1. Central Pennsylvania Lacrosse Officials Association (CPLOA)
Officials Training
Rule 5 – Personal Fouls
Rule 6 – Technical Fouls
Rule 7- Penalty Enforcement

2. Rule 5 - Personal Fouls Violations of a serious nature Penalty time
Cross check
Illegal body check
Illegal crosse
Use of illegal equipment
Slashing
Tripping
Unnecessary roughness
Unsportsmanlike conduct
Penalty time
1 – 3 minutes
Depends on official’s judgment of
Severity
Perceived intent

3. Cross check Applying a check with the crosse Thrusting
Holding away from body
Crosse between hands
If hands are together, not a cross check

4. Illegal body check Bodychecking is a part of the game
Bodychecking illegal when:
Body check when opponent
Not possess ball, or
Not within 5 yards of loose ball
From rear, below waist, above shoulders
If player turns, not illegal
Judge initial contact
Body check when opponent on ground
When anything other than feet touching ground
Avoidable body check after
Pass or shot
Turning
Spearing
Minimum 1 minute, non-releasable (3 min. if vicious)

5. Illegal crosse One or three minute non releasable Deep pocket
1 min. non releasable
Altered crosse
Length, head dimension, etc.
3 min. non releasable
Stick remains at table
Player adjusts crosse (for stick check)
1 minute non releasable - automatic
Additional 1-3 min. NR if crosse is illegal

6. Illegal equipment Fingers and palms of gloves
If cut, illegal (1 min. NR)
If holes worn, instruct to tape the holes
Not wearing shoulder pads, arm pads
1 minute NR
Does not apply to goalie
Goalie has option to not wear these pads
Goalie must wear
Throat protector
Chest protector

7. Slashing Swinging the crosse Striking a player Pass, shot, scoop
Deliberate viciousness and reckless abandon
Player need not be struck
Striking a player
Head (helmet)
Neck
Back (flank)
Chest (stomach)
Arms (when not playing the crosse)
Unless used to deflect stick check
Cannot deliberately beat on the arm
3rd hit – flag down, slash
Legs (always)
Pass, shot, scoop
Not a slash

8. Tripping Obstruct a player below the waist with (causing to fall down)
Legs, crosse, hands, etc.
Must be positive primary action
When standing
Any secondary action
When not standing
Not tripping if
Trip over own crosse being checked
During a scoop

9. Unnecessary roughness
Excessively violent push or hold
Violent contact of a screener
Excessively violent contact which is avoidable
May have been otherwise legal
Check delivered with punching blow
UNR is not fighting
Fighting is not related to the game of lacrosse

10. Unsportsmanlike conduct
1 Arguing with an official*
2 Threaten, profane, obscene*
Language
Gestures
3 Bait, call undue attention to self*
Repeatedly commit same Technical foul
Deliberately fail to return to field
Deliberately fail to substitute properly
*Note: fouls in red (1, 2, & 3) are 1-3 min and are
Non-Releaseable

11. Fouling out 5 personal fouls Substitute may enter after time served
Disqualified
Time served by self
Substitute may enter after time served
Man-down time is complete

12. Ejection Deliberately striking or attempting to strike
Leaving bench during an altercation
Use of tobacco (any kind)
Second non-releasable foul
Flagrant conduct
In official’s judgment
Penalty
3 min. NR
Ejection for remainder of game
Ejected coach leaves premises
Ejected player leaves premises if supervised

13. Rule 6 - Technical fouls Violations of a less serious nature
Crease violation
Goalie interference
Holding
Illegal screening
Illegal procedure
Conduct foul
Interference
Offside
Pushing
Stalling
Warding off
Withholding
Penalty time
30 seconds (releasable), or
turnover

14. Crease violation Attacking team violates the crease
Player steps on crease line or in crease
Defense enters own crease with ball
Defense may receive a pass in the crease
A player may never enter opponents crease
A player may enter own crease
Unless possesses the ball
May receive pass in the crease

15. Goalie interference
Obstructing or touching the goalie while in the crease
Goalie’s stick may not be touched inside the crease
Goalie’s body may not be touched if he is in the crease
Goalie’s stick may be checked outside of the crease
Unless he has possession and he is in the crease
If a toenail is in the crease, he is in the crease
He is out when nothing is in the crease
He has possession when he has the ball
i.e., a “clamp” is not possession
Goalie does not have possession
Play on (slow whistle)
Award laterally if his team does not gain possession
Goalie has possession
Award at center faceoff X if they fail to clear

16. Holding Holding is NOT NECESSARILY AN ILLEGAL ACT
Definition: Impeding movement of player or his crosse
Permitted when
From front or side, if
Opponent has possession
Opponent within 5 yards of loose ball
From rear, if
No more than equal pressure applied
Must be closed hand, shoulder, forearm, both hands on crosse
Illegal
Handle between hands
Step on crosse
From behind if more than equal pressure exerted
Free hand (hand not on crosse)

17. Illegal screening Block a defensive player
Impede a player with the crosse
Offensive player must be stationary
There must be contact for a screen to take place
Officiate just like basketball
No contact, no foul

