Crunchball

Crunchball is a full contact fusion sport borrowing elements from team handball, hockey, lacrosse, basketball and any sport where tackling is legal... Players try to score goals against the other team by throwing the ball into the goal from outside the goal crease or deflecting the ball inside the crease, while the defense tries to block, tackle or otherwise interfere.

History and Influences

Crunchball was conceived in the communal living room of the roommates Austin Borisy and Rob Sun. Rob had been talking about taking a class for handball. I was googling obscure sports, and I said to him that we should invent a sport. We sat down and hashed out rules, and have been tweaking a little ever since.

Crunchball is a full contact game played much like hockey without sticks. The goal is to score by throwing the ball into the opponent's net from outside the crease. Teams of 7 fieldmen and 1 goalie will play against each other. If the person with possession of the ball is tackled, the ball is turned over to the other team. If the ball is dropped, play continues, with the loose ball up for grabs.

Equipment

• 2 lacrosse goals
• 2 sets of goalie gear:
• Cage facemask (any)
• Chest protector (baseball)
• Shin guards (baseball, soccer, just not large pads like hockey)
• Fielder's baseball mitt
• 16” softball (deBeer Clincher 16" is the standard.) - Note, you will need to break in the ball before it is soft enough to play with.

Playing Field

The field is a women's Lacrosse field. Notably, the 12m (red, in the diagram) semicircle around the goal is ignored, the 8m (green) wedge in front of the goal is known as the goal crease, and the circle (light blue) immediately surrounding the goal is known as the goalie's circle. See the image in the infobox above for details.

Number of Players

Two teams will play against each other in a game of Crunchball. A team of 7 fieldmen and 1 goalie per team will be the on the field at any time, provided there is no penalty being enforced. The goalie may be pulled to add another fieldman, but only 1 goalie per team is allowed on the field at any time.

Rules & Gameplay

These are the current rules of Crunchball:

Ball Rules and Rules of Play

• The game shall start with a tip off at the center of the field. The referee will toss the ball straight up into the air, where one player from each side may try to gain possession of the ball. The ball may only be tipped to a teammate, not held by the tipper. All other players must stand outside the center circle. Once the ball is touched, players may enter the circle to recover the ball. On tip offs at the zone boundaries, a reasonable distance (~20 feet) will substitute for the center circle.

• Once a player has the ball, he may take as many steps as he wants, hold the ball as long as he wants, pass the ball to whoever he wants or throw the ball to whatever point on the field.

• If a player with the ball is tackled, he must relinquish the ball to the other team, giving the other team an uncontested throw. If the uncontested throw would be granted inside a team's offensive crease, the uncontested throw will be administered from the zone boundary.

• During an uncontested throw, the player with the ball must remain at the spot where the ball was turned over or the penalty was committed. No opposing player may get closer to the inbounding player than the nearest teammate of the inbounding player, or withing 20 feet of the inbounding player, whichever is closer. Once the ball is no longer in contact with the player, play resumes as normal.

• If the player with the ball is wrapped up by an opposing player, similar to the forward progress rule in football, the play may be called dead by the referee. In this instance, the player is considered to have been tackled.

• In the event of a loose ball, the ball is up for grabs for any player. The ball may be recovered and played on normally. If a player is legally tackled without clear possession of the ball but is near the loose ball, there will be no penalty assigned, and play will continue.

• In the event of a tackle with a loose ball, it may be unclear when possession is established. Possession is established when a player is deemed to be in control of the ball, either by gripping it in his hands or kicking it like soccer. This is left to the referee's judgment. On a close or contested call, the referee will call either “light” or “dark” to say who gets possession of the ball, and play will quickly continue with an uncontested throw.

• Each team is allowed three timeouts during the game. These timeouts will last 60 seconds, and may be called during any stoppage of play, including stoppages for uncontested throws.

Scoring and the Goalie

• The ball must completely pass the plane of the goal line as defined by the front bars of the goal.

• The ball may not be touching any part of the scoring team's body when it enters the goal.

• After a goal is scored, a tip off at the center of the field will ensue. The game will last until one team has scored 7 points. Halftime will occur when a team scores 4 points. The winning team must win by two points. The game will continue past 7 points until one of the teams establishes a two point lead. At that point, the game will end.

• A shot thrown on goal must be released outside the crease, as defined by the arc region in front of the net, bounded by the diagonal lines extending from the goalposts. Note, however, that a ball may be released while in the air over the crease, provided no part of the thrower's body has not touched the inside.

• The ball may not be touched with an open hand inside the crease. It may, however, be deflected, redirected or otherwise affected with any part of a player's body (including a closed fist) outside of the goalie's circle.

• No player may enter the opposing goalie's circle.

• No player may initiate contact with the opposing goalie inside the crease.

• The goalie may cover up a blocked shot like hockey. The goalie's possession of the ball may not be contested inside the crease. The goalie's pass may be contested, but the goalie may not be touched, nor may the ball be stripped from the goalie. A stall count may be called on the goalie of 5 seconds.

• At the end of the counted 5 seconds (as counted by the player covering the goalie), a tipoff at the top of the zone will ensue.

• If the countdown is too fast and not a reasonable estimate of 5 seconds, the count may be contested by the referee or appealed to the referee.

• The goalie may be pulled and replaced by a bench fieldman, though the goalie may not enter the offensive zone.

• The goalie has reasonable rights to defend himself and his position. Since he has first right to position on the field, he may assert his right to his position. This includes initiating contact.

