Face-Offs July 9, 2022 World Games 2014 0 Forum Questions Rule 4.3.3.i "Upon the whistle starting play, players must attempt to play the ball first before they may body-check their opponent." There isn't a Situation in the Rules Book for the Rule. Yes, the face-off players must play the ball before bodying-up their opponent... that said, the player is not required to play the ball at the whistle; they can concede the face-off (without contact), but not engage with their opponent until possession is gained -- or the wing players have joined the scrum. Is that an accurate interpretation? Question File Add new DuBan's Answer: Visual Text You have raised a question to which the answer is about as nuanced as any situation in the sport of high school boys' lacrosse. Here is the translation/interpretation of the statement you quoted in your question: <strong>After the official blows the whistle to conduct a face-off, and while the players are still in the "battle position" (meaning the ball is between the face-off players and within the width of their feet), neither face-off player can make contact with the body of their opponent.</strong> To continue to travel down the line of how this plays out in the real world, once the ball is no longer between the players, or it leaves the width of their feet, it's no longer in the battle position, so players can legally push the body of their opponent. The reason (in our opinion) it's dangerous and confusing to even write "body check their opponent" is because the rulebook further clarified this year that players engaged in a face-off are, by definition, defenseless. And, because you cannot deliver a body check to a defenseless player (that is a 2-minute non-releasable foul), then you cannot body check a player engaged in a face-off EVER. So let's settle on the phrase "legally push" (meaning from the front, within 5-yards of the loose ball, between the shoulders and the waist). The next part of what you wrote about waiting until possession is gained and then engaging the opponent is a very fair interpretation of what is legal. Kratz's Answer: Visual Text McCarrick's Answer: Visual Text Riti's Answer: Visual Text Tyma's Answer: Visual Text Answer File Question Answered Yes No
