View Full Version : Need Help Understanding Obstruction
This happened in a game today. We had an obstruction called on us so the ref lined the other teams player up to take a run at the goal. After the Whistle blew our goalie came out towards the player shooting at her. The goalie came out of the crease towards the offensive player. The ref blew the whistle and called obstruction on the Goalie, then placed our Goalie behind the shooting offensive player who had an empty net to shoot on. Is this the correct call, I have never seen this, an obstruction call on the Goalie.
aLAXc5
02-13-2005, 09:07 PM
i have personally seen this before it actually happend two or three times last year on my teams goalie, and in all honesty i had never seen it until then. I am not sure why it was called tho. But ui have seen it.
lilaxgurl23
02-13-2005, 09:07 PM
Ahh, I get what your saying now. She must have come straight at her, you will get called for it every time if you do not come at an angle. It will be called on any field player, and when your goalie comes out of the crease, she assumes all responsiblilites of a field player, making her eligible for obsruction or shooting space violation.
yes, but she is the Goalie and in the line of fire anyway.
lilaxgurl23
02-13-2005, 09:13 PM
Yep, but as soon as she is out of her crease, she is no longer considerd a goalie, but a field player. Hmm I look for the reference, I believe there is somewhat an example of this in the rulebook.
WHere can I get the rulebook online?
lilaxgurl23
02-13-2005, 09:43 PM
Uslacrosse has them, and if your a member you can get them for a tad bit cheaper. I don;t think there is anyother place to get them online, maybe not.
Gary, do you have a background in mlax (men's lacrosse)? I do, and I ref wlax. I always have to mentally shift gears and tell myself, 'this is women's not men's.' IOW, don't apply mlax rules to wlax.
As far as I can tell from the description of your game scenario, the correct call was made w/ the correct penalty administration. Everything lilaxgurl has explained to you is spot-on textbook. From the 2005 Rulebook pg 35:
The goalkeeper comes out of the goal circle and obstructs the free space to goal. RULING: ILLEGAL. Free position to the attacking team, and the goalie goes 4m behind. The goalkeeper assumes all responsibilities of a field player when she leaves her goal circle. The exception to this would be if when the goalie stepped out of her goal circle, she was within marking distance (~5-6 ft) of the ball carrier. Field players who are actively defending the ball carrier within legal marking distance are exempt from obstruction of shooting space.
I'm not aware of any place that has the Rulebook published online. You can order it from USL or from many lax specialty retailers.
lilaxgurl23
02-14-2005, 03:40 AM
Ahh, that was the one I was looking for, I kept of seeing the defense one, but I knew there was a goalie one somewhere.
Lax-Umpire
02-14-2005, 10:11 AM
Gary - this is indeed a Shooting Space call.
Goalies are field players once they leave the confines of the crease. They can and have been called for shooting space and three second. Both are severe major penalites as they result in the attack being on the 8 with a shot on goal and the goalie on the 12m BEHIND the shooter.
Never seen a rule book on line but you can dowload the womans umpire manual from US Lacrosse Website. It has been updated this year.
ljlax
02-15-2005, 10:22 PM
hm yeah i thought that was shooting space too.
anyway since you said it was shooting space, what IS obstruction. i have never understood what it meant. and its rarely called. and i have never been called for it. is it like a "moving screen" in basketball. wait no thats not right cuz thats just an illegal pick. i really have no idea. i rememerb that being called when i used to play soccer and i didnt understand it then either. so can someone explain obstruction, thoroughly because i really do not under stand :(
laxstar003
02-15-2005, 10:26 PM
hm yeah i thought that was shooting space too.
anyway since you said it was shooting space, what IS obstruction. i have never understood what it meant. and its rarely called. and i have never been called for it. is it like a "moving screen" in basketball. wait no thats not right cuz thats just an illegal pick. i really have no idea. i rememerb that being called when i used to play soccer and i didnt understand it then either. so can someone explain obstruction, thoroughly because i really do not under stand :(
obstruction i believe is short for obstruction of free space, which is just another term for shooting space. they are the same thing.
or at least that's what i got out of my last 2 ref classes...correct me if i'm wrong!
lilaxgurl23
02-16-2005, 05:24 AM
Yeah lol, the full term is obstrustion of free space. Either one is used for short.
Lax-Umpire
02-16-2005, 06:15 AM
The full name of the major foul is "Obstruction of the Free Space to Goal" Rule 18-A8.
It is a safety issue, a player should not be standing directly in front of and more than a sticks length from the shooter. If she is within a sticks length, then she is guarding the player with the ball, she has the ability to defend the shot.
ljlax
03-15-2005, 11:55 PM
wait, obstruction is shooting space???
(sorry to bring this back but for some reason i didnt check the thread until right now)
i was thinking about soccer when obstruction is like a moving screen off the ball or somehting. but i never understood it then
i know what shooting space is..(i drew it twice today for 8 meter shots :) it was a good game yay) anyway i didnt know they were the same thing
and thankjs
and sorry for the ancient thread coming back....
LBlaxn06
03-21-2005, 09:52 PM
I had been wondering about this same question because i feel like refs are being more strict this year about calling this on goalies. So i have a clarifying question. According to the rule book when the goalie steps out of the crease and she is 5-6 feet away from the field player it is not shooting space right? It was called on me just yesterday and I was maybe two feet infront of the shooter when i stepped out- they called a penalty on me, supposedly for a 'dangerous shot,' though i have no idea how it can be called on a goalie lol but she got a free shot on goal without a goalie. Is this something different?
Lax-Umpire
03-22-2005, 06:03 AM
Goalie leaves the goal circle she becomes "just another field player". Can be called for three seconds or shooting space.
If you were 2' from the shooter (that means she had the ball) you were within a sticks length and therefore were not in shooting space or three second as you were guarding the shooter. Even if it was a double team, you are allowed to double team the ball in the 8 meter and would not be called for three second.
Not sure what the call was, also hard to call dangeruous shot in a goalie but you did something to get the call.
laxer41
03-22-2005, 12:32 PM
Wait a second... So im womens lax, if a player is running down the field you cant run in front of them? In other words, you have to give the opponent a free, uncontested shot at the goal? Why dont women just put pads on and play full contact? There are way to many stupid rules...
Lax-Umpire
03-22-2005, 04:32 PM
Welcome to the world of WOMAN'S Lacrosse. It is a different game with different rules. It's not mens!
IF she wants to put on pads and play full contact then she can go play in the men's game.
It's not the same game. Got watch one - the higher the level to more beautiful the sport.
funnyboy
03-22-2005, 04:34 PM
what is a obstruction
lilaxgurl23
03-22-2005, 04:58 PM
Read above, and laxer41. A girl can run in front of the girl she is defending, kind of. She must come from an angle. Think about it, it's not like guys, if you start to come forward and there is a shot, it will hurt. It may not be as fast as guys, but wearing nothing when a 50 mph ball hits you in the head or chest, you better believe it will hurt. So the girl will be covered and there will most likely not be an uncontested shot. Besides, this only happens when you are not with that girl and your go form them, usually there is not problem because you are already guarding the girl.Secondly, the girls are free to go play contact if they want, but clearly they don't. It is a totally different game than guys, and all the rules are there for a purpose. Maybe you should try girls lacrosse because you clearly do not understand it...
LBlaxn06
03-22-2005, 09:10 PM
so if a goalie comes out of the goal within a stick length of the shooter does the goalie have to come in front of her at an angle?