Biggest Rule Misconceptions

[Snake~eyes]

What are the biggest rules people incorrectly yell about or believe?


I will start the list with...

1) You can't play on the ground? :thinking:

[CoachRob]

LaxRef a few months ago posted common MYTHS, some of which probably appear below (I save all his magnificent lists, but cannot seem to find it right now).

1) When the goalie clamps down on the ball outside the crease, it is in his possession and his stick cannot be checked (or course it can)
2) It is the extended stick that determines who is closest to the ball OOB after a shot (no, it's the player's body.)
3) After a PERSONAL foul, a goal scored on the play wipes it out and the offender serves no time. (This is true only for a TECHNICAL foul SW situation.)
4) A player down outside the scrimmage area must ALWAYS immediately kill any play, including fast breaks. (No; only if in the scrimmage area where he is liable to be injured, or the injury appears so severe immediate attention is needed.)
5) The ball MUST be white (had a ref tell me we couldn't play because we had our orange balls and forgot our whities at home).
6) If you RUN (not dive) into the crease AFTER the ball enters the goal, it does not count.
7) Simultaneous fouls are easy to understand. (Actually, I don't think anyone believes THAT.)
8) All GK interferences are free clears (only GKI w/ POSSESSION is a free clear; a loose ball GKI is awarded lateral to the goal box)
9) A player entering the field form the penalty box after his penalty time has expired may enter the field and IMMEDIATLY hit an unsuspecting opponent. (No, this is considered avoidabe contact, and is an UR call because the opponent has no idea when the penalty time is expiring and the player will reenter the field.)
10) On a face-off technical violation that awards possession, the players are released from their respective defensive zones. (This is true only for a time-serving penalty.)

I could go on, but 10 is enough for now.

[CoachRob]

What are the biggest rules people incorrectly yell about or believe?


I will start the list with...

1) You can't play on the ground? :thinking:

You cannot HIT a player on the ground, however.

[CoachRob]

11) At the end of period man-down situation, if team A passes it, the horn sounds, and then team B intercepts it, team B starts out with it. (No: Only if team A catches it do they start with it. Team B, if they knock it down or intercept it, only earns the right to a face off, not possession.)
12) At the end of period man-down situation if a team has possession they only retain it if they are the team with the extra man on the field (No: it doesn't matter whether they are man UP or man DOWN; whoever has possession keeps it.)
13) You are allowed a horn and substitutes after a ball goes OOB over the endline (No: Only over the sideline)
14) A DEFENSIVE player may enter the crease with the ball in his possession. (No: NOBODY may enter the crease with the ball in possession.)
15) A GK does not serve his own penalties. (Of course he does.)

[LaxRef]

See:

http://www.lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=4508&highlight=myths

[CoachRob]

16) You have to make contact to be called for a slash. (No: Any wild swing can be ruled a slash.)
17) A ball that goes OOB over the endline is started outside the box. (No: It is restarted where it crossed the endline.)
18) A bottlecap used as an end plug is a NR penalty. (No: It is a safety issue and the crosse is removed from play until repaired; this is not a time-serving penalty.)
19) Player's shorts must be of the same color. (No: Players don't even HAVE to wear shorts, let alone be of the same color. There are no rules regarding shorts, just compression shorts being of the same color.)
20) The GK can use his hand to touch the ball so long as part of his body is in the crease. (No: Both the GK AND the ball must be inside the crease. The GK may NEVER grab/catch the ball, only push it with his hand.)

[Snake~eyes]

You cannot HIT a player on the ground, however.
That wasn't the issue, the thing was you could not play on the ground at all. :WTF:

[CoachRob]

Oh no, I was just commenting that while the down player can make a play, you cannot hit him. I wasn't disagreeing Snake

[laxref39]

What are the biggest rules people incorrectly yell about or believe?


I will start the list with...

1) You can't play on the ground? :thinking:
"THAT"S A WARD"

[eme]

The biggest misconception is that the rulebook will have the answers to all questions that arise.

Sort of like those who believe the Bible has all the answers...opps, I'm an atheist, Thank God!

