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FootballIntermediate40 minutes

Handball decision lab

Replace “ball touched arm” with the actual Law 12 tests. Learners judge deliberate movement, an unnaturally bigger body, the scorer exception, and eight match situations that demand a reasoned call.

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Teacher guide

Learning objectives

By the end of the lesson, learners should be able to:

  • state that not every hand or arm contact is an offence;
  • identify deliberate movement of the hand or arm toward the ball;
  • judge whether an arm position makes the body unnaturally bigger for that movement;
  • apply the special rule when the scorer’s own hand or arm contact leads immediately to a goal; and
  • choose the correct direct-free-kick or penalty-kick restart.
Three possible routes

Test the action, position, and scorer

There are several routes to a handball offence. Do not turn “unexpected” or “accidental” into an automatic answer.

Test A

Deliberate action

Did the player deliberately touch the ball with the hand or arm—for example, by moving it toward the ball?

Test B

Unnaturally bigger

Did the hand or arm position make the body unnaturally bigger, and was that position not a consequence of or justifiable by the player’s body movement?

Test C

The scorer’s contact

Did the player score directly from their own hand or arm, or immediately after the ball touched their own hand or arm—even accidentally?

Where the arm begins

Use the bottom of the armpit

For handball, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit. Contact above that boundary is shoulder/body contact, not hand or arm contact.

The four-question match check

  1. 1
    Did the ball contact the legal hand/arm area?

    Use the bottom-of-the-armpit boundary.

  2. 2
    Was the touch deliberate?

    Look at movement toward the ball, not merely the result.

  3. 3
    Was the body made unnaturally bigger?

    Judge whether the position was a consequence of or justifiable by that specific movement. The player assumes the risk of an unjustifiable position.

  4. 4
    Did that same player score immediately?

    The scorer’s own accidental contact is treated differently from accidental contact by a team-mate.

Language of the lesson

Six terms learners need

Hand/arm boundary
The arm’s upper boundary is in line with the bottom of the armpit.
Deliberate touch
A player intentionally uses or moves the hand or arm to contact the ball.
Unnaturally bigger
An arm position that enlarges the body without being a consequence of or justifiable by the player’s movement.
Supporting arm
An arm used to support the body in a fall or slide; its position still must be judged in the context of that movement.
Direct free kick
The usual restart for a handball offence outside the offender’s own penalty area.
Penalty kick
The restart when a defender commits a direct-free-kick handball offence inside their own penalty area.
40-minute lesson

Teaching sequence

  1. 0–5

    Remove the shortcut

    Ask: “The ball hit an arm—is it handball?” Collect votes, then reveal the Law’s opening principle: not every touch is an offence.

  2. 5–13

    Map the three routes

    Teach deliberate action, unnaturally bigger, and the scorer’s own contact. Emphasise that these are tests, not three labels for the same idea.

  3. 13–20

    Use movement, not snapshots

    Mime running, jumping, and sliding positions. Ask whether each arm position follows naturally from the movement or creates an unjustified barrier.

  4. 20–34

    Run the decision lab

    Learners complete all eight situations, naming the decision, decisive test, and restart when an offence occurs.

  5. 34–40

    Explain the asymmetry

    Compare the two scoring situations. Have learners explain why the scorer’s own accidental contact differs from accidental contact by a team-mate.

Sport Rules teaching material · Football

Learner sheet: make the Law 12 call

Choose handball offence or play on. Name the decisive test and, if needed, the restart. These situations use the IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27.

Name
Date
Decision reminder
  1. Confirm contact below the armpit boundary.
  2. Test deliberate movement toward the ball.
  3. Test whether the position made the body unnaturally bigger.
  4. Check whether the player who touched it immediately scored.
  1. 1

    Top of the shoulder

    Boundary

    A dropping ball strikes an attacker on the rounded top of the shoulder, clearly above the line level with the bottom of the armpit. The arm itself is not touched.

    Handball offence or play on?

