How do you spot an offside??

[Excape Goat]

The kicker is sometimes more than 20 yards away. How can a referee look at the kicker and the receiver at the same time?

[Ref Flunkie]

The kicker is sometimes more than 20 yards away. How can a referee look at the kicker and the receiver at the same time?

Sound and/or peripheral vision.

[new old man]

Haven't you ever noticed how far apart ARs eyes are set? It is an evolutionary type thing so we can keep an eye on everything.
The AR has the worst seat in the house as far as seeing the game is concerned. The first focus is on second to last defender, often changing from moment to moment. How many attackers are in an off position? Has the kick been made, or is the attacker still dribbling? Has the sprinting attacker gotten offside before the kick, or only even? When the kick is made, is it to an offside attacker, or can someone onside get it? Oh, by the way, who did the ball go off into touch behind you while you were watching that second to last dance?
It is a combination of peripheral vision, sound of the kick, and experience to make the proper call. It is lots of fun, but is not at all easy to do it right. The good news is that there are plenty of folks available to tell you how you got it wrong, even when you got it right. There are many who believe no one can always be right on these calls, partly for the observation you make in your question. Regards.

[billf]

We guess. Its completely arbitray. If we don't like you, you're offside. :D

Seriously though, its difficult. You need to concentrate and know where the players and the ball are. Its not enough to just listen for the ball either because you need to know who played it. First, I get focused on the second to last defender and stay with him. Second, I get acclimated to the pace of the game. Third, when I'm comfortable with the other two, I use peripheral vision to see both the ball and the SLD as best as possible and make actual glances quickly between the two. You need to know, not just where the players are when the ball is played, but whether the player in an offside position is involved with the play. It takes a lot to keep the flag down when one player is clearly in an OSP, the ball is played in that direction, but another onside player sneaks through to run on to the ball.

Basically, you do the best you can while keeping as much information chunked in your brain as possible.

[Laggard]

It's easier in the younger age groups, U12F or U11 for example. They don't have the ability accurately to kick the ball very far and thus the ball and the second to last player are often pretty close to each other.

[NHRef]

It's easier in the younger age groups, U12F or U11 for example. They don't have the ability accurately to kick the ball very far and thus the ball and the second to last player are often pretty close to each other.

This is the key to developing an AR!! At the early ages that use offside (locally around U10/11 in 8v8 format), it's pretty easy to keep the 2nd last defender adn the ball in view. The kids simply cannot kick the ball that far and through balls are usually from more like 15 feet not yards. As you grow comfortable with this, and get away from watching the game and concentrating on your job, you move up to older kids and habits and learning to look at what have already been started. You move up with the age groups where the ball can come from further and further away and the kids get faster and faster and better at staying "onside".

A u10 kid is often offside by 10-15 feet, they just can't not run, it's hard! Older then can and do hang right on the line. Next step is defenders who learn to recognize this and will "step up" thereby making the attacker not offside positionally.

Its a learned skill! Or we just guess :)

[SccrDon]

We guess. Its completely arbitray. If we don't like you, you're offside. :D


Its a learned skill! Or we just guess :)


Wait a minute, guys - which is it? ;)

[refontherun]

A player is in an offside position if:

- he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent.

When judgment of offside position is necessary, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his OWN team ask these questions:

1. Is the player in the attacking half of the field?
2. Is the player nearer the goal line than the ball?
3. Is the player nearer the goal line than the last but one opponent or the last two opponents?

If all are answered yes GOTO next paragraph ELSE IF any question is answered no, the player is not in an offside position and can participate in play until the next touch by a member of his team. At that point GOTO question 1.

The player is in an offside position, ask two more questions:

a. Is the player interfering with play or an opponent?
b. Is the player gaining an advantage?

If either of these is true or becomes true before the next touch by one of his OWN side then the assistant flags for offside and the referee blows for the infraction and awards an indirect free kick, to be taken from where the attacker was at the moment the ball was touched or played by a member of his own team.

