Obstruction is when a player interferes with an opponent's accessibility to the puck or actively uses their body to prevent the advancement of a player.
Blocking is one of three subsets of obstruction and occurs when a player stops an opponent's progress or blocks their access to the puck by blocking them with their body. An example of this is if a player flicks the puck and tries to chase it, but an opponent swims into the path of that player and prevents them from being able to get to the puck.
Demo video coming soon!
Barging is signaled by grabbing both wrists and holing the arms above the surface of the water, then moving the hands in and out from the chest.
This foul should be called anytime it alters the outcome of the play. If a player gets in the way of an opponent, preventing their access to the puck, obstruction should be called.
In this case, player #7 on the black team is driving the puck up the wall and #8 on the white team curls on the wall, blocking the progress of the black team player.
In this example, the white team player attempts a flick and chase, but the opponent uses his body to prevent the white team player form getting to the puck after he flicks it.
In this play, a white team player knocks the puck off the black team players stick, but then they get tangled and the black team player prevents the white team player from following the puck.
OBSTRUCTION (BLOCKING)