I pretty much go with a self governing system as described by iten. If you are up against a strong player who plays a physical game then a bit of shoulder to shoulder is OK, against newbies or weaker players then just give them a bit of space.
There is a bit of an issue when you get a very fast playing tearing down the line. You can’t ride into them but you want to compete for the ball. Do you have to get out of their way? Can you squeeze them up to the wall?
Thanx for the Swiss input.
I’ve only seen british UniHoki players post on this forum before and just assumed I wouldn’t get any continental feedback.
Even if the player who used his hands contends that he only used his hands to avoid a collision?
In other words, even a defensive ‘push’ is foul?
Rule 6.2 actually mentions the wall.
Interfering with speeding players strikes me as being especially dangerous as it can lead to a particularly nasty fall.
I know if I’m bumped while going at full speed (or a reasonable hand-drawn facsimile thereof), I’m going to be in a bad mood.
Like this you mean!
http://www.unicyclist.com/index.php?page=gallery&g2_itemId=286768
Seriously I don’t think anyone pushes people off deliberately, but there’s certainly a bit of riding straight at the ball without worrying about the players in between, which is what I think you’re talking about. Personally I don’t think it’s nice, and it should really be a foul, but it’s loads of hassle to do in an unrefereed game as inevitably the players would disagree about whether a foul has occured, so it’d slow down play a lot.
Joe
This is more 'riding straight at the ball without worrying about the opposing player also riding straight at the ball, and just going right up to that fine line between ‘fair-contest’ and ‘scuse-me!?’.
If there are two people riding straight at the ball, neither has possession, and they crash into each other then that’s not usually a foul the way we play it. It’d be hard to referee, as to who was the one not stopping for who. Some people definately use their size and intimidating speed for this though which isn’t nice.
If one player already has the ball, that’s different I think, riding bang into the person with the ball is naughty bad.
While we’re here, does anyone know what contact between unicycle and unicycle counts as? Like if you’re riding in line and you lock pedals, or you crash the wheels into each other.
Joe
Now we’re on the same page.
And in this instance, the smaller guy (who usually uses his develish dribbling- and turning-like-a-top abillities to intimidate larger opponents) was the one who used his hand to prevent collisions, only to have it pointed out that in an international game, that open hand contact would be blown as a foul.
Yeah, that should be 2 minutes at least.
Re: Amount of Physical Contact between players in UniHoki.
GILD wrote:
> This is more 'riding straight at the ball without worrying about the
> opposing player also riding straight at the ball, and just going right
> up to that fine line between ‘fair-contest’ and ‘scuse-me!?’.
>
>
> –
> GILD
it does sound i little like ‘behaviour unfitting of a gentleman’ which
may be a grey area when playing to the letter of the law but a clear
infringment of ‘the spirit of the game’.
maybe a pleasant reminder of this before the next infrigment to calm is
ball lust.
oh and as for Mr Marshalls photograph, i was a little unsteady as i had
been in possesion of the unicycle i was riding for a mere 30mins before
that game. Also gary was already coming off when i gently tried to
nudge him back on to he unicycle…
I knew Mr Parry would have a very carefully considered opinion on this being well versed in these particular aspects of the game 
As has been mentioned already a lot of it comes down to intent and I suspect that no one does any of this with the intent to do harm and more of it is hopefully down to “youthfull enthusiasm” is anything else is the case I would be some what shocked and dissappointed. Certainly a hand off or shove would seem to be excessive - I know at the emus in crashes we try and catch people or help them out of harms way if they’re looking likley to land on something unpleasant but while shoulder to shoulder contact is fine a shove seems to be somewhat out of order . Has anyone mentioned to the new player that you don’t play it like that in South Africa so could he tone it down a bit - I suspect he doesn’t realise he’s doing it and would be mortified that people feel his style of play is inappropriate and would be only to happy to change.
At the end of the day when you play locally - its quite acceptable for local rules to apply and for people to adhere to them whent they come and play with you - for example at the EMU’s we don’t like high sticks as we feel they’re dangerous but don’t want to have two minute penalties so in that case, the offending player has to do a lap of the pitch - if people want to play with us then they abide by that rule. So that could be one way to approach the issue
During subsequent discussions yesterday, I did mention to our Hong Kong friend that we’re a little more laid back out here.
Not that I want to reopen the faerie/fairy discussion again you understand…
I’m also putting him and his wife on opposing teams from now on.
(Insert evil, maniacal laugh here.)
I would say if you really push its a foul. or also if you hold your hand beside you to keep the other away from you to avoid contact it’s a foul.
to avoid a collision I’d say you don’t push you rather catch the other player to breake him. if it’s really to avoid the collision i would not call a foul but it’s sometimes very difficult to see for the refs.
I don’t read this forum very often normaly i’m in the german forum. thats why I never post in here. but I just saw this thread and thougt it may be helpful.
cheers
adrian
Gild, one possible mitigating factor that may explain the behaviour of the gentleman from hong kong (and I feel ashamed that I have neglected to mention it up until now) is that he is both enraged and confused at having to partake in the game, whose name I dare not speak, whereas at home he is probably used to playing civilised and well mannered games of unicycle hockey. But when faced with such an attack on the true nature of the game , which must shake his belief framework to its very core, I suspect that violence would seem like the only course of action to even the mildest mannered players - case dismissed 
That’s one point I made yesterday, that the rule is either inviolate ‘No Hands!’ or else you’ll need two refs and a video-umpire.
And lots of guessing.
Similar to the ‘Stick Under Wheel’ rule.
If a rider goes over your stick, you’re at fault.
Irrespective of intention.
End of story.
It is very helpfull indeed.
The British guys normally just try to be funny so it’s nice to hear from someone who takes UniHoki seriously.
I believe it was one of your slightly more illustrious island-bound brethren who said ‘a rose by any name would smell as sweet’…?
No?
Re: Amount of Physical Contact between players in UniHoki.
“andy parry” wrote in message …
> i’m one of the worst EMU players
Now, now, Andy. Please get over yourself. Maybe not the worst, but
please be prepared to accept second or third place
STM
Thats the nicest thing anyone has said about the British and Hockey, although any time on a pitch with Mr parry will soon clear up an questions of seriousness:)
Yep he’s one of ours - but almost certainly would have played Unicycle hockey after all he went for Romeo & Juliet not RomEo & Juli8 (tenous but the best I could manage within the time constratints)
I’m only a newbie at hockey, but at Lunis it seems that contact is pretty commonplace*. I’ve played four or five times and there’s been about 1 foul called per game, and none of those have been for physical contact (they were all for subbing I think).
The play is pretty sporting though, I don’t think I’ve seen an intentional foul at all, most of the contact is just people bumping into each other while trying to get to the ball first. The only thing that I would consider unsporting is the practice of an opposition player deliberately diverting a players stick away from the ball as they try to play the ball, but apparently this is within the rules.
*Although quite a lot of it involves me, as I haven’t quite figured out how to watch the ball and avoid other players at the same time yet, and bump into my own team-mates fairly often:o
Re: Amount of Physical Contact between players in UniHoki.
domesticated ape wrote:
>I haven’t quite figured out
> how to watch the ball and avoid other players at the same time yet, and
> bump into my own team-mates fairly often:o
use the force my young padawan…
thats force as in “an energy field created by all living things. It
surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together” and not the
pushing and shoving type force… maybe thats where your hong-konganese
friend is going wrong…
Interesting. I think it will seem a lot less unsporting once I get good enough to be able to do it:p
Hmm…was I?
Yes. Parry was riding towards you and wanted the ball. You were coming off.