ref's breaking up a fight

[All Torhs Team 0]

This weekend in detroit I was at a tourny. (roller) and a minor fight broke out in the end of a game. one ref was at other end so just one ref to break up two guys. now one guy was just pushing and other was punching. so the ref decided to take out the punching kid. what the ref did was get the kid in a head lock then the ref just dropped and brought the kid with him with the kid going head first. im pretty sure thats not legal. it was a damn wwf move or something. the whole crowd went balistic at the ref for doing that.

There must be some sort of way to break up a fight besides head locking and dropping him to the floor extremly fast head first.

on the plus side i found a broken xxx shaft in the garbage thats fits me perfect!

[Cheesehead 0]

im not a ref, but in the NHL, and minor hockey leagues they will let them fightuntill they fall down.

In your case fighting may not be allowed.

[All Torhs Team 0]

The kid was 16. When a ref gives you a head lock to break up a fight---ok but when he drops you head first when all he had to do was back up with your head...thats not ok.

[Dangles 0]

I always learned that the two linesmen communicate and each take a guy. This only happens when it is safe to braek the two up ( ie. no more punches being thrown )

[All Torhs Team 0]

Yes and thats normal in ice hockey, and we could talk alot on techniques for breaking it up.

But this particular time there was one ref and two kids. He had a kid in a headlock and thats all that needed to be done. Just start skating back wards with him in the headlock and the fight is over. But instead this ref decides to drop the kid on his head while the ref falls on top of the kids head.

Refs cant do that. Its almost like the ref was fighting the kid also!

[Juice_Slowjamz 0]

I think its fine. The two players know that shit isn't cool in their league, its their own fault.

[kosydar 0]

I don't break it up until somebody hits the ice, one person has a clear advantage, or its clear one person isn't fighting back. Even though fighting isn't allowed in the leagues I ref, we still let them go if its fair, and then let them suffer the consequences from the league. If they're going to be suspended and fined, why not let them at least get their money's worth?

[Chadd 916]

There is no proper technique for one ref to break up a fight. If one guy was throwing punches and the other was catching them there is nothing wrong with a ref doing whatever it takes (short of throwing punches himself) to break it up as far as I'm concerned.

[kosydar 0]

There is no proper technique for one ref to break up a fight. If one guy was throwing punches and the other was catching them there is nothing wrong with a ref doing whatever it takes (short of throwing punches himself) to break it up as far as I'm concerned.

Has your refs association ever addressed this situation? We had a pretty heated debate about whether or not a ref should break up a fight if his partner isn't there to help. It was spurred by me breaking up a fight in a midget game where my partner had his head up his ass and was no where to be found. One kid was getting worked while he was trapped against the ice and the boards. I ended up grabbing the kid's arms from behind, and then dragged him away. He got up and punched me in the chest twice which is beside the point. There were actually people in my organization that told me I shouldn't have broken it up because I was a liability without having my partner there with me.

[Chadd 916]

There is no proper technique for one ref to break up a fight. If one guy was throwing punches and the other was catching them there is nothing wrong with a ref doing whatever it takes (short of throwing punches himself) to break it up as far as I'm concerned.

Has your refs association ever addressed this situation? We had a pretty heated debate about whether or not a ref should break up a fight if his partner isn't there to help. It was spurred by me breaking up a fight in a midget game where my partner had his head up his ass and was no where to be found. One kid was getting worked while he was trapped against the ice and the boards. I ended up grabbing the kid's arms from behind, and then dragged him away. He got up and punched me in the chest twice which is beside the point. There were actually people in my organization that told me I shouldn't have broken it up because I was a liability without having my partner there with me.

Personally I won't grab a guy from behind and I've knocked down refs who have grabbed me from behind as a player. Our association doesn't meet or discuss anything but I've never been disciplined for grabbing both guys by the front of the jersey and pushing them apart.

[CardinalHcky19 0]

once my team got in a huge fight at the end of a game with all players from both teams on the ice after the handshake and i had a ref come behind and me and grab me by the jersey and throw me back away from the pile

[#44wannabe 4]

Ive had a ref grab me from behind and throw me through the air onto the ice, landing on my head. 'Unfortunately' my skate 'accidentally' caught his face on my way. Asshole gave me a concusion.

[Neal 41]

Ive had a ref grab me from behind and throw me through the air onto the ice, landing on my head. 'Unfortunately' my skate 'accidentally' caught his face on my way. Asshole gave me a concusion.

Jeez, I didn't know Lou Ferigno ref'd hockey games.

[All Torhs Team 0]

Ive had a ref grab me from behind and throw me through the air onto the ice, landing on my head. 'Unfortunately' my skate 'accidentally' caught his face on my way. Asshole gave me a concusion.

See thats what Im saying. Can refs do that without getting fined or something. If your going to fight, you should only get a concusion from the other team. Not the guy that breaks it up.

Did you follow it up to see what happened to that ref?

