# "False Start" cue **URL:** \ **Category:** Officiating (Public Read-Only)\ **Created:** [October 8, 2026, 12:50am UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958 "2026-10-08T00:50:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bacon](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.wftda.org/bacon/32/557_2.png) [@bacon](https://community.wftda.org/u/bacon)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 12:50am UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/1 "2026-10-08T00:50:40Z")
Since the Officiating Cues, Codes, and Signals document will need to be updated soon to reflect name cues, I figure this is a good time to being this up. I propose that we replace the warning “False Start” with “Yield”. Why do I think it should be replaced in the first place? My experience is that skaters of all levels find it confusing. Reactions range from looking bewildered at the official providing the warning (ironically satisfying the requirement) to misinterpreting the warning as a penalty and beginning to report to the box. In the latter case, an official now has to direct additional attention to bringing the skater back on the track. Occasionally, this return improves in their position, resulting in a Cut that wouldn’t have happened if they had never left the track in the first place. I think this confusion is exacerbated by the potential to mistake the jam-starting whistle for a penalty whistle, and especially by the verbal cue. Every other warning that includes a team identifier and skater number tells the skater exactly what to do: - Show the Star - Stay on the track - Return to the track - Go to your bench - False Start One of these things is not like the others. Since the standardized cue for the penalty is “Failure to Yield”, I think replacing the warning with “Yield” (1) reduces confusion and unnecessary penalties, (2) brings it in line with other directed warnings, and (3) makes a clear connection between the warning and the penalty if it does occur. ---
**Author:** ![dangermuffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@dangermuffin](https://community.wftda.org/u/dangermuffin)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 12:58am UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/2 "2026-10-08T00:58:07Z")
I support this change but – the two most common warnings tell a skater what they’ve done, rather than what to do: “Out of Play” and “No Pack.” I would bet that False Start is the third most common warning, too – and all three of them are warnings to prevent Illegal Position penalties, whereas the others are a mismash. All three also communicate something relevant to all skaters (not just the target), which is that the pack is ill-defined (because a false-starting blocker is not part of the pack). So I do see the current situation as more consistent perhaps. But, I agree that it’s awkward and that just saying “yield” would be far easier, and much more clearly connected to the failure-to-yeild penalty, and wouldn’t confuse other skaters. ---
**Author:** ![bacon](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.wftda.org/bacon/32/557_2.png) [@bacon](https://community.wftda.org/u/bacon)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 1:16am UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/3 "2026-10-08T01:16:42Z")
The big difference I see is that with “No pack” and “Out of play”, we aren’t identifying individual skaters. We’re telling everyone what needs to be corrected. “False Start” is prefixed with a team and number, so it hits different. ---
**Author:** ![speedy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.wftda.org/speedy/32/15_2.png) [@speedy](https://community.wftda.org/u/speedy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 8:19am UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/4 "2026-10-08T08:19:56Z")
A lot of people use the term “yield” when they mean “cede”. So there would likely be a nontrivial incidence of skaters ceding as a reaction to a “Yield” cue. Or arguing that there is no way they were out of bounds - just look how far away from the lines they are. Given that both ceding and stopping play in order to argue also satisfy the requirements of yielding, this would still be a clear improvement over the status quo. It just may be worth an explicit guidance that if a skater cedes in response to a “Yield” warning they should not be given a Skating Out Of Bounds penalty. And a benefit not mentioned yet: The shorter verbal cue would help notably in situations where multiple skaters are in a false starting position. ---
**Author:** ![Tilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tilly](https://community.wftda.org/u/Tilly)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 10:08am UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/5 "2026-10-09T10:08:28Z")
As a skater who also does some reffing, this is the cue I find hardest to remember because I want to say yield not false start. So I’m fully in favour of this! I don’t know why false start doesn’t feel intuitive but I think it’s because it often isn’t a false start (as in someone moving when they shouldn’t), it’s often a wheel in the wrong place! ---
