
shorten "Loose ball push, blue ball" to "Loose. . .push. . .blue ball,“ and there are
those that say we should even drop the "loose" unless there could be any question
about whether there had been possession. After all, if there's no flag and we're just
awarding possession, it must have been loose, right?
Penalty Enforcement
 Coaches want to know whose ball it is and
what direction immediately in order to get
subs on ASAP. So when calling OOBs, they
hear the first color “Off White” and start
thinking offense (White Ball) and getting subs
ready, then the Official yells “Blue Ball” and
now they realize his team is on defense and
might have started subbing for offense.
 Don’t confuse everyone: Just state whose
ball It Is going to be only.
Restarts
 DEAD BALL OFFICIATING
 When the whistle blows the ball dead, you’re




attentiveness must go up!! Don’t go after balls!
Don’t take you eyes off the players on the field. (By
pointing and starring in that direction away from players)
Some very experienced officials once told me to pay
attention when the ball was live, but to pay even more
attention when the ball's dead.
Referees often tend to focus on getting the ball,
signaling to the benches, and their attention is divided.
Plus players fouled against aren't expecting it (you
paying attention), and the potential for offense and later
retaliation is great.
Restarts
 Restarts following a time-out shall be nearest
the spot where the ball was at the time the
whistle was blown. A ball in the goal area
shall be restarted laterally outside the goal
area nearest to the spot of the ball at the time
of the whistle. A ball that has crossed the end
line shall be restarted at that spot.
Restarts
 Make sure the player in possession is standing on the field, at
least one yard in from sideline or 5 yards from sub box and no
player including his own teammates are within 5 yards of him. If
players are closer warn them to get back while starting a visual 5
second count. If players don’t move call a delay of game.
 Once the referee has signaled the ball ready for play, the official
shall resume play within five seconds.
 Announce to Goalie where the ball is on a restart if there is penalty
time: “Keeper man-down 1 minute- Ball top right”.
 If the goalkeeper is out of the net and a turnover occurs which results
in a whistle to stop play, he shall be given how much time to get
back to his position?
 RULING: The goalie should be allowed a maximum of five seconds to
reenter the crease on any restart.
Restarts
In the event of an offensive violation
(crease, illegal screen, loose ball technical
fouls) with the option as to which side of
field to restart deep in defensive end,
always pick goalie’s left side where the New
Trail will blow in restart and start beeper.
Compliance through cooperation beats compliance
through coercion every time. Saying “Guys, I need your
help here. Could you please move back a couple of feet
and get behind that line. Thanks a lot, guys. I appreciate
it” is a lot more effective than “Get back or I’ll flag you!!!”
Restarts
Player A1 is given the ball for a restart. Which
of the following is permitted?
A: B1 is 4 yards away.
B: A2 is 3 yards away.
C: A1 is 3 yards away from the special
substitution area (aka "the box").
D: none of the choices are permitted.
Restarts
 By the rules there's no reason we can't call any technical
foul during a dead ball, but by TPOAD there are a bunch
we don't. Usually. But if the situation were right, you
really might call some of these things during a dead ball.
Good example--and I've never had to call this, but I
would if I saw it--is if you're about to restart play with A1
in possession and A2 cuts so he'll be open to receive a
pass as soon as you blow the whistle, but A3 sets an
illegal screen to free up A2. It's a dead-technical, but by
TPOAD (see the acronym dictionary thread at the top of
the forum) you have to make that call.
Do these calls happen often? No, not at all, because
most technical fouls other than IP and conduct fouls
shouldn't be called because of TPOAD. But when those
dead-ball fouls do confer an advantage, call 'em!