Held Whistle

NFHS/USAL Rule 13: Excerpt from "Girls Lacrosse for Beginners 2025"

Rule 13 Definition of Terms

13Rule 13 is actually not a rule.  It is a helpful glossary of terms to assist in understanding the rules. Here is a selection of terms:

  • 8 METER ARC – An area formed at both goals that begins at the Goal Circle and extends 8 meters beyond and in front of the Goal Circle.
  • 12 METER FAN – A semi-circle formed at both goals, touching the GLE and extending 12 meters from the Goal Circle. The 12 Meter Fan forms the Critical Score Area above the Goal Line Extended.
  • BLOCKING – Moving into the path of a player with the ball without giving that player a chance to stop or change direction causing contact.
  • CHARGING – A player with the ball pushes into, shoulders, or backs into and makes bodily contact with an opponent who has already established position (though not necessarily stationary).
  • CHECKING – An attempt to dislodge the ball from an opponent’s crosse by using controlled crosse-to-crosse contact.
  • CRITICAL SCORING AREA (CSA) – An area formed by the 12 Meter Fan above the Goal Line Extended (GLE) and continuing below the GLE to the endline.
  • CROSS[E]-CHECK – Using the shaft of the crosse to hit, push, or displace an opponent.
  • DANGEROUS PLAY – Any action that is rough, threatening, and/or are without regard to player safety.
  • DEPUTY – A player on the defensive goalkeeper’s team who may only enter or remain in the goal circle when the deputy’s team is in possession of the ball and the goalkeeper is out of the goal circle.
  • FLAG – Recognition and advantage of a Major Foul committed by the defense in the CSA while the attack is on a scoring play.
  • GOAL LINE EXTENDED (GLE) – The imaginary extension of the Goal Line that is located between both posts of a Goal. The GLE divides the CSA into areas “Above the GLE” (in front of the Goal) and “Below the GLE” (behind the Goal).
  • HASH MARKS – Marks for penalty administration on the 8 Meter Arc. The “Hanging Hash Mark” is the mark located outside the Arc and along the edge of the “Pie.”
  • HELD WHISTLE - Refraining from enforcing a rule when a player is fouled but maintains quality possession; and calling a foul would disadvantage the non-offending team.
  • LOWER SIDE OF CROSSE – The wooden part on the head of a wooden crosse or the right side on a plastic crosse as one looks at the crosse with the pocket open to the viewer.
  • PENALTY ZONE – The area formed by the 8 Meter Arc, the marks 8 meters away from the goal circle on the GLE, and the area formed by the dots below the GLE. 
  • PICK – A technique in which a player without the ball, whose positioning, forces the opponent to take another route. To be legal it must be set within the visual field of the opponent allowing enough time and space to stop or change direction. A legal pick may be moving or stationery. 
  • “PIE” – An unofficial reference to the pie-shaped area formed by the arms of the 8 Meter Arc, the “Hanging Hash Mark,” and the GLE.
  • PLAYED – An action whereby the ball leaves the player’s crosse and is touched by another player, or crosse is checked crosse-to-crosse by an opposing player, or play is stopped due to a foul by an opponent. The ball does not have to be successfully dislodged from the crosse.
  • PLAYING DISTANCE – The length of a stick and a half. 
  • SCORING PLAY – A continuous effort by the attacking team to move the ball toward the goal and to complete a shot on goal. 
  • SLASH – A reckless, dangerous, or uncontrolled swing of the crosse at an opponent’s crosse or body whether or not the opponent’s crosse or body is struck.
  • SLOW WHISTLE – See FLAG.
  • SPHERE – An imaginary area of 7 inches (average crosse width) surrounding a player’s head and excluding hair whether or not a helmet is worn.

 


NFHS/USAL Rule 10: Excerpt from "Girls Lacrosse for Beginners 2025"

Rule 10 Major Fouls

Major FoulThere are 25 Major Fouls listed in Rule 10.  Major fouls are those fouls that are intended to protect player safety. These fouls go through occasional adjustments in the rules book in order to keep the game safe.

For example, in 2025 a Rough or Dangerous Check now includes checking an opponent’s hand. The rule change clarifies a player’s hand is part of her body and should be protected.

Given the space available it is not possible to discuss every Major Foul. Comments will be made on several Major Fouls, however.

One of the tools of Umpires is the Held Whistle or “Advantage.” The Held Whistle is used in the field area to show recognition of a foul – minor or major – but to allow play to continue so as not to disadvantage the team that was fouled.

The Held Whistle is a good, but limited, tool. Often players do not see the signal for a Held Whistle, and do not recognize the need to modify their play.

Five Major Fouls require a card and may not be “advantaged” – Check to the Head, Dangerous Contact, Dangerous Follow Through, Dangerous Propelling, and Slash.  Shooting Space does not require a card but does require an immediate whistle.

MajorCrosse in the Sphere may look extremely dangerous to spectators and coaches, but it may be “advantaged” so as not to give a disadvantage to the team with the ball.

Major Foul 6Dangerous Contact is ANY ACTION that thrusts or shoves any defenseless player. This action could include constant jabs to the kidneys, spleen, or hanging ribs. Dangerous Contact need not be blind side contact or take the player to the ground.

2Dangerous Shot is not necessarily any shot that hits the goalkeeper. In judging a Dangerous Shot the Umpires take into consideration several criteria – distance, speed, level of play, location of the contact, and if the Goalkeeper moves into the shot. The higher the skill and experience level, the less likely a Dangerous Shot will be called. Dangerous Shot is not a mandatory card.

Shot 2Dangerous Propelling or Follow Through usually occur on a shot on goal but may be simply a wild pass in the field.  The issue here is control.  Dangerous Propelling is ball, and Dangerous Follow Through is stick.  The two calls are often confused, and they have the same signal.

Ice Cream ConeShooting Space is an immediate whistle.  Shooting Space is called when the defender is between the shooter and the goal in what is called the “ice cream cone” – a triangle-shaped area with the ball at the apex and the two “legs” of the triangle touching the Goal Circle at its widest points.  A defender is not in Shooting Space when she is within a stick’s length of any attacking player.  The shooter has the responsibility to shoot safely even when the defender is in shooting space.

MajorA Slash is a mandatory card.  It is a reckless or dangerous swing of the crosse at an opponent’s body.  The criteria is simply one of control.  There is some misunderstanding that the criteria for a Slash is that the stick contacts the ground or that the swing is one-handed.  While these actions may inform the decision to call Slash, they are not a part of the criteria.

3Three Seconds is called on defenders in the eight-meter arc who are not within a stick’s length of an attacking player.  A stick’s length is the length of a stick, not a stick and an arm, and not pointing a finger at an attacking player.  Three Seconds may be called once the ball crosses the Restraining Line.

The penalty administration for Three Seconds is based on the location of the ball at the time of the infraction.  If the ball is inside the eight-meter arc, the free position is given at the nearest hash mark.  If the ball is outside the eight-meter arc and above the GLE, the free position is awarded at the nearest point on the 12-meter fan.  If the ball is below the GLE, the free position is given at the nearest dot.