Question Number: 19025

Mechanics 5/8/2008

RE: grade 8 Under 15

Rumy Petkov of New Brighton, Minnesota United States asks...

how to signal a direct and indirect free kicks?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

This should certainly have been covered in your initial certification class. Please don't tell me that a Grade 8 referee doing U15 games doesn't know the signals.

For either a direct or indirect kick, the ref first blows the whistle to stop play, and then points the direction of the kick with one arm raised about 45 degrees above horizontal. For an indirect kick, the referee also raises one arm vertically overhead. It may be necessary some time in the process to indicate the location of the restart by pointing to the spot of the foul.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

There is one signal mentioned in the Laws. Any guess what that one signal is? The signal for indirect free kick and that is found on page 28 of the 2007/2008 Laws of the Game. Making it through an entry level class without having that knowledge says little for the instructors presentation of the Law 13 module of instruction. Or, mayhaps, the student's level of attention during the presentation.

There are things a first match referee just needs to know when she walks out onto the field, the signal you ask about is one of those things. Also the signal is maintained until the ball touches another player.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Gene Nagy

Rumy, just remember one thing for me, never signal using both hands at the same time! We call this the ten to two signal. Many refs signal the direction AND where the kick is to be taken from at the same time. It drives me up the wall! Here is what you do: as soon as you blow for a foul within 0.01 second you should either signal straight up in the air (and moving ususally backwards in the direction of the kick) for IFK, holding the arm up until the ball touches another player or goes out of bounds and at 45 degrees for a DFK in the direction the team is going. For DFKs, just 3 or 4 seconds will do or until they catch on who is to kick it. Now if they spot it in the wrong place THEN correct them. For PKs point to the penalty spot.