Contact Flashcards
Although wheelchair rugby is a contact sport, not all types of contact are permitted under all circumstances. Other factors such as the position, location, speed, and vulnerability of players must be considered.
Unsportsmanlike conduct cannot be excused in the name of legal, aggressive play. Referees must consider safety without detracting from the game. Each situation must be judged on its own merits. This section will detail principles that must be considered by Referees when applying the rules.
These principles permit contact while protecting players and giving them the opportunity to defend themselves, their positions, and the ball. They allow the Referees to judge each situation without interfering with the flow of the game.
Read and understood.
While contact between wheelchairs is permitted in Wheelchair Rugby, players should not exceed the reasonable force required when challenging an opponent for position or for possession of the ball.
Players are responsible if they initiate contact in a way that places another player at risk. They are expected to make an effort to avoid dangerous contact by slowing down, stopping, or changing direction if necessary.
Read and understood.
Players are responsible if they initiate contact that puts another player at risk.
True or false?
True
They are expected to make an effort to avoid dangerous contact by slowing down, stopping, or changing direction if necessary.
Contact between wheelchairs is permitted.
True or false?
True
While contact between wheelchairs is permitted in Wheelchair Rugby, players should not exceed the reasonable force required when challenging an opponent for position or for possession of the ball.
How much force should be used by a player when challenging for position or possession of the ball?
Players should not exceed the reasonable force required when challenging an opponent for position or for possession of the ball.
How will Referees judge reasonable force?
(4 main factors)
Referees will judge reasonable force based on a number of factors, including:
1. The relative size, speed, and positions of the players.
2. The angle at which contact occurs.
3. The ability of the player being hit to see and anticipate the contact.
4. The status of the player at time of contact, including whether he is stationary or moving, maintaining his balance, or in the act of falling.
A player who has possession of the ball should be given more leeway.
True or false?
True
A player who has possession of the ball will be given more leeway because he has the added responsibility to protect the ball.
A player is entitled to his immediate vertical space, determined when the player is in an upright, seated position.
How is the vertical space of a player determined?
- Measured side-to-side, from the outside edge of one shoulder to the outside edge of the other.
- Measured front-to-back, from the forward edge of his knees to the inside of his backrest.
- Measured top-to-bottom, from the top of his head to his legs.
How is contact charged in a player’s vertical space?
When a player has possession of the ball, illegal contact within this space will be charged to the opposing player if the opposing player initiates it, or if it is initiated by the player who has possession of the ball as a result of the normal motions required to protect or pass the ball.
Scenario:
An attacking player accidentally touches the defending player with possession of the ball within their vertical space.
Who is charged with contact?
The attacking player.
When a player has possession of the ball, illegal contact within this space will be charged to the opposing player if the opposing player initiates it.
Scenario:
An attacking player touches the defending player with possession of the ball outside of their vertical space as a result of the defending player’s movements.
Who is charged with contact?
The defending player.
Situations that result in violations or fouls must be judged within the context of the play. An action or situation that has no effect on the play, or that does not create an advantage or a disadvantage for a player or players, should be ignored and play should be allowed to continue. The flow of the game should not be interrupted by trivial violations of the rules.
Contact that occurs with no effect on the players involved can be judged to be incidental and play can be allowed to continue.
When applying this principle, the advantage or disadvantage caused must be the result of a player’s actions, and not the result of a Referee’s decisions to make or not to make a call.
Read and understood.
How should a Referee judge an action that has no effect on the play, or that does not create an advantage or a disadvantage for a player or players?
An action or situation that has no effect on the play, or that does not create an advantage or a disadvantage for a player or players, should be ignored and play should be allowed to continue.
The flow of the game should not be interrupted by trivial violations of the rules.
How is contact that has no effect on the players judged by the Referee?
Contact that occurs with no effect on the players involved can be judged to be incidental and play can be allowed to continue.
When applying this principle, the advantage or disadvantage caused must be the result of a player’s actions, and not the result of a Referee’s decisions to make or not to make a call.