[teamriot38 0]

i've been a ref for roller hockey and fighting is not tolerated period. So allowing 2 guys to spar until one goes down or one gets the crap kicked out of him is totally unacceptable in ROLLER hockey. Whenever 2 guys would fight while i was officiating, their focus would usually be on one another so i could easily knock one out of the way and grab the other one. The best method i've been able to come up with is taking one guy out of the picture either by using a headlock or fullnelson and skating him away from the altercation. in the instance of two guys clutching each other while throwing punches, i would usually take both fighters down and hold one or both to the ground while yelling profanities.v not the best method but the fighting stops and i can get them off the floor. Not sure if it's the best method, but it works.

[pantherfan 0]

If i was a ref (bear in mind i have no idea about the proper way to do it) I would leave them for a couple of seconds and then make sure they both see me and then move in becuase i wouldn't wanna get caught with any stray shots

[chippa13 1844]

Ive had a ref grab me from behind and throw me through the air onto the ice, landing on my head. 'Unfortunately' my skate 'accidentally' caught his face on my way. Asshole gave me a concusion.

If you're small enough to have that happen to you, you shouldn't be trying to scrap in the first place.

[Hockeyman9621 0]

Ive had a ref grab me from behind and throw me through the air onto the ice, landing on my head. 'Unfortunately' my skate 'accidentally' caught his face on my way. Asshole gave me a concusion.

If you're small enough to have that happen to you, you shouldn't be trying to scrap in the first place.

Yeah if I got rag-dolled by a ref I'd probably quit hockey.

[#44wannabe 4]

Ive had a ref grab me from behind and throw me through the air onto the ice, landing on my head. 'Unfortunately' my skate 'accidentally' caught his face on my way. Asshole gave me a concusion.

If you're small enough to have that happen to you, you shouldn't be trying to scrap in the first place.

Im 6ft2in and 200lbs. The ref was probably about 220.

[Neal 41]

Ive had a ref grab me from behind and throw me through the air onto the ice, landing on my head. 'Unfortunately' my skate 'accidentally' caught his face on my way. Asshole gave me a concusion.

If you're small enough to have that happen to you, you shouldn't be trying to scrap in the first place.

Im 6ft2in and 200lbs. The ref was probably about 220.

So this ref grabbed a 200 lb player, I assume by the shoulders, and was able to yank you backwards hard enough to pull you off your feet. On top of that, he did it hard enough that he pulled all 200 lbs of you horizontal in the air to the point you fell on your head and your feet got up high enough to cut his face.

That is one strong SOB. Remind me never to f*#( with guy.

[#44wannabe 4]

Honest to god truth. He yanked me by the back of my jersey.

[hapamatt122 0]

I was grabbed from behind once in an altercation and thought it was a 3rd man in and turned swinging, I guess luckily the ref grabbed my arm to fend off the swing, which I let off as soon as I saw it was zebra stripes that was trying to tie me up.. I think that from a ref's vantage point, grabbing from behind is a good way to get swung on.. which is probably why they have to take u down so they don't get hit when u whip around..

[All Torhs Team 0]

I was grabbed from behind once in an altercation and thought it was a 3rd man in and turned swinging, I guess luckily the ref grabbed my arm to fend off the swing, which I let off as soon as I saw it was zebra stripes that was trying to tie me up.. I think that from a ref's vantage point, grabbing from behind is a good way to get swung on.. which is probably why they have to take u down so they don't get hit when u whip around..

Good pointe! One of the only fights Ive ever been in was a bench brawl and you just go down swinging soooooo a ref is just fending for himself.

[repus 0]

When I learned to ref, I was taught by some refs in a pretty tough league. What they suggested was the best process was the follow these rules:

1) Don't get yourself hurt

2) Try to stop the players from getting hurt

The easiest way to accomplish this is to make sure that everyone knows that you are the referee and that you are in control.

You want to avoid surprising the player by grabbing the player in a strange manner that may make them think its another player. Also you want to avoid giving one player the upper hand where he can get a sucker punch in.

When the players are on the ice, its typically easy to break up a fight. Both referees in at the same time and seperate just like you see in most leagues. However, in the lower leagues/bush leagues you can see one sided fights that need to get broken up before they hit the ice or even worse, when one player is down and the other one is still beating on him.

If they are both still on their feet, work back to back and squeeze yourself inbetween the players. Get your arms up in their face so they can see the stripes and hopefully they will stop.

In the event that they don't you want to get your head down and seperate at the hip or take them down on the ground. This is a bit more difficult and requires some level of size to accomplish. This may sound odd, but sweeping the leg out from under the player helps them get down. This is also a tricky move also.

-dave

[moose77 0]

My 2 cents...and yes I'm a ref in addition to being a player:

1. The ref at the other end of the floor should've been aware of the altercation and busted his ass down to help his partner.

2. First ref shouldn't have been trying to break up a fight by himself.

3. Putting a player in a headlock and slamming him down is basically assault and battery. He better have hoped to God no one had a video camera there and taped him doing this or he could be in for a world of hurt.

4. I NEVER try and break up a fight from behind! Always try and come in from the side and use the voice to let the guy you're taking know you're coming in.