I measured the bas on mine the other day; it was just over 18cm. I would say thatâs in around & standard, I didnât really give any indication as to what I wanted, thatâs just the standard hurleymakers are putting out now.
Pretty much every single hurler in the country would have to buy a new couple, hurleymakers would be delighted with the business.
Give fair warning and bring in the rule a year or two after the announcement.
That is a good article and itâs a shame it had to be written. He says Stop fouling! Nothing groundbreaking or extraordinary about that and yet heâs right. It had to be said.
What should be highlighted are the coaches who coach fouling!!
It used to said about Kilkenny playing on the edge and it was all that spare arm stuff and I remember Cody saying that his players were coached to disrupt the opponentâs possession. He didnât quite say by fouling but it was certainly the implication or at least thatâs what I took from it.
I did read an article on this, and I actually think the total time the ball is in play is higher than the past but the average length of time its in play before going dead is way lower. Iâll see if I can dig it out again.
For me, I would agree, I like contests for possession and tackling. But the criticisms seem to be coming from different angles: some people donât like the way the game has gone in that teams can use physical size to dominate opposition via tackling; but then, on the other hand, people give out that it goes from puckout to shot to puckout. In my head, they are opposites really (unless frees are being blown).
I donât think weâre ever going to go back to a game where fellas just lump it long; maybe adjusting the bas or the rims of the sliotar or whatever would keep the ball in play for longer but it would lead to even more of the tackling that others give out about it. (Or more use of the handpass, particularly in your own half).
Get rid of hand passing?
Two refs at least needed to deal with the tackling. Or just put a linesman inside either 40
I would say that there the rules are open to interpretation. The spare arm tackle is not specifically prohibited to the best of my knowledge.
5.4 âto engage in any form of rough playâ possibly covers it. But thatâs very unclear.
5.10 "to hold an opponent with the hand(s). That probably covers it in some instances but there is definitely a moment where you can get the arm in before it becomes a âholdâ.
So thatâs why referees interpret it differently.
Thatâs true and I doubt if you could ever design a set of rules that would have no room for interpretation unless you ruled out any physical contact which is not what hurling is about.
The reason handpassing is in the rules is to give players an outball when surrounded by players. You may say that it will encourage players not to take the ball into contact, and maybe it will, but what it will mean is that if you can get a cluster of bodies around a player, you are pretty much certainly going to turn the ball over if they canât handpass it.
I wouldnât necessarily have an issue with any of those changes, but it would change how the game is played completely. Coaches and players would adapt though.
It would be interesting to look at a few games from 40 years ago and a few from say last year and compare the number of hand passes. Iâd guess it would have increased maybe tenfold.
Currently, as I see it, the spare arm tackle is not prohibited so youâd be mad not to use it.
Itâs all well and good to say that hooking & blocking are the traditional skills for dispossessing an opponent (although games from the past use to have serious physicality & bad strokes which went unpunished) but players just donât hit the ball under pressure anymore. Itâs way harder to get a hook in now because players will keep moving the ball until it goes to a free man.
And thatâs smart. And wonât change. But it leads to the restart-shot-restart problem, I guess.
Hurling was generally more of a one on one game back then. If you beat your man to a ball youâd have a bit of space to hit it. Now if you win a ball and get past the first tackle there are probably still a few lads in front of you and a teammate spare for a quick handpass in space.
Iâm against any changes to the hurley/sliotar. Maybe a rule that you canât score from inside your own 65?
That could be brilliant? Keep it moving so, ground hurling doubling on it back in an instant. Skin and hair would fly 
I would say the 2nd rule you highlighted above would cover the spare arm tackle fairly well? If you grab his arm for a split second youâre still holding his arm
Where the fuck are the rules of hurling on the gaa website?
Agree, to a point. I donât see much wrong with impeding an opponent in possession by using the spare arm. Itâs when turns thta into a drag\pull back it becomes a foul or when the spare arm is used to deliver a forearm smash is where I have the problem
Again youâre right I think. But this is where enforcing the size of the bas would help. Solo runs are much easier if you have a bas of 18 cm compared to one of 13cm. Control of the sliotar is much more difficult with the smaller bas so you might find that players are forced to get rid of the sliotar sooner.
On an almost totally unrelated note - the hook (which is basically preventing your opponent striking the ball by knocking his hurl offf course ) â as there is a rule which says you canât play your opponentâs hurl, where is the hook allowed?
Left hand panel
So am I. But Iâd like to see the rule enforced
Implement the bas size rule. Define the tackle, which might end up being as vague as attempt to dispossess the ball but itâs a start.
No more than two handpasses in a row? Or one?
The most effective use of the spare arm wouldnât involve any holding whatsoever. You use your forearm to halt momentum but the hand itself is not really involved.
Yeah Iâd agree. I definitely think clarification of what is and isnât allowed in the tackle area would be appreciated. Thereâs always going to be grey areas but as of now, thereâs potentially scope for huge variation in interpretation.
I donât have an issue with the use of an arm to slow a player as long as itâs brief, itâs not high and doesnât extend to holding/dragging.
Also would have no issue with the enforcement of the bas rule, but I donât really have any idea as to how that will affect the game.
Iâd nearly be in favour of a rule that said you had to handpass with the opposite hand, but again, it leaves very little options for players who are bottled up.