**Author:** ![AdamSmasher](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.wftda.org/adamsmasher/32/167_2.png) [@AdamSmasher](https://community.wftda.org/u/AdamSmasher)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 4:56am UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/6 "2026-10-10T04:56:16Z")
As long as we’re updating the document, can we also provide definitions for the cues we have? I know what _I_ think the difference between “Interference” and “Delay of Game” is, but I can’t prove it without pointing to a ten year old ruleset. ---
**Author:** ![dangermuffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@dangermuffin](https://community.wftda.org/u/dangermuffin)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/7 "2026-10-10T18:33:34Z")
Agree with Smasher, but to yes-and it, reviewing the cues codes and signals document, it doesn’t actually say when to use which cue for any of the penalties. I think it’s **more** self-evident when to say “illegal assist” or “early/late hit” or “out of play block” than the differentiator between Delay of Game and Interference (which to me sound like synonyms). Might we want to actually go the other way and allow **more** cues that mean the same thing and are easy to understand and are very similar to count as “correct?” “Track Cut,” “Cutting,” “Directional,” “Clockwise [Block]”, “Multiplayer Block” I understand that we formalized these for ease of communication/understanding, but it sort of didn’t work as I often hear skilled officials use one of these variants of the correct version, which are all very very easy to understand too. I wonder whether it would make sense to put together a Cues Codes and Signals working group sometime after champs? As far as I personally know, this topic does not fall under the scope of any existing/active wftda committee, but it seems there is interest in iterating? ---
**Author:** ![bacon](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.wftda.org/bacon/32/557_2.png) [@bacon](https://community.wftda.org/u/bacon)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 10:13am UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/8 "2026-10-12T10:13:02Z")
A working group after champs sounds like a good idea. We can talk about my devotion to “Destroying the Pack” instead of “Destruction” and revisit [The “Report to the Box” signal](https://community.wftda.org/t/the-report-to-the-box-signal/1759). Apparently I have several Opinions on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![OffEd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9d8465/32.png) [@OffEd](https://community.wftda.org/u/OffEd)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/9 "2026-10-12T22:52:49Z")
Hi there! We know it’s been quiet around here but this thread is a great place to share. OffEd was tasked with updating Hand Signals and Verbal Cues, along with Officiating procedures. So in terms of where it lives, it’s with us. We’re working to ensure we align our updates and changes with changes that may come from the Name Cues testing to incorporate those, hence the quietness. However, we are planning on releasing some polls and surveys for just this, feedback, ideas, and wants from the community to better determine what updates and changes are desired. Look for those not only here but released more widely before the end of the year. Stay tuned. ---
**Author:** ![hardace](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.wftda.org/hardace/32/106_2.png) [@hardace](https://community.wftda.org/u/hardace)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/10 "2026-10-20T20:17:55Z")
Hi! This isn’t strictly an officiating-related comment/question, but it’s related to documentation, so it feels like an ok place to hook on to. There was some discussion on a discord server about the safety guidelines being spread across multiple documents (rules, sanctioning policy, framework), so it would make sense and make it easier for people to find everything if there were one document that contained everything you need to have to run a game (track layout, safety, sanctioning, etc) that’s basically pasted from the other documents. Since you’re already planning to work on officiating procedures, I’d like to note that it would be nice to have a similar document with the best practices and whistle cues and that sort of thing rather than multiple ones. If that’s what you’re already planning, yay! ---
**Author:** ![wftdamembersvcs](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/community.wftda.org/wftdamembersvcs/32/8_2.png) [@wftdamembersvcs](https://community.wftda.org/u/wftdamembersvcs)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 12:33pm UTC](https://community.wftda.org/t/false-start-cue/1958/11 "2026-10-21T12:33:39Z")
We’ve definitely discussed revamping the documentation for all games policies and condensing into fewer documents, so this is a goal for 2027!