Most misunderstood rules

[OldLaxer]

Rank (in your opinion) the most misunderstood rules for players and coaches.
(and don't say all of them because that is unsportsmanlike.)

[laxfan25]

Some that spring to mind;
1) The goalie interference call discussed earlier - when and where are you allowed to check the goalie's stick.
2) The shot-out-of-bounds call. While it can be expressed simply as closest to WHERE it went out WHEN it went out, you will hear howls from an attackman on the far side saying "I was a foot from the end line!" (but 30 yards from where the ball departed). the ever-popular sprint to the endline well after the ball has hit the outfield fence. Also, the deflection of the shot of an attackman's stick. "It hit his stick!" Yes, yes it did. Attack ball.
3) Multiple guys in the penalty box for Team A, all releaseable. B scores. "Are they all released?"
4) Teams are even strength. End of the period. "We have possession!" That's nice, now give me the ball and get ready to face off.
5) "My shot hit three pipes! It should be a goal!" No.
6) A player coming down to take a shot is raw meat, eligible for a vicious body check at any time, because my coach said "I've got to keep the porch clear".
7) Any call on my team - Aw Jeez, let 'em play!" Any non-call on the other team - "Aren't you going to call that?"
8) Crosse-check hold. It's amazing how many players don't realize you can't play defense with the shaft of your stick across the back of your opponent.
9) The face-off requirements, and in this case, the higher the level the worse the understanding, because they never get called for obvious violations. And then the coaches complain that the face-offs are a mess. Better give the refs new mechanics.

[Shorelax]

1. Simultaneous Fouls
2. Play - on!!!
3. Interference

[LaxRef]

See:

http://www.lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=19791

and:

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

(Some rules have changed since the second thread was posted)

[laxfan25]

See:

http://www.lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=19791

and:

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

(Some rules have changed since the second thread was posted)
I thought there was another thread, and I actually tried the search but typed in misunderstood. Doh!

[LaxRef]

1. Simultaneous Fouls

Oh, come on! Is there anyone who doesn't understand simultaneous fouls?! :chuckle:

[Lax_coach]

LF25- i am (was) guilty of a few of those.

Regarding the face off mechanics- you are dead on- the inconsistency on how refs enforce, or dont, the rules during the face offs. In my opinion, the worst thing that refs can do during the face off is continually correct the players, or "teach them"- they will never learn or change what they are trying to get away with. Call possession the other way a couple times, and the kids will get it.

Not sure what you mean by giving the refs new mechanics, but i would support stopping the feedback the refs are giving the players, moving the sticks, moving the players, etc...

LC

[LaxRef]

Not sure what you mean by giving the refs new mechanics, but i would support stopping the feedback the refs are giving the players, moving the sticks, moving the players, etc...

Well, on the one hand, everyone gets hacked off at us if we call too many faceoff violations, and then there's also the case of both guys in violation. So we try to correct them and get a legal faceoff. But then people are mad because we're correcting them. We just can't win!

[dislaxxic]

Call possession the other way a couple times, and the kids will get it.

You don't say what level you coach at, coach...

Your suggestion is certainly fine for a large swath of high school and under competition...but at the upper levels of high school and in most college ballgames, the coaches will absolutely blackball a ref who calls a lot of faceoffs illegal. It can happen on most of these plays at these levels. You're right that the refs should be calling it more, but nothing will raise the righteous ire of coaches at higher levels faster than this activity. Sadly, this crying is particularly egregious at the HIGHEST college level games, where possession of the ball is so critical...and yet you just don't see it called because the coaches ***** and complain so adamantly. Ask ANY college assigner...that attitude DOES trickle down to zebras at other levels.

Also, don't forget that the coaches make the rules.

[laxfan25]

Not sure what you mean by giving the refs new mechanics, but i would support stopping the feedback the refs are giving the players, moving the sticks, moving the players, etc...
By new mechanics, I was making a tongue-in-cheek reference to the parade of new face-off mechanics introduced at the NCAA clinics the past couple of years;i.e. coming in from the side and backing down the center line after the whistle, the better to see the player with the stick tilted off of vertical. Wait, that didn't work since now you're in the way of the wing middies. Now it's back to being in the neutral zone, but let's not bother with a set call. Just get 'em down and whistle - that'll fix the problems.
The problem is, if teams and FOGO's are allowed to establish illegal positions and are not get called for it, no mechanic is going to fix the problem. What is so tough about "everything has to be left of the head of the stick"? At some levels and in some areas the players' helmets are literally touching and nothing is done. The reasoning I've heard - "If they're both in violation we're going to go. Nobody likes resetting the players or calling a string of IP's on faceoffs". Therefore the problem escalates.
I will say in our little section of the world that the crews do the faceoffs per the rules, the teams are familiar with it and do it correctly for the most part, and we don't really have any issues. Part of that is educating the players, especially at the lower levels and early in the season or game. Tell them what is expected, maybe even correct them a couple times rather than just whistling a violation and leaving a kid standing there going "huh?". IMM that is part of preventive officiating and will lead to better compliance in the long run. But also IMM, the situation at the higher (D1/D3) levels is so out of control it is going to be next to impossible to correct. They were even threatening officials with the loss of playoff assignments if they didn't call faceoff violations, and it was widely ignored. Now when I do D3 games I just go with the flow rather than trying to fight the tide. Similar to another "old-time" peeve where players are cradling with their hands wrapped around the head. Illegal, but no one else seems to care or call it, so I've stopped that too.