Shot or pass?

[LaxRef]

As we know, it's only a shot if the officials say it is. Last night, we had a soft bounce pass through the crease which went out of bounds. I was ready to call it a pass when I heard the coach screaming "Shot!" so I tried to get a ruling from my partner on shot or pass just to be sure. I was yelling "Shot or pass!" with my hands cupped around my mouth, aiming right at him. It took me forever to get a response of "pass."

Shouldn't we maybe have some kind of hand signal (shot, pass, or I don't know?) to communicate this more quickly? I guess in retrospect I could have run over to him, but I didn't know it was going to take so long.

[laxfan25]

This happens so infrequently, I would just make the effort to go talk to your partner and se what he has to say. The other option of course is to just go with the coach's call! They're usually right, and completely unbiased! :thumbsup:

[EdT]

Just for giggles, what would happen if a definition was added that to be a shot, the ball had to break the cylinder of the crease below a height of, say, ten feet. It would say us from having to determine intent, and it would give the coaches one more thing to argue about. :nahya:

[Snake~eyes]

Just for giggles, what would happen if a definition was added that to be a shot, the ball had to break the cylinder of the crease below a height of, say, ten feet. It would say us from having to determine intent, and it would give the coaches one more thing to argue about. :nahya:
Horrible idea, then we have to determine if the shot broke the cylinder.

[goalieskcickay]

No, I like it. We could add thin 10' poles to stick into the ground on either side of the crease, then have a crossbar to determine height! :thumbsup: :chuckle:

[shrekjr]

This happens so infrequently, I would just make the effort to go talk to your partner and se what he has to say.
I'd disagree that it happens infrequently. In fact, I'd venture to guess that it happens at least once every 2-3 games I work. Obviously, communication with your partner is necessary in this instance but there are times where we may be quite far apart and a simple hand signal would work well.

Scenario- 2-man crew. Fast break out of the defensive end of the field. I'm the trail on the bench side. As the ball quickly moves up the field, all heck is breaking loose in the substitution area right in front of me. I am still approaching mid-field and watching subs on the fly when I see the ball in the distance crossing my sideline. It's my call to make and I have no idea if it was a shot or pass that caused the ball to go out of bounds, nor do I have any clue which team to award the ball to. If it were a bad pass, my partner is hopefully signally the correct direction for me to take my cue from. If it was a shot, I might be able to determine the closest player to the ball as long as I know it was a shot. In that case, I'm not even to mid-field yet and my partner better be on the goal line extended. That's a long way to run or yell in a hurry to keep the game moving. This is where a simple hand signal of some sort would be helpful.

[laxfan25]

The desired simple hand signal is to just look to your partner, and he should be prepared to give you a discreet signal as to which way it should be heading, based on his observation. If neither one knows, use AP. There is no need for him to indicate whether it was a shot or pass. Based on their view, just give a hand signal on direction and get it back in play.

[OGND]

I agree with Shrek. It happens frequently enough.

We use simple signals, which we discuss during our pre-game. A hand with thumb up and index finger out like a pistol means "shot". A hand raised behind the ear (like a quarterback's passing motion) means "pass". It works for us.

[LaxRef]

Scenario- 2-man crew. Fast break out of the defensive end of the field. I'm the trail on the bench side. As the ball quickly moves up the field, all heck is breaking loose in the substitution area right in front of me. I am still approaching mid-field and watching subs on the fly

I usually don't pay much attention to subs on the fly in a two-man game. If the coach complains, I tell him "In a two-man game, we're going to miss some offsides and sub infractions."

[shrekjr]

The desired simple hand signal is to just look to your partner, and he should be prepared to give you a discreet signal as to which way it should be heading, based on his observation. If neither one knows, use AP. There is no need for him to indicate whether it was a shot or pass. Based on their view, just give a hand signal on direction and get it back in play.
Not true. There have been too many times where my partner knew it was a shot, but didn't who was closest to the out of bounds spot. I could tell who was closest, but didn't know if it was a pass or shot. In this case, my partner could not signal a direction, and after proper communication (verbal or hand signal), AP would not be needed and the correct call could be made!

I usually don't pay much attention to subs on the fly in a two-man game. If the coach complains, I tell him "In a two-man game, we're going to miss some offsides and sub infractions."
I agree we miss a LOT in a 2-man game. If there isn't much happening on the fast break, I'll try to watch the subs the best I can. But if the fast break is contested, especially if the ball is on my side of the field, the subs are the least of my concern. Either way, there are too many times in a season where I have to ask "shot or pass" and I agree an official signal would be nice.

[laxfan25]

I agree with Shrek. It happens frequently enough.

We use simple signals, which we discuss during our pre-game. A hand with thumb up and index finger out like a pistol means "shot". A hand raised behind the ear (like a quarterback's passing motion) means "pass". It works for us.
I like that idea! Hadn't heard it before, but I will incorporate it into my pre-games. Simple and efficient.