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Old Tue Mar 11, 2008, 09:22am
ma_ref ma_ref is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 215
If it were me officiating a lower level game, I might try to get between players before it came to fisticuffs. But if they had started fighting, no way would I personally try to break it up. Leave that to the site admins and coaches. This was one of the first things we were told at our training classes as we studied to become certified. Never touch/grab a player. Period.

As an example, and I don't think this is too far fetched, but suppose you're working a girls game (level doesn't matter - 5th grade, high school varsity, whatever). You've got a hard foul, and 1 of the girls takes issue with it, and the 2 start going at it. You're trying to break things up, when your hand accidentally brushes across her chest in the process. Think she cares it was inadvertant contact and that all you were trying to do is break up the fight? Think her parents care? A boys game would probably be more forgiving for the above incident, however I don't think we could say it's ok to break up fights during boys contests, but not girls. Best advice is to leave them alone. Coaches can and should restrain their players. Our job is to penalize the offenders according to rule.
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