View Full Version : Mercy Rule Pros & Cons?
dislaxxic
02-08-2005, 09:07 AM
Could I get some opinion from coaches about the Mercy Rule? The high school leagues in our area want to waive this NFHS rule. What are the pros and cons of this rule?
Also, I note that the NFHS usually likes to have its rules consistent across sports. Do they run the clock in high school football or basketball games when the score differential reaches a given threshhold?
CoachK
02-08-2005, 12:22 PM
I'm glad I coach college. We coach to win, and not cater to the other team. That may be harsh or unsportsmen like, but my players can use as much practice as they can get, they are never finished. If you have them passing up open shots to keep the score low, you'll have more problems. The only decent solution I have found is to flop sides (O to D, and vice versa), but usually that does more damage to the opposing team, so it needs to be done with care. We won a few games last year 24-3, 18-3, and you couldn't find a player on my team with more than 4 goals. When players begin to play as a team, rookies getting experience can be just as effective as the starter, and that confidence only helped us through the playoffs.
There is such an opportunity for a mismatch and a blow out to occur in a lacrosse game, that it's tough to limit the game. We were up 14-6 on SFU, and they came back to put it into overtime. Last year another college was up 10 going into the 4th, and barely pulled it out in overtime. I've played for teams down 10, only to win the second half 12-2. I've never seen a basketball game cut short because an opponent was getting crushed, matter of fact, the HS champs 100 pointed us in a game, and there was nothing we could do about it. My Oilers blew a 35 point lead to the Bills in the playoffs... Anything can happen.
The game should always be played. I hope they remove the rule, the kids learn more in a loss than a win.
lacrossedavy
02-08-2005, 12:57 PM
I think it is better to keep the game going despite the score. We lost our first ever game 15-1 but we learned a lot from it. At the time we had no experienced players so just having game time helped. we were down by more than 10 by the first half and pulled together inthe 2nd. if there had been a mercy rule we might never have got the chance to play and learn in the later part of the game.
Jjaylax09
02-08-2005, 04:36 PM
i think the mercy rule is stupid because if your team is really that bad, you dont need to be playing at that level of competition... what our coach does when it is a blow-out type game where we are dominating, he puts stipulations on goal scoring... ie: all off handed shots, or X amount of passes, or shots from a certain spot... he also starts bringing in our younger players to get them game time
ShaolinCrosse
02-09-2005, 12:50 AM
Do they really have that kind of rule. How is it written?
Plummer
02-09-2005, 01:03 AM
i dont like it because if your winning by a lot it gives the second, third, or maybe even fourth strings a chance to get in the game
Longest
02-09-2005, 02:32 AM
Pros to mercy rule: Prevents rough, intent to injure play by the losing team if they think they're being embarassed; in some cases, no one is really learning anything (if the loser is just plain outmatched from the get-go); both teams can get tons of players game experierence.
Cons: Losing happens, it helps you teach players to deal with and come back from, such crushing blows; game could get out of hand if losing team takes things personally; routine gameplay injuries can occur, losing a player for the sesaon in a "nothing" contest.
Dan
lacrossedavy
02-09-2005, 09:16 AM
If you are worried about losing a player in a nothing contest take him off and give someone else a go.
BuckWyld
02-09-2005, 12:25 PM
iirc the mercy rule does not end the game it simply makes it running time.
i think the mercy rule is stupid because if your team is really that bad, you dont need to be playing at that level of competition...
On our team last year we had 7 returning members. 5 of which could hold their own at a Maryland Varsity level. Theres no JV in our county. We got blown out every game more or less. I mean we lost some games 24-0. Mercy rule would have kept it to 1 quarter games sometimes. If I'm on the field, and im putting in the effort to play, theres no way I'm leaving the game early.
Longest
02-09-2005, 06:09 PM
If you are worried about losing a player in a nothing contest take him off and give someone else a go.
The discussion at hand was "pros and cons of mercy rules." I know the counters. Pointing that one out does nothing to further the debate.
Dan
Garor
02-09-2005, 06:39 PM
I think the gap for the mercy rule should be widened.
I know this is girl's lacrosse, but I always found this intresting.
http://www.laxpower.com/update04/bingrl/XMTHMD.PHP
Read all the scores. What are you opinions on that?
dislaxxic
02-10-2005, 07:51 AM
what about the idea that the Coach of the team that is up having a lot of power to avoid problems in this area? When the score gets up near a 7-8 goal lead near the end of the half, why can't he just start subbing out his starters and/or enforce things like "all off-hand" or the 3-pass before shot rule?
Longest
02-10-2005, 06:35 PM
what about the idea that the Coach of the team that is up having a lot of power to avoid problems in this area? When the score gets up near a 7-8 goal lead near the end of the half, why can't he just start subbing out his starters and/or enforce things like "all off-hand" or the 3-pass before shot rule?
You have to feel out the situation. Is it an 8 goal lead and the other team is deflated?
Musashi once said (paraphrase) that the only enemy you could leave alone was one whose heart you had stomped on. As long as heart remained, danger remained.
Dan
stjoesdman
02-11-2005, 11:57 AM
I say if you can't stop the other team, too bad.
I just played in a game recently where we were missing almost all of our starters and we were down 7-0 at the half, you would think we were dead, right? Nope, we came a couple of bounces/calls away from winning.
moondog
02-17-2005, 01:14 AM
I do not like the mercy rule. Life is tough; deal with it. The game is about two hours, then you can reflect on it the rest of your life. If there is a risk of injury, that probably means many cheap shots, and some malicious contact. A game should not be stopped due to score. Stoping a game for physicality/injury reasons is different from the mercy rule as I understand it.