Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Runner Violations
- Starting before the ready signal.
- Changing to a different link after committing to the selected challenge area when the house rules require advance selection.
- Diving, leaping feet-first, lowering the head or shoulder, or deliberately charging a defender.
- Striking, pushing, kicking, grabbing, or using the hands or elbows to force a link apart.
- Continuing after the leader calls stop or after a defender releases for safety.
A minor early start normally produces a restart. A dangerous or deliberate runner violation makes the attempt unsuccessful. The player may be removed from the round if the conduct is repeated or severe.
Defender Violations
- Wrapping arms, locking wrists, gripping clothing, or using an unsafe hold.
- Raising linked hands toward the runner's neck or head.
- Stepping forward to collide with, trip, hip-check, or strike the runner.
- Closing an agreed gap after the attempt begins or moving sideways to obstruct a runner outside the chosen link.
- Refusing to release when continued resistance creates an obvious risk of injury.
A defender violation normally makes the run successful. In a transfer game, the runner may take one of the responsible defenders. If responsibility is unclear, replay the turn with a different challenge or use the no-break format.
Team and Conduct Violations
Calling an unwilling player repeatedly, taunting, discriminatory conduct, deliberate mismatching, or pressuring someone to participate is prohibited. The first minor incident should receive a warning; repeated or serious misconduct may result in loss of the turn, removal from the round, team rebalancing, or termination of the game.
Unclear Outcomes
If the leader cannot determine whether a link broke before the runner stopped, the turn should be replayed. Safety takes priority over assigning blame or preserving a competitive result.