National Forum

Is There A Workable Solution To Limiting Handpasses In Football?

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There's a share of players on many county teams who can't kick the ball accurately only handpass , they are great at running around cones Lifting weights and trying to stop skilful players playing though , it's these players that would be great to see become obsolete

OpenStand (Limerick) - Posts: 725 - 29/01/2025 22:47:44    2588438

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Replying To omahant:  "If you were to entertain my idea -
what time limit should a team have within each zone, to strike an appropriate balance between:
A) timely movement of the ball forward to the next zone; &
B) not being unduly rushed?

I do like a team stringing a few 'slow pace' passes together (a breather) as they look upfield to determine what they want to attempt next. But then, 'get on with it' (no keep ball)."
I'm not entertaining any time limit to be honest. There has been a bit of commentary on the endless handpassing. Merely musing if there is a workable solution.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8459 - 30/01/2025 02:07:24    2588448

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Replying To ForeverBlue2:  "Restricting solos and hops now … along with only allowing 1/2 hand passes..? Whatever next..? How about just stopping players from participating in the game altogether… A lot of these nonsensical new rules will go a long way to achieving that….!!!!"
Definitely wouldn't be looking at restricting players moving with the ball. The endless handpassing is what is driving many berserk!
Limiting to 3 handpasses allows the attacking one-two and the extra pass to setup a goal. I think it should be manageable for a referee to track three players receiving from consecutive handpasses without any solos involved.
There is already the concept of a solo and go. Just looking at the possibility of bringing in at least a solo to reset the count.
1. Player 1 receives from a handpass. Count 1.
2. Player 1 handpasses to another player without soloing. Count 2.
3. Player 2 handpasses back to Player 1 or to Player 3 without soloing. Count 3.
4. Player 1 or 3 in possession after count 3 cannot handpass unless they at least solo. Otherwise they must kick.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8459 - 30/01/2025 02:30:09    2588449

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Replying To omahant:  "The rugby ref uses judgement calling "use it" (to the best of my knowledge) - I think if a gaelic team knew they might concede a free for 'doodling and dawdling', they'd move the ball quicky enough.

With say a 25-second limit per zone (unbroken 75 seconds total to find a score), teams would be under pressure 'to get on with it' - limiting handpasses, with more running or kick passes forward.

The 'complications' can be eliminated, if it is simply an unscientific 'guidance to refs' to ensure the game is moving - no need to track actual time. Unscientific is better than no endeavour, IMO."
I've sometimes wondered if you ever give any consideration to referees or how your "solutions" might actually work in practice. Now I know that you definitely don't, if your "solution" here is that it just be "unscientific guidance".

Consider the following in the last minute of an important match, where scores are level:
- Referee penalises Team A for "dawdling" after let's say 27 seconds, and Team B gets possession.
- Team B at first "dawdle" themselves for about 20 seconds, but just as referee is thinking "I might have to penalise them too", they start to quickly move the ball up the field and they end up kicking a point. Referee allows the score.
- Video analysis afterwards shows it was actually 28 seconds from Team B getting the ball to kicking that score.

Now what?

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2670 - 30/01/2025 09:45:01    2588461

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It's really quiet simple. You can't bandpass more than 3 times in a row per team. The fourth pass has to be a kick pass. Players will invariably look to avoid situations where they kick pass 5 yards and look to go long or direct.

BigBàsMan (Galway) - Posts: 78 - 30/01/2025 11:47:17    2588473

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Some of the posts on here are mind boggling at times . I won't even respond with some real game scenarios which would mean the suggestions on here are just plain stupid. As usual it's people who clearly have no involvement in coaching or playing that suggest these ideas.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8215 - 30/01/2025 11:58:03    2588476

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Firstly, there is a lot of new rules just introduced so wait till the end of the league at least to see what works or doesn't work, which I think is there plan anyways.
Secondly, putting restrictions on the attacking team isn't going to solve anything, holding onto the ball and going back and over is due to the mass defensive setup most teams have now.
If after the 3rd handpass a team has to kick, sure that's most of the job done for the defending team, sit back and wait for them to kick it and then hit on the counter. Most scores come from counter attacks or frees. the counter attack works because there is no mass defence setup. Limiting handpass or solos will solve nothing.
Keeping 3 up and 2 point arc, both help the attacking team and its the way forward for helping the game to become more attractive, the 2 pint option from frees needs to be kept, otherwise defending teams will just foul instead of letting a possible 2 point shot being kicked.
The goalkeeper issue will need to be addressed.

tommy132 (Mayo) - Posts: 622 - 30/01/2025 12:07:36    2588477

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Blue in the face about this.

The new rules don't address the real issue - the blight of handpassing. I've lost interest in football - outside of watching my own county or own club. The game is unwatchable and embarrassing at times - throwing the ball around the field. Its not what fans or neutral spectators want. They want contests for the ball. That's what excites - not high-scoring games.

Handpass must go backwards. End of. Simple. Sorted. Close to its original purpose.

Until that day hopefully comes, the game will continue its decline in attracting new followers. In fact the only time you see pubs lively watching sport is rugby (contests?); soccer/gaa just on in background. Honourable mention to Hurling though - great spectacle.

Solution may sound dramatic or excessive, but is needed to fix the boring embarrassing abomination the game has become.

Solo_Run (Leitrim) - Posts: 218 - 30/01/2025 13:03:02    2588486

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Replying To Solo_Run:  "Blue in the face about this.

The new rules don't address the real issue - the blight of handpassing. I've lost interest in football - outside of watching my own county or own club. The game is unwatchable and embarrassing at times - throwing the ball around the field. Its not what fans or neutral spectators want. They want contests for the ball. That's what excites - not high-scoring games.