    DecisionDecisive fact / restart
  2. 2

    Arm close to the body

    Contact

    From very close range, an unexpected ball strikes a defender’s arm. The arm is held close to the torso in a position justified by normal running, and there is no movement toward the ball.

    Handball offence or play on?

    DecisionDecisive fact / restart
  3. 3

    Hand moved to the ball

    Deliberate

    Outside their own penalty area, a defender sees the ball passing and deliberately moves a hand sideways to stop it.

    What is the decision and restart?

    DecisionDecisive fact / restart
  4. 4

    An unjustified barrier

    Penalty area

    Inside their own penalty area, a defender turns toward a cross with an arm spread high and away from the body. The position is not needed for the movement, and the ball strikes the arm.

    What is the decision and restart?

    DecisionDecisive fact / restart
  5. 5

    The supporting arm

    Justifiable position

    A defender slides to challenge. The ball hits the arm placed between the body and ground to support the fall. The arm is not extended sideways to create an extra barrier, and there is no movement toward the ball.

    Handball offence or play on?

    DecisionDecisive fact / restart
  6. 6

    The scorer’s accidental touch

    Scorer

    The ball accidentally brushes an attacker’s arm in a natural position. It falls immediately to the same attacker, who scores before any other player touches it.

    Does the goal stand?

    DecisionDecisive fact / restart
  7. 7

    A team-mate’s accidental touch

    Team-mate

    The ball accidentally strikes Attacker A’s arm, which is in a natural position with no movement toward the ball. The ball runs to Attacker B, who immediately scores.

    Is the goal automatically disallowed?

    DecisionDecisive fact / restart
  8. 8

    Goalkeeper outside the area

    Location

    A goalkeeper runs outside the penalty area and deliberately catches a pass before an opponent can reach it. Assume the action does not deny a goal or obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

    What is the decision and restart?

    DecisionDecisive fact / restart
Teacher copy

Answer key and reasoning

Credit the answer only when the learner applies the relevant test rather than treating contact as the offence.

  1. Play on.

    The contact is above the legal hand/arm boundary at the bottom of the armpit, so it is shoulder/body contact rather than hand or arm contact. Law: 12.1.

  2. Play on.

    There was no deliberate movement toward the ball and the arm did not make the body unnaturally bigger. Close distance is useful context, but those Law 12 tests decide the call. Law: 12.1.

  3. Handball offence; direct free kick.

    The defender deliberately moved the hand to the ball. Because the offence occurred outside the defender’s penalty area, the restart is a direct free kick from the offence location. Laws: 12.1 and 13.

  4. Handball offence; penalty kick.

    The raised, spread arm made the defender’s body unnaturally bigger and was not justifiable by the movement. A direct-free-kick offence by a defender inside their own penalty area results in a penalty kick. A card is not automatic; misconduct depends on the tactical effect and type of offence. Laws: 12.1 and 14.

  5. Play on.

    In this stated situation, the supporting arm position is a consequence of and justifiable by the sliding movement, does not create an extra sideways barrier, and is not moved deliberately toward the ball. A supporting arm is not automatically exempt—the movement context is decisive. Law: 12.1.

  6. Disallow the goal; direct free kick.

    A player who scores immediately after the ball touches their own hand or arm commits an offence even when the contact is accidental and otherwise natural. Law: 12.1.

  7. The goal is not automatically disallowed.

    The special accidental-contact rule applies to the scorer’s own hand or arm, not a team-mate’s. Attacker A’s contact must be judged by the usual deliberate and unnaturally-bigger tests; the facts state neither, so the goal stands. Law: 12.1 and IFAB’s Law 12 FAQ.

  8. Handball offence; direct free kick.

    Outside the penalty area, a goalkeeper has the same handball restrictions as any other player. Deliberately catching the ball is an offence. On the stated facts no caution or sending-off is automatic, although tactical impact could change the disciplinary decision. Law: 12.1.

Discussion prompts

Push the reasoning one step further

Official references

Law basis and further reading

This material paraphrases the Laws for teaching; it does not replace the official wording.