Within our club there is a wealth of knowledge about hockey and how to play this game. Each week the Umpire Mentors and Coaches transfer some of this knowledge to the participants in the Junior Umpire Program, our trainees (Green Shirts) and junior umpires, by engaging with them during the game and the weekly ‘Pro Tips’ or ‘What is your decision?’

Pro Tips can also benefit the players so we thought we would let you in on the Waspie Pro Tips Whispers. Here’s this weeks pro tip:

Where can defenders take a free hit, when the ball is outside the field of play?
Play is restarted by a player of the team which was not the last team to touch or play the ball before it went out of bounds. When the ball travels over the side-line, play is re-started where the ball crossed the line and the procedures for taking a free hit apply. FIH Rules 7.2

However, defenders can take the ball up to the 15m mark and take the free hit in line from where the ball crossed the back-line. Another free hit advantage a defender may gain is if the free hit is awarded to the defence within 15 metres of the back-line, the free hit can be taken up to 15 metre mark in line with the location of the offence, parallel to the side-line or where the ball as stopped when umpire has blown their whistle. FIH Rules 13.1 b)
There are few advantageous rules for defenders, accordingly this is one they can exploit.

The umpires signal for a defenders free hit within the 15m of the back-line is facing up the field and extend both arms horizontally sideways when an attacker has hit the ball over the back-line or one arm signalling for the defending team, which means the defender can take the free hit where the ball has stopped or at the 15m line.

Please refer to the other relevant clauses pertaining to this interpretation
7. Ball outside the field of play
13. Procedures for taking penalties, a free hit is taken ‘close to’ where the offence occurred and the ball must be stationery.