Set-Pieces - The Humble Throw-In

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Set-Pieces - Give and Go, Give and Sort  Technique By Julian Carosi.
(A series of articles on how to officiate in a proactive way by improving how you deal with specific incidents and how to become a better Referee).

In this article, we look at how a Referee can make the best use of the time that it takes to set up a free kick; and whether it is better for him to stay nearby, or sprint to his new restart position in readiness for the commencement of the free kick.

The word 'free' in the phrase 'free kick' signifies that a team can restart the game without relying on, or without waiting for any action from you (the Referee) or the opposing team. In other words, the team is 'free' to take the kick freely whenever they want to. There are of course exceptions to this, for example, when a player needs to be cautioned, or when the offended team asks you to pace out the required 9.15m distance that opponents must be away from the ball.

In essence, this means that when you stop play for a free kick, you need to do one of two things:

(a) either you need to get to the scene very quickly to deal with any indiscipline, or to manage the setting up of what is commonly know as a 'ceremonial free kick' etc.
(b) or you should use the available (dead-ball) time to reach your restart position to monitor ensuing play, pending the taking of the free kick.

This leaves a third option!
(c) you could linger near the free kick location when you don't need to, or wander round aimlessly in no-mans' land.

It is the third option above, which the Give and Go, Give and Sort technique strives to eliminate.

Why?

A free kick is the result of one team being fouled by the opposing team. This generally produces tension, which very often is unfairly directed at you the Referee. If you have a habit of lingering in the vicinity of free kicks, you presence will invite comments from the players, and very often, the comments will not be polite!

One of the simplest ways for you to minimise dissent, is to get the game restarted as soon as you can. Once a game has restarted, the players' minds are refocused on what they need to do to win the game, rather than how best they can berate you. It therefore follows, that the easiest way to force players to restart the game quickly, is for you to get well out of the way. This can be achieved, by sprinting 40-50 metres away to your new monitoring position in preparation for the arrival of the ball from the free kick.

This is not a rocket science idea; it is easy to appreciate, that when there is no Referee nearby to moan at, there is no point in moaning. So instead, the free kick is taken much quicker. You would think that this is a concept that most Referees learn instinctively. But you would be mistaken! There are untold numbers of Referees, some novices, and some with many years of experience, who wonder why they end up issuing so many cautions for dissent. All I can say, is that if you want to ratchet up your tally of cheap cautions, then the easiest way to achieve this is to linger around free kick locations, or any other restart location when you don't really need to be there.
A free kick does not have to be taken on the exact blade of grass where the incident occurred, so it is possible for you to use your whistle and voice to instruct correct ball placement from a distance with a reasonable degree of accuracy. So ask yourself the question - why do I generally need to be nearby during a free kick? The answer is that on most occasions, you don't.

If you move away quickly, moaning players will have nobody to moan at, and the view of you running to your restart position encourages play to restart quickly. Your absence will focus the players' minds on the game (rather than on you the Referee); it also helps to keep you alert and focused.

If you remain nearby, you will also have to work twice as hard to keep up, or to get alongside the next phase of play. Astute Referees will make maximum use of the time that a free kick is being taken to set up (dead-ball time) to sprint to their restart position, and then take a breather when they get there. Referees who linger near free kick locations, will have to sprint to keep up with play, and have much less energy when they get there - if they get there at all. This will affect decision-making, as the brain works much better with a full tank of replenished oxygen. Getting to restart locations early, also allows you to readjust positioning to gain a better viewing angle. If you linger nearby when a free kick is being set up, and then arrive late at the drop-zone, you will find that the action has already moved onto the next phase and you will be chasing the game. There are many positive reasons why it is better to move away quickly after awarding a free kick, of which the above are but a only a few.

OK - so if you are still with me, you will be pleased to know that we have reached the Give and Go part of the technique; the reasoning of which has been described to you in the paragraphs above.

GIVE-AND-GO
If you are happy that everything is going well, there is no reason for you (the Referee) to remain nearby to a free kick location. Simply GIVE the free kick, (goal kick or throw-in etc.), and then GO immediately to take up your position for the next phase of play (i.e. the monitoring area where the ball will next be delivered; this is commonly referred to as the drop-zone. By doing this, the game restarts on the terms of the team taking the free kick.
If you get out of the way, the players will just get on with it. So by the time that the kick is taken, you should already be in a good position to look out for an offside infringement should this happen.

