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Can I turn my left hand?

Question:

I’m a Goalkeeper that searches all the time for new skills. Can I turn my left hand in 90° when the ball comes? But only the hand, nothing more. I do this often when the players shot in the training, but I don’t make this in the tournament because the referee can say that was a penalty. So can I do that?

Answer:

As long as you are not “batting” the ball, you are allowed a certain amount of freedom in deflecting the ball to safety. You are right to try to do that by angling your wrist and hand. The thing most umpires are looking for to determine if you are “batting” the ball is movement from your forearm and elbow. If you are very concerned that you might be called for a stroke, ask the umpire before the match what he thinks. I’ve been surprised by how much umpires have allowed as far as the keeper deflecting the ball over the end line by angling his hand, but I’m also not going to complain.

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