18. Illegal procedure Technical in nature (long list) Touching the ball
Illegal actions with the crosse
Throwing the crosse
Participating without the crosse
Crosse in face of opponent
Avoidable lateness
Leaving penalty box too soon
Delaying game
Participating from out of bounds
Not in restraining area at face off
Not 5 yards away
Substitution infractions
Goal-crease violations
Time out violations
More than 10 players
More than 1 unsuccessful inspection requests
More than 4 long crosses
Creating delay (rolling ball away)
Failure to advance into goal area in 10 seconds
No horn

19. Conduct foul Coach enters field of play Coach violating coaching box
Using electronic communicating devices
Players violating bench area
Objecting to an official’s decision
Arguing, gesturing
On opponent’s side of the field
Band, other artificial noise

20. Interference Obstructing free movement of opponent who
Does not have possession
Not within 5 yards of loose ball

21. Offside Failure to keep 3 players on attack half of field
4 players on defense half of field
Usually 3 + goalie
If goalie goes across, another player must stay
Requirements may be met by ANY player
We don’t care if it is A, M, D, or G

22. Pushing Pushing defined Permitted from front or side Not permitted
Thrust or shove
Not a violent blow
Permitted from front or side
If player
has ball or
within 5 yards of loose ball
Not permitted
From rear
If player does not have ball
Player not within 5 yards of loose ball
Interference
Illegal screen

23. Stalling Stall warning for Stalling violation if
Failure to attack the goal (occasional)
Last two minutes of game (common)
Team that is ahead
Must keep ball in attack box
Stalling violation if
Attacking team
Passes ball out of box
Runs ball out of box
Not stalling violation if
Shot ricochets out of box
Deflection by defense

24. Warding off Player in possession shall not Player in possession may
Use free hand, arm, other part of body to
Hold, push, control direction of movement of
crosse
body
Of player applying a check
Player in possession may
Protect his crosse with
Hand, arm, other part of body when
Opponent makes a play to check his crosse

25. Withholding ball from play
Player may not
Lie on the ball
Trap the ball with his crosse
Longer than is necessary to control and pick it up
Withhold ball in any other manner

26. Unsportmanslike Conduct
Penalty Decision Tree
Foul Occurs
Technical
Personal
Flag down
slow whistle
LOOSE Ball?
1 – 3 min No
Yes
NO FLAG
No Whistle
Releasable
B Fouls
A Fouls
Non Releasable
PLAY ON
30 Sec
Take Ball
Away
Simultaneous
Unsportmanslike Conduct
Spearing
Illegal Crosse
Illegal Equipment
Fighting
Permit Offended
Team to Gain
Possession
A Scores
Cancel Foul

27. Rule 7 – Penalty Enforcement
Procedure
Penalty time
Player shall
Leave field at once
Report to scorer’s table
Remain at scorer’s table
Sit or kneel in front of scorer’s table
If goalie
1 minute allowed to warm up new goalie

28. Penalty time Time begins when play resumes If goal scored
Team scored against, released (if releasable)
Team scored, not released
All NR penalties serve full time
If not released, carries over to new period
Penalties on opposing players
Shorter time is NR for both players
Multiple penalties
NR served first

29. Resuming play Resume play at Spot ball became dead
Outside the attack box
At center face off X (if defensive half)
For time-serving penalties only

30. Team penalties No definite player involved No player in the game
“In-home” must serve
Next attack also for multiple fouls
A substitute must serve his own time

31. Simultaneous fouls Opposing players Technical fouls cancel if
During a live ball
Dead ball when sequence not known
Technical fouls cancel if
No flag down or play on
Team in possession commits
Technical, no time served
Personal fouls, time served
Award ball
Less total penalty time
If same total penalty time
Team in possession retains possession
No possession, AP

32. Slow whistle “Flag Down”
Foul against team in possession
Drop flag
Yell “flag down”
Hold whistle (allow play to continue)
Blow whistle when
Ball hits the ground (except a shot)
Goal scored
Ball goes out of bounds
Defense get possession
Shot is no good
Player carries ball out of goal area
Player loses equipment in scrimmage area
Loose ball occurs
Attack commits foul
Fail to clear

33. After slow whistle Enforcement after slow whistle
Personal foul
Time is served (1-3 minutes)
Technical foul
If goal scored
No penalty
If no goal
Penalty served (30 seconds)
Ball awarded to team fouled
Spot of ball when play suspended
Outside box
If there were simultaneous fouls
No goal

34. Play on Loose ball If offended team is disadvantaged by whistle
Hold whistle (allow play to continue)
Verbally signal “play on” and
Visually give “play-on” signal
Play on is over if
Offended team gains possession
Offended team commits
For crease violation with goalie possession
Play continues until offended team is disadvantaged

35. Play-on enforcement Offended player gains possession
No whistle
Play continues
Offended player fails to gain possession
Blow whistle, award ball to team offended
Goalie in possession
Play on until goalie makes outlet

36. Correction of errors Misapplication of rule Inadvertent whistle
Coach may approach scorer’s table
Double horn at next dead ball
If coach is right, no time out charged
If coach is wrong, time out charged
Coach may not debate judgment calls
Inadvertent whistle
Team in possession restarts
If ball loose, AP
Inadvertent flag
Wave flag
Possession same as inadvertent whistle