As you sprint away, keep a wary eye on the site of the free kick location to ensure that nothing goes amiss. If anyone subsequently decides that they want to offer you some dissent, they will be forced to either shout at you from distance or to chase after you. If this happens, then the dissent becomes more noticeable for all to see and/or hear, and the punishment of a deserved caution becomes much easier for you to justify.

GIVE AND GO means that there are no issues to resolve, and the free kick can freely take place without any need for you to remain nearby.
All you need to do, is to GIVE the free kick and then use the (dead-ball) stoppage time to take up your position for the next phase of play.
GIVE the free kick and then GO to your restart position.

Therefore, as a general principle, doing nothing to manage free kicks, is often much better than doing something! By sprinting away in one easy movement, you will encourage a quick restart, and prevent yourself from becoming embroiled with players because of your close proximity. GIVE-AND-GO.

OK - so if you are still with me, you will be pleased to know that we have now reached the second part of this technique, the Give and Sort part.

GIVE-AND-SORT
When you award a free kick, there will be occasions when you need to restart the game on your terms, rather than allowing the free kick to take place freely, i.e. whenever it is convenient to the team taking the kick. There are several reasons why you will need to delay (SORT) a free kick, some of which are listed below:

When the attacking team has asked you to position the defending team's wall correctly.
When you want to manage a free kick that is very near to the penalty area.
When you need to caution or send off a player.
When you want to have a quiet word with a player.
If there is an injury to deal with.
If a substitution request is received.
When opposing players blatantly encroach into the 9.15m distance.
When tempers are frayed.
When the free kick is taken many metres away from where it is supposed to be taken.
When the wrong team tries to take the free kick.

GIVE-AND-SORT means that you have recognised the possibility of some form of confrontation taking place, or that you need to delay the restart for other reasons.

In other words, if there is something to SORT out before you allow the free kick to take place, you will need to get there very quickly to deal with the incident firmly. You also need to let the players know that the commencement of the free kick must wait until you are ready. You can do this by using a combination of clear vocal instructions, repeated sharp whistle peeps and hand signals. The aim is to ensure that the players know that the game restarts on your terms and only when you are positioned where you want to be for the next phase of play.

'GIVE AND SORT' means that you (the Referee) 'GIVE' a free kick, but have to make your way quickly to the scene to 'SORT' out a problem by doing something.
You 'GIVE' the free kick and then you 'SORT' out the problem.

Once the problem has been sorted out, you will need to let players know that they should not restart the game until you signal for them to do so. Always use a whistle to restart the game, on these occasions, as it can be heard by everyone. Get to your restart position, and give a loud blast on your whistle when YOU are ready.

Summary:

On most occasions, a free kick can take place without any interference from the Referee. This allows the game to flow and gives the offended team the best chance to make the most of the situation. You GIVE the free kick and then use the (dead-ball) stoppage time to GO quickly to your monitoring position for the next phase of play.

Conversely, on those occasions when you GIVE a free kick, but then have to manage it, you will need to SORT out any problem, before play can be restarted.

The reasons why many Referees generate trouble during free kicks, is that they don't GIVE-AND-GO or GIVE-AND-SORT. They wander about or linger in a sort of no-mans' land between the two concepts. Neither sorting out the problem positively, nor making any effort to quickly get to a sensible restart position. In fact, some Referees seem to insist that they always stand on the exact blade of grass, and deliver a direct free signal, when the players already know it is a direct free kick, and where it should be taken! This is when the problems arise - as this encourages moaning, and Referees get left way behind when play restarts. It also gives players' too much thinking time which can lead to problems developing. The greatest way to stop players getting themselves into trouble is to get the game restarted as soon as possible.

It is very rare during free kicks that you will need to do anything other than get there quick to sort out a problem, or to sprint away and allow the free kick to be taken freely.

The Give and Go, Give and Sort technique is so blatantly simple and effective, that anyone can appreciate the reasons behind it. The difficult part, is to get Referees to react to free kicks much quicker than they generally do. For very often, there seems to be a fog of delay for whatever reasons.

Can you Give and Go, Give and Sort?

Try it out in your next games.