Question Number: 34150

Law 15 - The Throw In 3/8/2021

RE: Comp Under 18

Mark Krawiec of Rocklin, CA USA asks...

Regarding throw ins.

So, this was called a bad throw. And, though it looks awkward, I can't really see a reason the throw is bad. Feet seem ok. Ball behind ears/head. Uniform, albeit kinda ugly motion. Shouldn't get style points, but what am I missing?

I attached a slow mo clip to the full speed clip.

https://youtu.be/PXrrBnlj-cQ

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Mark,
I'd like to see a clip that starts a little further back. On the video as I look at it, is not really clear where the player starts their throwing motion. It looks a bit like the player has started with the ball above rather than behind the head (possiblyly because the clip seems to start a little bit after the player actually starts to move his arms).

In real time, it may have looked that way to the referee also.

Having said that, I do see a lot of "foul throws" called where I really can't see which part of the (very minimal) requirements in the law have not been met.

This occurs even at the top level - in fact I would say that there is one Premier League referee who has a particularly bad habit of deeming perfectly legal throws to have been improperly taken, just because they look ugly, when if you analyse the throws closely, every part of the law has been compiled with.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

The throw-in is designed as an easy way to restart play, from my vantage point absolutely senseless to disallow the throw as being performed incorrectly given it includes the basic behind and over the head delivery with feet on the ground behind the touchline. Referee and dude yelling looking way too hard to find fault! Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Mark
Law 15 tells us that
"At the moment of delivering the ball, the thrower must:
# stand facing the field of play
# have part of each foot on the touchline or on the ground outside the touchline
# throw the ball with both hands from behind and over the head from the point where it left the field of play"
So in many way it is a simple way of restarting the game for a ball out over the touchline.
From the video we can say
1. The thrower is facing the field of play
2. Has part of each foot on the ground outside the field of play
The only question mark is over the throwing action . If this was Pro game the throw in would be allowed as it meets the requirements of the Law in that the ball was behind the head at a point. The throwing action is *different* in that it is more of a flip than a throw yet that happens a lot in the Pro game.
Have a look at this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGkpkMnNOQg

That is an incorrectly taken throw in yet it is ignored by the opponents and the referee.
I suspect what has happened in your example is that someone on the opposing coaching staff is on the referees case about *bad* throws. That person can be heard shouting on the video. So anything that looks different gets shouted out and the referee starts to oblige with turnovers.
I have given thought as to the reason for the throwing mechanism and the way it is written in the Laws and I opine that it is to prevent players crowding close to the thrower. So to take a throw in as written there is a limit as to how close a player can come to the thrower to get the ball to feet.

Now I recall when I was coaching that a particular referee always called throw ins that were taken with the player moving. As a result I always told the players that they must stand otherwise it will be a turnover. In games there were always multiple *foul throws* with nothing that was intrinsically wrong just that he did not allow it. Foot dragging was not acceptable to him either yet for most if not all others referees it was perfectly acceptable.
I also remark that at Underage and grassroots that there is more likelihood of shouts for incorrectly taken throw ins and throwers and team mates need to be mindful of that. I hate it when every throw has a chorus of *foul throw* when really it is insignificant in the scheme of the game.

The advise to this team is that the receiver of the throw needs to delay his run to the ball and being further back so that the thrower can *throw* the ball to feet rather than a flip throw to get it to feet. Players also need to adjust to what is happening on the day in any particular game. If *bad throws* are being shouted out then adjust accordingly.
On another day with another referee and team this would be ignored.