Understanding Warding Off in Lacrosse: How to Recognize and Call the Foul

The warding off rule is crucial for ensuring fair play and preventing offensive players from unfairly gaining an advantage by using their free hand or body to push away defenders. This article will explain what warding off is, how to recognize it, and how officials should enforce the rule according to the NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) standards.

What is Warding Off?

According to NFHS rules, warding off occurs when a player in possession of the ball uses their free hand or arm (or any other part of their body) to hold, push, or control the movement of a defender’s body or stick while trying to avoid a check. Warding off is considered illegal because it gives an unfair advantage to the player with the ball by using body movements instead of proper stick handling.

What Is Legal?

Players are allowed to protect their stick and ball from an opponent’s check with their hand, arm, or body, but only when the opponent is trying to check their stick. However, pushing off, shoving, or moving the defender’s body using the free hand or arm is not allowed.

Clarifications on Warding Off from NFHS (2018 Memo)

In February 2018, the NFHS released a memo to help officials better interpret and call warding off in the game. The memo clarified the following:

1. Two Hands on the Stick:
   A player cannot be called for warding if they are keeping both hands on their stick while protecting it. If the player keeps both hands on their stick and engages in legal body contact, this will not be considered warding.

2. Bull Dodge:
   A bull dodge—where a player lowers their shoulder into an opponent—may result in an unnecessary roughness penalty if the contact is judged as excessive or intentional. It is legal to use the shoulder to move past a defender, as long as the contact is not violent.

3. Spearing:
   If a player lowers their helmet or makes contact with their opponent’s body using the helmet or any part of their body in a violent manner, spearing is a serious foul. This action results in a minimum 2-minute non-releasable penalty.

4. Legal Body Contact:
   If the body contact between the ball carrier and defender is judged as legal, and the ball carrier maintains two hands on their stick, no warding off violation should be called.

Recognizing Warding Off – Common Examples

To help illustrate warding off, let’s look at a few video examples:

Illegal Warding Off Example

In one video, a red player clearing the ball takes his bottom hand off his stick and uses it to shove his opponent to the ground. This is an example of warding off, as the player used his free hand to push the defender illegally. The correct call here is an immediate whistle, awarding possession to the other team.

Legal Body Contact Example

In another clip, a blue player, while in possession of the ball, lowers his shoulder and makes contact with the defender, but keeps both hands on his stick. This is a legal body check, and the officials correctly allow play to continue, as the contact was not excessive.

Spearing Example

In a different scenario, a white player, while charging toward a defender, lowers his helmet and takes his bottom hand off his stick. He then shoves the defender with his body. This results in spearing, as the player deliberately lowers his helmet and makes violent contact. The penalty here is a minimum 2-minute non-releasable penalty.

Legal Warding Off Example

In one clip, a white player takes a pass and is checked by a blue defender. The white player takes his bottom hand off his stick to avoid the check but does not make illegal contact with the blue player’s body or stick. This is legal, and the officials correctly allow play to continue because the white player did not disadvantage the defender with his free hand.

How to Avoid Warding Off?

To avoid committing a warding off violation, players should:

1. Keep Both Hands on the Stick:
   Always keep both hands on the stick when protecting the ball. This ensures that any body contact is legal and that you are not using the free hand to push off.

2. Use Legal Dodges:
   If a defender is checking you, use quick dodges, such as the roll dodge or split dodge, to get around them rather than using your body or free hand to push them.

3. Be Mindful of Body Contact:
   Be careful when making body contact with a defender. Legal body contact should be controlled and non-violent. If the contact becomes excessive or you lower your helmet into the defender, you could be penalized for unnecessary roughness or spearing.

Conclusion

Warding off is a technical foul in lacrosse that players need to be aware of to maintain fair play. By keeping both hands on the stick and using body movements or dodges effectively, players can avoid this penalty and play the game as it is intended. Understanding the nuances of this rule, as clarified by NFHS, will help players and officials ensure the game remains safe and fair for everyone involved.