Remember that it is not contrary to the Law to be in an offside position. After the ball is played a footballer may run into an offside position and play it without penalty. When a player is in an offside position and the ball is touched or played by a colleague that player may not get involved, without penalty, even if the ball bounces off an opponent or an opponent misplays it.

Try to think about all of that in the fraction of a second it takes to decidee whether to raise the flag or not.

I have always been taught to alternate between the play and the offside position (like a windshield wiper). Sometimes you see something that can grab your attention. You just have to judge which is more important at the time. After a while, it becomes almost instinctual.

[blind_clown]

A player is in an offside position if:

- he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent.

When judgment of offside position is necessary, at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his OWN team ask these questions:

1. Is the player in the attacking half of the field?
2. Is the player nearer the goal line than the ball?
3. Is the player nearer the goal line than the last but one opponent or the last two opponents?

If all are answered yes GOTO next paragraph ELSE IF any question is answered no, the player is not in an offside position and can participate in play until the next touch by a member of his team. At that point GOTO question 1.

The player is in an offside position, ask two more questions:

a. Is the player interfering with play or an opponent?
b. Is the player gaining an advantage?

If either of these is true or becomes true before the next touch by one of his OWN side then the assistant flags for offside and the referee blows for the infraction and awards an indirect free kick, to be taken from where the attacker was at the moment the ball was touched or played by a member of his own team.

Remember that it is not contrary to the Law to be in an offside position. After the ball is played a footballer may run into an offside position and play it without penalty. When a player is in an offside position and the ball is touched or played by a colleague that player may not get involved, without penalty, even if the ball bounces off an opponent or an opponent misplays it.

Try to think about all of that in the fraction of a second it takes to decidee whether to raise the flag or not.

I have always been taught to alternate between the play and the offside position (like a windshield wiper). Sometimes you see something that can grab your attention. You just have to judge which is more important at the time. After a while, it becomes almost instinctual.

This is the standard offside answer from asktheref.com.

[Pablo Chicago]

Sound and/or peripheral vision.

Arguably the hardest call to make in sports. Judging by sound is not an option in a packed house, and unless the ref's assistant has the peripheral vision of a fish (I'll leave the ref/fish analysis to other BS members), in some cases it's going to be a coin toss.

[blind_clown]

I once saw a study on how at high level/fast moving games, sound was not an option on long balls, due to the speed of sound and fast pace of play. The farther the ball was played from the higher the margin of error and it was nowhere near what we'd accept.

If you can't fit everything in your field of vision you can use clues. Sound still helps. Maybe you've gotten a feel for how the defenders are moving. Make adjustments in your head: I looked at the kick, now I just turned my head to the forward and he's a half step off, he must have been on when it was kicked.

Luckily on the long balls, where most of the problems are, the defense has more time to recover and the ball has a higher chance of being off target, taking some of the pressure off.

One more tip:
If you kept it down and no one yelled "offside", put it up.
If you put it up and no one yelled "no", hope you have time to put it back down. ;)
100% of the calls you make will be wrong if you do it right.

[Laggard]

Also, for me at least it's sometimes easy to spot just by where the offending player is. If you're watching her the entire time and she's in an offside position the whole time, it's obviously an offside if the ball comes rolling up to her. A quick glance usually makes it obvious who the ball came from. In my U11 games I rarely get those really close calls. If they're in an offside position, they tend to stay in that position for while.

Did that make any sense?

[BC_Ref]

Also, for me at least it's sometimes easy to spot just by where the offending player is. If you're watching her the entire time and she's in an offside position the whole time, it's obviously an offside if the ball comes rolling up to her. A quick glance usually makes it obvious who the ball came from. In my U11 games I rarely get those really close calls. If they're in an offside position, they tend to stay in that position for while.


But as players get older, and especially sneakier, this isn't workable. I've seen a few that basically do a "weave" through the 2nd last defender line - on/off, on/off, on/off. Very difficult to pick-up when they are offside versus not.

