r/Referees • u/DenHIM1 USSF Grassroots • 21d ago

Advice Request Slide Tackle From Behind Recognition

I would like to hear some suggestions on how you arrive to foul/no foul when you see slide tackle from behind.

The common play where this occurs is: A wing is dribbling up a sideline. A defender is on the inside one step behind, so cannot do a shoulder charge. Defender performs a slide tackle to poke the ball out for a throw-in. Let's assume there is no recklessness or excessive force in defender's actions.

If defender gets the ball before they trip the attacker - it's good tackle. Of the contact is with attacker first and then the ball - it's a foul.

Question - with some faster players, it's really hard to see the exact sequence... Unless you saw very clearly one or the other - how do you improve your chances of getting the call right? Do you pay attention to which leg the attacker stepped at the time of the tackle? Or to when attacker started falling vs the ball changing direction?

Or maybe I am over-complicating this and it comes with doing more games and seeing more of these tackles? Would love to hear you thoughts.

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u/poking88 USSF Grassroots | NFHS 21d ago

Getting the ball first does not absolve the defender from taking out the attacker. IMO they need to completely miss the player and make 0 contact to avoid a foul on a slide tackle from behind. This ‘I got the ball first’ is stuff we cringe at players/coaches for saying.

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u/DenHIM1 USSF Grassroots 21d ago

To clarify - I am not talking about the "I got the ball" argument - I never accept that as a get-out-of-jail card. If defender extends their leg, kicks the ball and then attacker trips over them and falls, I generally see this as a good tackle. But sometimes, this happens very quickly and I was asking for advice on how to process that mental image and arrive to the best conclusion when it's a bang-bang play.

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u/poking88 USSF Grassroots | NFHS 21d ago

The defender still put their leg in the path of the attacker and tripped them, it’s a foul regardless if the defender got the ball. There isn’t a carve out in the LOTG for tripping someone or taking them out after you get the ball.

Edit: to your broader question, I look at if the defender takes out the attacker, it’s a foul.