[laxfan25]

My favorites are all the "shot off the end line" variations -
1) That it's the closest person to the end line. You'llhave an attackman on the far side screaming "I was right next to the line".
2) The mad dash to the endline well after the ball has rocketed over it
3) As CR mentioned - the stick extended.
4) the attackmen in front on a shot straight on goal, over the end line. they freeze while they watch the shot, then sprint to the end line and complain that I'm saying "Goalie Ball".
When they're yelling about an award - I will sometimes ask them "what's the rule?" and get an unknowing stare back. I simply say "Closest to WHERE it went out, WHEN it went out".

One I've heard a lot this year is when a team is man-up at the end of the quarter, teammates and coaches are yeliing "keep it in the box!!" I patiently explain that it can be anywhere on the field, as long as you have possession and team strength is uneven. CoachRob did a very good job covering the other common misconceptions - many of which leave me with a small smile.

[CoachRob]

CoachRob did a very good job covering the other common misconceptions - many of which leave me with a small smile.

Glad I was thorough AND brought a smile to your face LF25.

[ColtsLax]

as a pole, this situation comes up every once in a while.

My Team, team A is on defence. B1 takes a shot, Goalie A makes a save, rakes it in and looks for a pass. B1 stands in front of the goalie waving his arms and jumping up and down.

Is it legal for me to push/hip check/hit B1, to give my Keep a clear view of the field, also, if the keep is in the crease, and his stick with the ball in it is out, can the stick be hit?

[laxfan25]

No and no. If the goalie has possession and you clear the man away, it is an illegal screen. If any part of the goalie is in the crease and he has the ball in his stick, it cannot be checked, even if the stick is outside the crease. If he keeps that back foot in, he's protected.

[Lax-Umpire]

That any rule in Men's Lacrosse applies to Woman's Lacrosse.

They are different Sports with the same name!

[RockStar]

No and no. If the goalie has possession and you clear the man away, it is an illegal screen. If any part of the goalie is in the crease and he has the ball in his stick, it cannot be checked, even if the stick is outside the crease. If he keeps that back foot in, he's protected.

You obviously can't run the guy over, but there's nothing against setting a stationary pick to let the goalie run past the pressing attacker to get in the clear for an outlet pass, is there?

Although, if you're close enough, it might be just as easy and less risky to get open behind the crease for an easy outlet.

[old geezer]

My all-time favorite rule misconception, which fortunately I don't hear anymore, was "It hit two pipes, that's a goal!" By the way, where did this rule come from?

Another is "It can't be interference, he didn't move his feet" after the screener leans his body, sticks out his elbow, or holds with his crosse and thus interferes with his opponent's movement.

[LaxRef]

My all-time favorite rule misconception, which fortunately I don't hear anymore, was "It hit two pipes, that's a goal!" By the way, where did this rule come from?

Another is "It can't be interference, he didn't move his feet" after the screener leans his body, sticks out his elbow, or holds with his crosse and thus interferes with his opponent's movement.

How about "Moving screen!" or "That's a ward!" when there's no contact at all with the defender?

[Lax101]

2) It is the extended stick that determines who is closest to the ball OOB after a shot (no, it's the player's body.)

If that isn't a rule, then why do players, even at the college level, always hold their sticks out when running for the ball?

How about "Moving screen!" or "That's a ward!" when there's no contact at all with the defender?
Would that be interference though?

[LaxRef]

If that isn't a rule, then why do players, even at the college level, always hold their sticks out when running for the ball?

Because they think it matters? Because it's a natural reaction?

Would that be interference though?

Not if there's no contact with the defender. I don't see how you can say I interfered with someone I never touched.

[Lax101]

Wow...I remember being called for interference so many times someone would beat their defender, and I would block the defender who just got beat. I remember I'd get called for interference immediately, just as i put my feet down, and i'd never run into contact with him

[CoachRob]

If that isn't a rule, then why do players, even at the college level, always hold their sticks out when running for the ball?


NFHS 4-6.2.c.
When a loose ball goes out of bounds as a result of a shot or deflected shot at the goal, it shall be awarded to the team, one of whose inbound players was nearest to the ball when it became an out-of-bounds ball, at the point where it was declared out of bounds. If two inbound players of opposite teams are equidistant from the ball when it goes out of bounds, play shall resume according to the alternate-possession rule.

So, it's the player (his body, not his crosse which is not part of his body proper) that determines location. It's one of the myths we've exlored on this forum.

[kamikaze0188]

Dang I always thought the stick counted like an extention of the body X__X