14B.8.10 High stick
Comments about this discussion:
Started
The rules read:
14B.8.10 High Stick
The blade of the stick must always be below the players’ own hips and the hips of all
players in the vicinity who might be endangered. Exception: When defending a shot on
goal in the direct vicinity of one’s own goal, the lower end of the stick can be raised as
high as the crossbar of the goal.
The hip is a rather vague pinpointer. In the german league we've come to the norm, to gauge it by the height of the saddle instead. It's easier to see from all sides and to pinpoint an exact height.
While we are at it: Is it about the whole blade, or the tip of the blade? I see many players ride around with their sticks somewhat high but they are holding the stick upside down so that the tip of the blade is lower that the rest of it. But when the players shoot, its always the tip that is the highest and its also the tip that can crash into someones face, so i would be more specific here.
I suggest:
"The tip of the blade of the stick must always be below the players’ own saddle and the saddle of all
players in the vicinity who might be endangered."
We could even be more specific by wording it like "the tip of the blade must be higher than the uppermost part of the saddle" or something like that, but some native speaker can maybe make a suggestion here.
Comment
I like this change and think too that it could make it easier to referee.
If you want to be more specific about which part of the blade, I spontaneously would prefer to say "The entire blade of the ..."
Comment
I also like this change.
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I the last rulebooks high stick was the overall most discussed rule. A specification of the blade "tip of" or "entire" I would support, I prefer "entire" or better wording.
I disagree with most other german members. "high stick" is primarily a safety rule to endanger body parts as back, abdomen and above. And if you are with a entire blade away from a body part which can very quick and easily be seen like the big hip it would the play will be safe enouph. As referee I have not the time to identify under a black rider shorts a small part of a mostly black sattle.
I the last 3 rulebooks we changed and spezified the rule high stick evertime, but "below under hip height" was never a matter of probably to change the well to recognize height. And yes, chape of hips and hip heights will fary but saddles and their heights will fary too, both are keeping vague, therefore I can't see a benefit to messure saddles and their heights.
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I like the ‚entire‘ suggestion too.
Comment
In my opinion, it hardly makes a difference whether stick height is defined by the hip or the saddle, as the actual height during play remains practically identical. I understand the argument that the saddle appears to be a clearly defined reference point. However, the saddle is often difficult to distinguish for some players, especially when its color closely matches that of their pants. Therefore, I see practical advantages in using the hip as the reference point, as it is significantly easier, faster, and clearer for referees and players to identify during the game. Given that the primary objective is player safety and preventing sticks from reaching dangerous areas such as the head or upper body, I consider the hip to be the better choice.
A possible wording of the rule could be as follows:
"The entire blade must remain below one's own hip as well as the hips of all surrounding players who could potentially be endangered at all times. Exception: When defending against a goal shot in the immediate vicinity of one's own goal, the entire blade may be raised up to the height of the crossbar, provided the highest point of the blade does not exceed the crossbar."
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From my point of view the saddle option is easier than the hip for the referee. But seems like this is very individual.
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I think it makes no difference wether we take the hip or the saddle as the limit.
I think the important word is: "The entire blade of the..."
So i will agree with both.
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I have no issue either way. If we are using the hip joint as the "hip" then it is almost exactly the same height as the saddle so whether people start using the saddle or continue to use hip joint almost no change would occur in the height being used.
I think "entire" blade is the only real change here and everyone seems on board with this