Goalball Rules of the Game
Senior 6 · Physical Education
Goalball Rules of the Game
Lesson 2 of 3
30 min
A goalball referee watches the floor more than the players. Was the ball's first bounce on or before the high ball line? Did it touch the neutral area? Did it stop before reaching the defenders? Which part of the defender's body was in the team area at the first touch? This lesson sets out the rules that answer those questions: the rules for throwing, for blocking and for orientation, and what happens when they are broken. The IBSA rules sort every offence into one of two kinds, and the difference matters: an infraction costs the ball, but a penalty costs a free shot at your goal.
Definition
Infraction: a breach of the rules that only loses possession of the ball; the ball goes to the other team.
Penalty: a breach of the rules that gives the other team a penalty throw, defended by a single player while the game clock is stopped.
Personal penalty: a penalty against one named player, who must defend the penalty throw alone. Team penalty: a penalty against the whole team; the team taking the throw chooses which of the three on-court players must defend it.
First defensive contact: the first touch of a thrown ball by a defending player; it starts the 10-second clock.
Re-orientation: a referee or goal judge moving a player back to the right place on court.
Before any throw, the referee calls "quiet please", blows the whistle and calls "play"; the game clock and the 10-second clock start on "play". At the start of a half the referee also calls "centre" and hands the ball to the centre player of the throwing team, then whistles three times. A team must be silent while the ball is in play: spectators cheer only after a goal or a whistle.
| Penalty | When it is called | Who defends the penalty throw |
|---|---|---|
| High ball (personal) | The ball does not touch the floor at least once on or before the high ball line at the front of the thrower's own team area | The thrower |
| Long ball (personal) | The ball does not also touch the floor at least once in the neutral area | The thrower |
| Short ball (personal) | The ball stays on court but stops moving forward before the defending team's area | The thrower |
| Noise (personal or team) | Unnecessary noise by the thrower, or by any on-court player of the throwing team, from the start of the throw until the ball reaches a defender, a side line or the defenders' goal post | The thrower; for a team penalty, the player the other team chooses |
So a legal throw touches the floor in two places: in the thrower's own team area, where the high ball line counts as part of that area, and in the neutral area. A thrown ball that crosses a side line before touching a defender ("out"), or that hits a goal post or the crossbar without touching a defender and comes to rest in the defenders' half ("dead ball"), gives the ball to the defending team. Why these rules? A ball flying through the air makes almost no sound, so defenders wearing eyeshades could not track it, and a hard ball arriving at head height is dangerous to players lying across their goal. The high ball and long ball rules keep the ball low enough for its bells to be heard as it bounces and rolls.
| Situation | Call | Result |
|---|---|---|
| A thrown ball goes over the side line without touching a defender | "Out" | Ball to the defending team |
| A blocked ball in the team area is more than half over the side line and moving off court | "Blocked out" | The defending team keeps the ball |
| A thrown ball comes to rest in the defending team area untouched | "Dead ball" | Ball to the defending team |
| A player throws before the referee calls "play" | Premature throw (infraction) | Ball to the other team |
| A blocked ball rebounds over the centre line, or over a side line in the neutral area; or a ball off the post or crossbar rolls back over the centre line; or the ball hits an object above the court; or a player carries the ball right over the centre line | "Ball over" (infraction) | Ball to the other team |
| The ball has not crossed the centre line or a side line 10 seconds after the first defensive contact | Ten seconds (team penalty) | Penalty throw against the team |
When the ball must be put back into play, a referee or goal judge drops it at the side line, 1.5 m in front of the goal post nearest to where it left the court.
The first defensive contact must be made by a player who has at least some part of the body in the team area (the orientation or landing area). A defender who dives out so far that no part of the body is in the team area commits illegal defence, a personal penalty. The referee lets play run on until the ball is controlled, blocked out or scores: if the ball goes in, the goal stands and no penalty is given, because the offending team gained nothing.
During a penalty throw the game clock is stopped and one defender faces the throw alone. If the thrower commits a penalty, the throw cannot score and a new penalty is given against the throwing team. If the defender's team commits a penalty, the throw is retaken unless it scored. A team awarded a penalty may decline it with a hand signal or by saying "penalty declined", and then keeps possession.
Worked example
Worked example 1: high ball, long ball or legal? The goal judge reports the bounce marks of three throws, measured from the thrower's goal line. (a) 6.0 m, then 11.5 m. (b) 4.2 m, then 12.8 m, then rolling. (c) 2.5 m, and then the ball rolls along the floor until it stops at 11.0 m.
Worked example
Worked example 2: the 10 seconds. A defender stops the ball, and the team passes it about. The centre player releases a throw 9.0 s after the first defensive contact, from 1.5 m in front of her goal line. The ball travels at an average of 6.0 m s⁻¹ (an illustrative speed). Is there a penalty?
Worked example
Worked example 3: illegal defence with advantage. A right wing dives forward so far that her whole body is in the neutral area when her hand first touches the ball. (a) The ball deflects into her goal. (b) She stops it and her team controls it.
Video: "Goalball | Sport Explained", AMI: Accessible Media Inc. Watch where each throw first touches the floor and how the defenders spread out to cover the full 9 m goal.
Tip
Who defends? For a personal penalty, the player who committed it. For a team penalty, the opponents choose, and they usually pick the weakest defender for that throw. That is why team penalties such as illegal coaching or ten seconds are so costly.
Warning
Common mistakes. A first bounce exactly on the high ball line is legal, not a high ball. A short ball is a personal penalty, not just a loss of the ball. A ball over the centre line after a block is an infraction ("ball over"), not a penalty. The 10 seconds run from the first defensive contact, even if the ball is not yet under control. Illegal defence is not called if the ball scores.
Practice
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
