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Rules and Briefings
Discussed below are changes to the modifications to the rules of field hockey as published by the NFHS (National Federation of High School Athletic Associations) which govern competitions among NFHS association members (high schools only) in the USA.
What's important in this year's list of changes (and non-changes)?- Goggles were NOT made mandatory
- Implementation of restrictions to a stick’s bow have been delayed until January 1, 2009
- If a game is interrupted in the first half, the game is restarted at the point of interruption (the game used to be restarted from the beginning when interrupted during the first half)
- Umpire-to-umpire communication continues to be restricted by NFHS's ban on personal wireless communication devices [UmpireHockey.com supports the global standard of enhanced umpire-to-umpire communications through the use of personal wireless communication devices]
- NFHS continues to allow shots on penalty corners to take place before the ball leaves the circle [for safety reasons, UmpireHockey.com supports the global standard that requires the ball get at least 16 yards away from the goal line before the attack can take a shot on the defense]
For the most part, this year’s changes tighten up narrative gaps in the rule book and impact team representatives more than umpires.
For example, one revision can be used by athletic trainers. It details that braces, casts and splints have to be padded with at least one-half inch of all closed-cell, slow-recovery rubber or similar materials.
LONG GRASS? Download UmpireHockey.com's "bad field" reporting form by clicking here.
Another provides details about proximity markings outside the circle so members of a school’s grounds crew will know to only make the markings 12-inches long and that there should be a space between each marking measuring nine times that length (many competition sites were looking as if there were two circles at each end of the playing area).
Yet another rule change let’s equipment managers and coaches know that, like field players, goalkeepers must wear a mouth protector that is not white and not clear.
All team members, particularly captains and coaches from either team can use one of their time outs after either team scores a goal. They should keep in mind, however, that now neither team can call their second time out in immediate succession to their first.
In other cases, the narrative used to describe certain rules and situations has been simplied. For example, the description of how players are to stand during a bully and the way in which the NFHS describes when penalty corners continue when time has expired have both been simplified.
There is also a clarification in Rule 8-1-1o, specifying that deliberately removing required equipment or wearing/using illegal equipment is ruled as misconduct. This change makes Rule 8-1-1o consistent with the penalties described for years in Rule 1-6 that state that a field player deliberately removing or not wearing required equipment, shall be penalized as unsportsmanlike conduct, i.e. misconduct.
For officiating purposes, changes to descriptions and changes in the book that bring different sections into agreement with each other aren't considered officiating changes but rather grammatical and editorial changes.
WHAT ABOUT UMPIRES?
There are some changes that do impact how umpires will officiate contests between NFHS schools during the fall of 2007.
As we all know, every umpire should keep the official time on their stopwatch. For this reason, one change in the NFHS rules is of particular interest.
This year the NFHS has specified that the clock shouldn’t be stopped for a penalty corner on the opposite end of the field.
Is everyone else as confused by this as UmpireHockey.com? We were under the impression that the only time that a penalty corner held at the opposite end of the field is when, for example, the Blue coach earns a penalty card when the Red team has deadball possession (free hit, side in, etc.) If so, wouldn’t time already be stopped?
As we always advise, whenever possible, avoid whistling the clock into action when everyone is set and ready to "blast off" on a penalty corner. Perhaps all the NFHS is saying is to restart the clock immediately after the card is presented -- then walk down to the other end of the field for the penalty corner.
Speaking of penalty corners -- as has been the common interpretation all over the planet, changes to Rule 10 specify that if the defense breaks early on a penalty corner, the play should be immediately shut down and restarted. This change makes it clear to those umpires not employing current interpretations that the advantage rule no longer applies in this situation.
We are hopeful that this will mean that EVERY umpire will immediately whistle the play dead when the defense breaks off the end line before the ball is inserted on a penalty corner.
The NFHS has adopted the signal for the raised ball (arms extended in front of the body approximately 18 inches apart with the palms held horizontally facing each other). This signal is, of course, already widely used. Unfortunately, it is typically used by Starter Umpires and Level I Umpires (even some umpires with higher ratings), when they should be signaling dangerous play.
The signal for an illegally raised ball should only be shown, believe it or not, when the ball has been illegally raised. Therefore this "new" signal would only shown when a ball is intentially lifted on certain restarts (free hits, side ins, long hits) and a first shot on a penalty corner when the ball is hit and the ball rises to an illegal height.
Of course, there are times when the signal for danger might also be used but, the raised ball signal should not be used when the umpire is penalizing dangerous play.
CONFUSING INSTRUCTION?
Unfortunately, despite the very good effort made to correct other contradictions in the book, another has apparently been introduced. If a coach earns a yellow card, in addition to current penalties, the new rule book says that game shall be restarted with a more punitive penalty. This, according to Elliot Hopkins, the book's editor, isn't correct.
The book was trying to correct a situation described in last year's edition that said a less punitive penalty (a free hit) would restart play even when the situation happened on a penalty corner.
The umpire should simply restart play with whatever the then current situation was and should NOT upgrade the situation (for example, from a penalty corner to a penalty stroke). So, even though the book says play should be restarted with the next more punitive penalty, don't!
Another problem, however, has been introduced. The book says, "A free hit shall be awarded to the opponent and the head coach of the officiating team shall remove one field player from the game for 5 minutes of elapsed playing time, unless a more stringent penalty has been awarded."
Absent something written to the contrary by state association interpreters, a coach could challenge as a misapplication of the rules an umpire's instruction that instructs the yellow carded coach to remove a player for five minutes if something more punitive than a free hit has been awarded.
[ED: We will update this article as soon as we have an official written interpretation.]
HOW TO UMPIRE BOOK: To read the table of contents from the new officiating book How to Umpire Field Hockey book by Cristopher Maloney, and to purchase it, click here.
If you would like to make a comment on this article or submit an article for publication in the pages of UmpireHockey.com, click here.
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