Field Rules

• All field position judgments (including crease violations) will be based on the point on the ground last touched by the player in question. Touching a line with any part of the body or straddling a line defaults as follows:
  • The goalie's circle takes precedence over the crease.
  • The crease takes precedence over the offensive zone.
  • Out of bounds takes precedence over in bounds.

• The zone boundaries take equal precedence so that a player straddling the zone boundary line, or with one foot touching the boundary line is considered to be in both zones. IE One foot is sufficient to tag up onsides. If the ball touches the line, it remains in the offensive zone.

A ball that leaves the field of play, as defined by the boundary lines of the lacrosse field, is turned over from the team that touched the ball last to the other team, and an uncontested throw in from the sideline will be granted.

• Substitutions will occur on the fly at any time during the game, much like hockey. The number of a team's players on the field at any time may not exceed 8. The player coming off the field must be off the field before the replacement comes onto the field, and must leave the field of play from the neutral zone. This is punishable with a penalty (see below).

• A player is offside if he completely enters the opposing team's zone before the ball crosses the zone boundary line, provided he is not in possession of the ball, similar to hockey.

• Any ball thrown out of bounds behind the opponent's goal from the defending zone will result in a tipoff at the defending boundary of the team that committed the penalty. This penalty shall be called punting.

• Any ball put out of bounds behind the opponent's goal, except when the ball has been punted, will result in a turnover, however the ball will be brought back into play by giving the goalie possession of the ball starting at the goal.

Infractions

Penalties will not be enforced until the team that committed the penalty gains possession of the ball. Delayed penalties may be waived off in the event that the team corrects the action before regaining possession of the ball. For instance, if a player is offsides with the ball in the neutral zone, the ref can raise his hand to signal a penalty, but then waive off the penalty if the player tags up onsides before the ball crosses the zone boundary. If the team with the player offsides enters the offensive zone while the player is offsides, the penalty will be enforced immediately.

Minor Penalties

• Punting: Any ball thrown out of bounds behind the opponent's goal from the defending zone will result in a punting penalty. This will give the non-offending team an unobstructed throw from behind the offending team's goal.

• Offsides: A player is offside if he completely enters the opposing team's zone before the ball crosses the zone boundary line, provided he is not in possession of the ball, similar to hockey. This will result in a turnover an uncontested throw at the zone boundary line.

• Goalie obstruction: Incidental contact with the goalie inside the crease. This will result in a turnover, and the ball will return to play in the possession of the obstructed goalie.

• Crease violations: Any player commits a crease violation if he touches the ball with an open hand inside the opposing team's crease or enters the opposing team's goalie circle. This will result in a turnover, and the ball will return to play in the possession of the non-offending team's goalie.

Major Penalties

Major penalties will result in the loss of a player on the playing field until the opposing team either scores a point or commits an offsetting major penalty. Additional penalties will result in the team losing one additional player per penalty until they have 4 players to the opposing team's 7. Then, additional penalties result in a penalty shot.

In the event of a penalty shot, the player against whom the penalty was committed will get the ball at the opposing team's zone boundary and will have an opportunity to take one shot on goal, similar to hockey. After the penalty shot, a tipoff at the center of the field will take place. All crease rules remain intact for a penalty shot.

Major penalties will not be enforced until the offending team gains possession of the ball. The referee will raise one hand to signal a delayed penalty.

The player removed from the field of play will be the player who committed the penalty, and may not be substituted for another player, except when the goalie commits a penalty.

The following are major penalties:

• Hit to the head – No player may tackle an opposing player by hitting the player's head. Furthermore, a player may not tackle by leading with the crown of his head.

• Low tackle – No player may tackle an opposing player by striking below the knees.

• Goalie interference – No player may intentionally make contact with the opposing goalie in the crease. Particularly egregious or clearly intentional interference may be penalized with a major penalty.

• Interference – No player may tackle another player who does not have possession of the ball or is being passed the ball, or is in the vicinity of the ball. This is at the referee's discretion.

• Holding – No player may hold another player when not attempting to legally tackle the other player.

• Roughing – No player may strike another player with his elbow, knees, head, etc. intentionally. Stiff arming a player is allowable, but clothes-lining a player is not. This is along the lines of striking with the intent to injure, and is at the referee's discretion. This is a full contact game, but be reasonable.

• Personnel violation – At no time may there be more than 8 men on the field per team. When a major penalty is committed, the offending team loses one of the players allowed on the field. While substitutions are allowed on the fly, the player coming off the field must be completely off the field before the substitute may enter the field of play. The last player to enter the field of play will be the player removed for the penalty. Leaving the field of play from outside the neutral zone will be considered a personnel violation. The player coming off the field will serve the penalty, and since he was already leaving the field, a player of the penalized team's discretion will need to be removed from the field to the bench, but may be substituted for at any time during the penalty.

• Unsportsmanlike conduct – At the referee's discretion. Particularly violent attacks on players, harassment of the referee, fighting, excessive taunting, personal attacks, hits with intent to injure (including attacks using the ball) and indecent exposure (and other attempts to subvert the legitimacy of the game) will be punishable under unsportsmanlike conduct.

Game penalties

The referee has the right to throw any player out of the game for extremely violent behavior, particularly bad harassment or other egregious or flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct violations.

Variations

This summer we'll be testing a variation that is played on a soccer field, with the small box taking the place of the goalie's circle, and the large box taking the place of the goal crease.