Hi all,
I wanted to post here after some calls I made at Clover Cup 2026 this past weekend. For context, the game in question was a JRDA game but I don’t feel this alters the scenario.
During the first period of the game both myself (RIPR/HR) and another SO (OPR) observed several instances of a move which I would describe as a modified version of a ‘catch/pin’.
Mechanics:
- White team blocker places their upper arm ahead/around torso of black team skater, and their thigh (of the same side of their body) behind the upper leg of the white team skater - a traditional ‘catch’
- Rather than clamping down in the usual sense (which would become a Misconduct, pinning, if the black team skater was unable to free themselves) the white team blocker instead drove their upper arm backwards (against the chest) and their leg forwards (against the back of the black team skaters leg), resulting in the black team skater falling completely to the ground.
- This move, if applied with significant force, can result in the flipping of the receiving skater.
- It is important to note that this isn’t the same as a pinning penalty because in this situation the action is fast and the receiving skater has no time to react to try to free themselves from the hold.
After observing this in the first period I spoke to the rest of the crew and we agreed that this move was significantly dangerous, unsporting and against the spirit of the game and was an obvious progression of the rule clarification around Misconduct pinning. In the half I spoke to both team benches (together) and explained what we observed and made it clear that if this move was performed with impact it would be called as a Misconduct and if it resulted in flipping there would be discussion around expulsion. There was extended discussion with the coaches related to the fact that this move was legal contact zone/legal target zone (although the back of the leg above the knee is not a legal target zone) etc. and did not fall under the specific pinning or jabbing clarifications for Misconduct.
In the second period I called two Misconduct penalties for this action.
I wanted to post here for several reasons:
- After this game there was discussion around officials using their discretion to call penalties on moves like this which are not explicitly covered in the rules/clarifications/casebook. I want to do my due diligence as an official and ensure that there is an opportunity to discuss calls like this, in order to maintain equitable officiating of games
- I think this move is significantly dangerous that it deserves its own entry or clarification
- I wanted to share the move because it happens rapidly and can be easily overlooked
- I wanted other peoples input as to how to handle these situations
There is footage from the game which I have not linked here as it is a JRDA game, not WFTDA and I don’t think that the specific team/skater/event is really even relevant, this isn’t about calling people out. The skaters were operating within the confines of what the rules currently explicitly state and these type of moves don’t get identified until a team tries them. I want this discussion to be around the broader concept of the move and of penalizing this type of action. However, if my description of the action is not clear I can record a video of me performing the move on a willing participant.
TL;DR
I think we need a rules clarification or a casebook entry for a move which is a modification of catching/pinning/flipping/takedown.
Thank you for your time!
-Tinytanium
Edit: This is being discussed on Facebook and I am not posting this here for drama, but for clarity.