Lesson #17: Introduction to penalties ===================================== *by Stephen Lorimor / Axis of Stevil and Isabelle Santos / Blocktopus* `Watch this lesson on YouTube `_ Last updated: March 31, 2023 Concepts -------- - Penalties are a punishment for infractions related to: - Illegally gained advantage (for the individual or their team) - Disrupting game flow - Risking the safety of oneself or others - Unsporting conduct - Three requirements to issue a penalty: - Initiator - Who initiated the action? - Nature - What was the status of the skaters involved? (ex; down, between jams, in bounds, entering the penalty box, etc.) - What parts of the skaters’ bodies were involved? - Was the action intentional? - Did the action appear egregious, reckless, and/or negligent? - Impact - What was the result of the action? - The initiator of a block is always responsible for the legality of the contact - Exception: when the contact was caused by an opponent’s illegal action. - Example: White Jammer back blocks Black Blocker. Black Blocker falls into the legs of White Blocker causing them to fall as well. White Jammer receives a penalty; Black Blocker does not. - The initiator of the block isn’t always obvious (ex: back block vs. blocking with one’s back) - Counter-blocking is held to the same standards as blocking - Counter-blocking is movement toward an incoming block to counter its force. - Exception: blocking while out of play. (Blocking is illegal, counter-blocking is legal) - Continued engagement after a counter-block becomes a block. - A skater penalized between jams serves the penalty in the position they appear to be acting. Definitions ----------- - Relative position - A skater’s location on the track in relation to other skaters when that skater is in bounds and upright. - Relative position is judged based on the position of everyone involved in an engagement, not just the people who make contact. - Example: The relative position of a jammer that illegally blocks the left-most person of a three-person wall is judged against everyone in that wall. - Advantage - An event that benefits one skater or team over another. - Examples: scoring a point, gaining relative position, an opponent losing relative position, impeding the progress of an opponent, rendering an opponent unable to block, stopping the game clock, interrupting a star pass, etc. - Gaining advantages through an illegal action warrants a penalty. - Established position - A skater’s physical location and status on the track. - Example: Up vs down, in vs. out of bounds, in vs. out of play, and a legal vs. illegal starting position - A skater need not stand still to hold an established position, although if they change their status or trajectory they require a moment to establish a new position. - Fouling out - The removal of a skater for the remainder of a game after accumulating seven penalties. - Blocking zone - The part of a skater’s body that initiates a block. Can be legal or illegal (2.4.2). - Target zone - The part of a targeted skater’s body that receives a block. Can be legal or illegal (2.4.1). - Immediately - At the first legal opportunity - Warning - A verbal (and sometimes physical) indication an individual or team is in danger of receiving a penalty for an illegal action.