I like this quote from the book "For the Good of the Game." It really got me thinking about how I call deliberate handling: “From our observations of officiating in youth soccer, we estimate that twice as many “handballs” are penalized as should be. Many inexperienced referees are over-zealous, but if you then add the problem that parents and spectators that are unfamiliar with the game shout every time the ball touches a hand or arm, the tendency for the official is a compulsion to blow his whistle in response.” - “For the Good of the Game”, Robert Evans (FIFA Referee Instructor, 1992) and Edward Bellion, p.79 I've had to come to peace with the knowledge that if I try to call it correctly, I'm going to get a lot of grief from the parents and coaches (I do about 80% youth games, 20% adult rec games). The easy thing to do is to just blow the whistle whenever the ball hits a player's hand or arm; people seldom complain, even if it was an accident. But after studying the laws and guidance over the years, I really started trying to only call "deliberate handling." When I first did this, the clearest guidance was in the old ATR, which gave these three considerations (paraphrased): 1. Could they have avoided the touch but chose not to? 2. Was the arm in an unnatural position? 3. Did they use an accidental touch to control the ball? Then the 2014 ATR gave these guidelines: A handling offense should not be called if: • the ball moves to the hand. • the ball strikes the hand unexpectedly. • the player reflexively moves the hand to protect himself or herself when the ball is coming in at speed and/or from a short distance away. • the hand is held in a position deemed normal for players of that age and/or experience level. • A player does not unfairly control or direct a ball that initially made contact with the player’s hand entirely accidentally. • the ball contacts a hand which is not being held away from the body at a restart in order to make the player bigger. I think I've gotten better at making or not making these calls over the years (and I usually shout "Keep going!" if I think there might be some confusion about whether or not there was a foul.) But in the end, there are too many players, parents and coaches who have been conditioned to think the the game stops when the ball hits a player's hand - period. And there's nothing I can do about that (other than encourage them to sign up for the referee class and become referees!) One thing I really focus on is whether the player's eyes were tracking the ball, and their arm was moving towards the ball or away from the ball.
You are doing something about it and I encourage everyone to do the same - DON'T call handling if it's not. It is getting better, at least in the last several higher level matches I was on. As AR2 I heard "they don't call that anymore" after a ball hit an arm which is kinda better. Next step might be they realize why we don't call that anymore - because it's not handling.
Not to disagree with Evans and Bellion, but I've heard it said that if you never call handling again in your life, you'll probably be right about 90% of the time.
I don't make very many handling calls. I've heard parents (and coaches) say "he's not gonna call any handballs today". Well I'm gonna try not to call any unless they are deliberate. I'll take the grief. (actually a little part of me likes annoying parents who don't know the laws )
I don't think you're disagreeing with them. Which is why you said "not to disagree"? Now I'm confused...
From my coaching perspective, it is getting better - fewer "ball hit arm but she couldn't have gotten out of the way had she tried" plays getting called Handling. And I don't coach at a high competitive level.
I was thinking about this while stuck in traffic... Couple years ago at a recert (back before they were handled online :aargh, we watched a PRO offside test video. Tight, tight, tight scenarios but good for discussion. Has anybody ever seen or heard of anything similar for handling?
Here are some good learning videos about what is and is not a handball: Additionally a simple way to see if it is or is not a handball is to look at the reaction of the hand. If the hand is rigid and does not move, it is more likely a handling offence. If the hand is limp and moves like it was struck it is most likely not a handling offence.
Don't forget "trifling and doubtful". There is lots of room for doubt and trifle when the ball is knocked randomly in pinball fashion; there is much less when it lands right at the feet of an open player with a line to goal. And we do ref for the rules, for the players, and for the audience. We do need to think about what brings pleasure to the viewers. The main reason to avoid hand ball calls at midfield is so you have some room to work with in the PA;-)
Hey, bad calls bring pleasure to the viewers too. Why, only yesterday: "You need a new prescription ref!" "I got one just this week." "Well it's not working!" "I didn't get it filled yet."