[whitehound]

The kicker is sometimes more than 20 yards away. How can a referee look at the kicker and the receiver at the same time?
You simply cant which is why the best in the world screw it up regularly. You cant do it perfectly even if offside was all the AR was required to do. BUT IT IS NOT! We must also watch the ball near our touch to see if it goes OOB AND also assist with game control as instructed by the Referee. This is why I think being a good AR is MUCH tougher then being a good referee.........and why I hate the impossible job.

[macheath]

But as players get older, and especially sneakier, this isn't workable. I've seen a few that basically do a "weave" through the 2nd last defender line - on/off, on/off, on/off. Very difficult to pick-up when they are offside versus not.

Similar tactic on direct kicks, pioneered by Van Nistelroy and other pros. They deliberately set up in an offside position, and then dart back just before the kick is taken, to either draw a defender to them (and thus allow them to set up closer to the goal), or just to cause confusion in the defense. They also hope to divert the attention of defenders in the wall. Perfectly legal, as long as they get back before the kick, but tough to monitor.

[Englishref]

I find it fairly straightforward, granted I'm not lining in front of a packed stadium, but the easiest way to do it, yet I see it very little abroad, is to do crabbing (side stepping) down the touchline. That way you can see most of the pitch, and it's easier to have a quick look at the kicker, see he's about to play the ball forward, and look back at the line as he kicks it.

[whitehound]

I find it fairly straightforward, granted I'm not lining in front of a packed stadium, but the easiest way to do it, yet I see it very little abroad, is to do crabbing (side stepping) down the touchline. That way you can see most of the pitch, and it's easier to have a quick look at the kicker, see he's about to play the ball forward, and look back at the line as he kicks it.
basic AR mechanics. We show a film on this technique in first year training.

[gosellit]

I find it fairly straightforward, granted I'm not lining in front of a packed stadium, but the easiest way to do it, yet I see it very little abroad, is to do crabbing (side stepping) down the touchline. That way you can see most of the pitch, and it's easier to have a quick look at the kicker, see he's about to play the ball forward, and look back at the line as he kicks it.

Interesting. It wasn't until the 16th post that someone mentioned sidestepping. Keeping square to the field and side stepping is essential to be able to use your peripheral vision and see the play of the ball and STLD.

Another trick you may want to try is step back off the line a bit so that you can see the touchline in from the corner of both your eyes. You can get a better perpective of the field and you have a better chance of being alligned correctly with the STLD.

[macheath]

Interesting. It wasn't until the 16th post that someone mentioned sidestepping. Keeping square to the field and side stepping is essential to be able to use your peripheral vision and see the play of the ball and STLD.

Another trick you may want to try is step back off the line a bit so that you can see the touchline in from the corner of both your eyes. You can get a better perpective of the field and you have a better chance of being alligned correctly with the STLD.

These are great suggstions. For young ARs, the biggest issue is getting them not to watch the ball, but stay focused on the STLD. Their gaze and attention drifts to the ball. One young AR told me he wanted to help with calling who got the throw-ins, so we talked about how his most important activity was to concentrate on the STLD--more important than the direction of a throw-in, which I can usually get as the center. But I can't see that line of players from an angle.

[BC_Ref]

One young AR told me he wanted to help with calling who got the throw-ins, so we talked about how his most important activity was to concentrate on the STLD--more important than the direction of a throw-in, which I can usually get as the center. But I can't see that line of players from an angle.

Pretty close to my instructions. I generally say that their role is to do the following (roughly)
1 - Ball in/out on the goal line (the dreaded - was it a goal)
2 - offside
3 - ball in/out on the touchline
4 - throw-in direction (split from 3 since our fields have iffy lines. I find I need help with is the ball in/out)
5 - fouls, penalty kicks, etc... (basically everything else)
I'm clear that if have a choice of handling well 1 through 3, or poorly 1 through 4, don't strain for the throw-in directions if they missed it because they are concentrating on #2 - let me do it and take the crap.