Question Number: 26661

Law 15 - Throw In 8/21/2012

RE: Competitive Under 18

Harris of Toronto, Ontario Canada asks...

On throw-ins, I have seen players bending their knees all the way so that they are sitting on their heels and only their tiptoes are touching the ground. Is this allowed?

I remember seeing somewhere mention (not necessarily in the Laws but a credible guide) that the thrower should be standing upright.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Harris
In determining the legality of a thrown the referee has to bring an element of implicit knowledge to the decision. While minor deviations from what is the norm may be allowed by the referee, a player sitting on the heels would not be and it will attract howls of 'foul throw'. A referee would be correct in considering this action to be an incorrectly taken throw in a nd to award the throw in to the opponents.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

While not specifically against the laws of the game, the spirit of the law is also quite important. I think this is definitely outside the bounds of what's intended for a throw in, so I'd definitely consider this to be incorrectly taken.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

Players should be standing when taking a throw. Award a foul throw

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Is this after the ball is thrown? If so, it doesn't matter. Sometimes a player will end up that way on a flip throw, but the ball is usually delivered to the field while the player is upright.

If this is done during the throw, what on earth are they being coached to do that for? There is no way to get distance on the ball starting from the position. Surely they are fiddle farting around, which should be punished by a warning or a caution and an award of the throw-in to the other team.