Lesson #17: Introduction to penalties¶
by Stephen Lorimor / Axis of Stevil and Isabelle Santos / Blocktopus
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.