How long for a held ball?
 

I've seen some quick whistles, then some that aren't whistled at all.

My question is, is there a specific amount of time you wait on a held ball to see if one player can gain control?

Probably No an Exact Time/Answer
 

Rule 4, Section 25 A held ball occurs when:
ART. 1 . . . Opponents have their hands so firmly on the ball that control cannot
be obtained without undue roughness.
ART. 2 . . . An opponent places his/her hand(s) on the ball and prevents an
airborne player from throwing the ball or releasing it on a try.

I give it a good look, maybe hold my whistle a split second to see if someone will gain control, and then put air in the whistle and move toward the situation quickly. I definitely want to get it, and get there, before it gets rough and the elbows and arms fly.

Ideally, I wait to see if the ball is stuck. If neither player can free it without "undue roughness," I hit the whistle.

The fact is, sometimes I find myself hitting whistle sooner than I'd like. Sometimes I wait too long.

Newbie question:
If play has been "rough" in the game, is it considered good mechanics to be a bit quicker with the whistle in a held ball situation?
Not looking to impose my own interp. of 4.25.1 here...just a game management question.

Maybe good "game management" is the better terminology. This is a seat of the pants thing you will need to get a feel for as you gain experience.

Nip it in the bud before a scrum gets out of hand. If the game is a bit "chippy," you might put air in your whislte earlier to prevent "issues" from developing.

I agree with grune. The same goes with contact that seems to be borderline incidental. If the game is getting chippy, I might be more inclined to call the borderline stuff.

grune/Snags.....thanks.

Agree. I'm also much quicker if the players are on the floor. Those situations can escalate quickly.

I tend to hold my whistle a little longer during Gjv, they sometimes can get the ball away from opponent without us having to stop the game. In physical, rival, BV games I hit the whistle very quickly to stop the rip the ball away and maybe take out somebody's teeth with an elbow. I sometimes sprint right up to players while blowing my whistle on a held ball if I know they are cocky.

Right or wrong, I tend to do it the opposite. It probably means I'm too quick with girls, but I'm trying to let them play through it just like the boys. Too many times, though, they get their hands on the ball and both just wait for the whistle.

I will tend to wait a little longer with girls. More often than not, if I quick whistle it, someone has already yanked the ball free at the moment I hit the whistle. It also helps avoid so many whistles in a girls game. I also try and get close to the scrums and make sure I see a held ball before any whistle because sometimes we whistle for a held ball when no one has control of the ball yet just to avoid what we think will be something bad happening. I won't blow the whistle unless I see 2 players' hands on the ball.

I'm the same. If I'm quick in a boys game, it always seems like someone gains possession of the ball as I'm blowing my whistle. Girls game, if I'm whistling the held ball, it usually stays held. Of course, this is all assuming that a "game management" held ball isn't needed.

What's that?

Agree I hold whistle longer for boys because they tend to play through it better. You do risk the stray elbow, but for the sake of game flow I have found that if you give them an extra count/half count they will work out of it more often than not without incident.

As Smitty said, whatinthehell is a game-management held ball?:confused: