Sin Bin
A temporary suspension in which a player must leave the field for a set period as a disciplinary sanction, used in rugby, ice hockey, and other sports.
Definition
The sin bin refers both to a temporary dismissal and to the area where a suspended player waits. Rather than being sent off permanently, an offending player is removed for a fixed time, leaving their team a player short. It is a middle sanction between a warning and a permanent send-off, used to punish serious or repeated infringements.
The length and triggers differ by sport. In rugby union and rugby league a yellow card carries a ten-minute sin-bin period; in ice hockey the penalty box holds players for a minor, major, or misconduct penalty; and field hockey uses coloured cards for suspensions of varying length. The common principle is a temporary numerical disadvantage that penalises the team without ending the player's match.
Meaning by sport
This term is used differently across sports:
- rugby union
- A ten-minute temporary suspension that follows a yellow card, leaving the team with fourteen players.
- rugby league
- A ten-minute temporary suspension for foul play or repeated infringements.
- ice hockey
- The penalty box, where a penalised player serves a minor, major, or misconduct penalty.
- field hockey
- A temporary suspension served off the field for a set number of minutes, indicated by a green or yellow card.
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Equipment
- Hockey stickA curved-headed stick used to control, pass and shoot the ball or puck in hockey.
- Shin guardsProtective pads worn over the shins in football and other field sports.
- Football boots (cleats)Studded footwear that grips the pitch for football and other field sports.
- Padel racketA solid, stringless perforated racket used to play padel.
- BasketballA large, inflated ball with a dimpled surface used to play basketball.
Facilities
- Ice rinkA sheet of prepared ice, usually rink-boarded with rounded corners, used for skating and ice sports.
- Football pitchThe large rectangular grass or artificial-turf field on which football (soccer) is played, with a goal at each end.
- Swimming poolA water-filled basin, divided into lanes for competition, used for swimming and other aquatic sports.
- Sports hallA large indoor hall with multi-sport line markings, used for court sports like basketball, volleyball and badminton.
- Badminton courtA rectangular indoor court, divided by a high net, on which badminton is played as singles or doubles.
Player roles
- Set-Piece SpecialistA player a team relies on to take or defend dead-ball restarts — free-kicks, corners, penalties, and serves — with practiced accuracy and composure.
- CaptainThe captain is a team's on-field leader who communicates, makes in-game decisions and sets standards — a role any player can hold, not a fixed position.
- Pace-SetterThe player who sets and controls the tempo of play or the rhythm of an endurance effort, dictating how fast the game or race unfolds.
Rules
- Yellow and red cardsThe disciplinary cards a football referee shows to caution or send off a player for misconduct.
- LetA call that stops a point and has it replayed without penalty, used across several racket sports.
- Penalty kick awardA one-on-one kick against the goalkeeper awarded when a defending player commits a direct-free-kick foul inside their own penalty area.
- Badminton serve rulesThe rules for how a badminton serve must be delivered and where it must land.
- Touching the netA net-play rule that penalises a player for contacting the net during a rally in net-divided sports.
Tactics
- Set-piece playRehearsed routines from a dead-ball situation such as a corner, free kick or throw-in used to create chances.
- Offside trapA defensive football tactic where the back line steps up together to leave an attacker offside.
- Wing playAttacking down the flanks and crossing the ball into the box to stretch the defence and create chances.
- Serve-receive formationHow a volleyball team arranges its passers to receive the serve and set up a clean first attack.
- Pick and rollA two-player basketball action where one player screens for the ball-handler, then rolls to the basket.
Disciplines
- Breaking (Gyeokpa)Gyeokpa is taekwondo's breaking discipline, in which practitioners strike through boards or other objects to demonstrate accuracy, focus, and effective technique.
- KataKata is the solo karate discipline of performing set sequences of blocks, strikes, kicks, and stances against imagined opponents.
- KumiteKumite is the sparring discipline of karate, in which two athletes exchange controlled strikes and kicks under judged rules.
- FoilFoil is a fencing weapon in which touches are scored only with the point on the opponent's torso, governed by right-of-way rules.
- ClassicClassic is the original cross-country technique, with skis kept parallel in set tracks and a striding kick-and-glide motion.