Handpass must go backwards. End of. Simple. Sorted. Close to its original purpose.

Until that day hopefully comes, the game will continue its decline in attracting new followers. In fact the only time you see pubs lively watching sport is rugby (contests?); soccer/gaa just on in background. Honourable mention to Hurling though - great spectacle.

Solution may sound dramatic or excessive, but is needed to fix the boring embarrassing abomination the game has become."
Grand. Don't watch it then.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8215 - 30/01/2025 14:19:27    2588499

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OK, that's an error and there would be controversy - not unlike a foot on or inside the arc for 2 pts.

In lieu of time limit, would a '3 intra-zone pass limit' be better? Hand pass, repeat, repeat - now solo, or kick forward?

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3018 - 30/01/2025 14:29:36    2588503

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Replying To legendzxix:  "I'm not entertaining any time limit to be honest. There has been a bit of commentary on the endless handpassing. Merely musing if there is a workable solution."
Just thinking that handpassing could be addressed indirectly - with pressure to move the ball forward, there is precious little time to do much, including a string of handpasses.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3018 - 30/01/2025 14:32:36    2588505

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "Some of the posts on here are mind boggling at times . I won't even respond with some real game scenarios which would mean the suggestions on here are just plain stupid. As usual it's people who clearly have no involvement in coaching or playing that suggest these ideas."
I "clearly have no involvement in coaching or playing that suggest these ideas" but those that do are often not developing players to kick a ball at distance - just endless handpassing and blanket defending.
How is that better?

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3018 - 30/01/2025 14:39:04    2588507

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Replying To Solo_Run:  "Blue in the face about this.

The new rules don't address the real issue - the blight of handpassing. I've lost interest in football - outside of watching my own county or own club. The game is unwatchable and embarrassing at times - throwing the ball around the field. Its not what fans or neutral spectators want. They want contests for the ball. That's what excites - not high-scoring games.

Handpass must go backwards. End of. Simple. Sorted. Close to its original purpose.

Until that day hopefully comes, the game will continue its decline in attracting new followers. In fact the only time you see pubs lively watching sport is rugby (contests?); soccer/gaa just on in background. Honourable mention to Hurling though - great spectacle.

Solution may sound dramatic or excessive, but is needed to fix the boring embarrassing abomination the game has become."
I don't get this at all.

You're not going to win any game of football by taking your chances with "contests" as you put it. Like it or not the game is way more tactical than it was years ago. That halcyon glorious period where the ball was just pumped forward as hard and as fast as possible is over. Never coming back.

Now I'll admit the hand-pass fests are terrible to watch. But I do think the new rules will alleviate this.
You'd hope that with the 3 men inside and dry sod, teams will look to ping good ball in earlier. It would be great to see some traditional full backs vs inside forwards contests.

The 2 point arc should ensure that defences press a good bit more as well. If teams sit back in a low block and don't physically engage, then they could find themselves quickly adrift of a team with good players who are able to swing over 6 or 2 pointers from range.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9566 - 30/01/2025 14:43:08    2588508

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@Solo_Run (Leitrim) - Posts: 218 - 30/01/2025 13:03:02

That's interesting - handpass must go backwards - and should work but maybe too restrictive?

How about - with any two consecutive handpasses, at least one must be backwards?

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3018 - 30/01/2025 14:48:32    2588510

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Replying To omahant:  "I "clearly have no involvement in coaching or playing that suggest these ideas" but those that do are often not developing players to kick a ball at distance - just endless handpassing and blanket defending.
How is that better?"
We have barely started the new rules and people are still posting stupid suggestions. Like absolutely daft stuff. We never stop whinging.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8215 - 30/01/2025 14:53:42    2588512

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How about ban it between the 2 45s

Southsham (Limerick) - Posts: 739 - 30/01/2025 15:11:19    2588514

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Definitely wouldn't be looking at restricting players moving with the ball. The endless handpassing is what is driving many berserk!
Limiting to 3 handpasses allows the attacking one-two and the extra pass to setup a goal. I think it should be manageable for a referee to track three players receiving from consecutive handpasses without any solos involved.
There is already the concept of a solo and go. Just looking at the possibility of bringing in at least a solo to reset the count.
1. Player 1 receives from a handpass. Count 1.
2. Player 1 handpasses to another player without soloing. Count 2.
3. Player 2 handpasses back to Player 1 or to Player 3 without soloing. Count 3.
4. Player 1 or 3 in possession after count 3 cannot handpass unless they at least solo. Otherwise they must kick."
Three hand pass limit, where the 3rd can't be caught - just punched/ palmed on for a goal (or pass) ?

So you keep your 1-2 throughout the field and the 3rd, most likely, only used for that scoring opportunity.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3018 - 30/01/2025 15:29:25    2588516

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Replying To omahant:  "I "clearly have no involvement in coaching or playing that suggest these ideas" but those that do are often not developing players to kick a ball at distance - just endless handpassing and blanket defending.
How is that better?"
Has to be said you come up with amazingly complicated solutions to problems that sometimes don't exist in the first place.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 14431 - 30/01/2025 15:30:41    2588517

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Replying To Southsham:  "How about ban it between the 2 45s"
Yeah, that sounds good. Defences wouldn't want to risk too much handpassing at the back and the attacking team would have much less room outside the arc before getting a 2-pts shot off or waiting for the goalkeeper to come up and make it 12v11.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3018 - 30/01/2025 15:51:49    2588523

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Replying To TheFlaker:  "We have barely started the new rules and people are still posting stupid suggestions. Like absolutely daft stuff. We never stop whinging."
Colm Collins was suggesting the FRC possibly should look at the endless handpassing. He was on the committee.
Is there a workable solution on the endless handpassing or not?

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8459 - 30/01/2025 15:52:01    2588524

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