False start
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- This article is about the sports term. For the feature of spoken language, see Speech disfluencies
In sports (particularly racing sports like swimming, track, or motor sports), a false start is committed by a competitor who starts before being signaled to do so. In some instances, a false start can immediately disqualify an athlete from further competition, but more often a single warning is given. False starts are looked for in sprint races especially, where the fractions of a second gained could make the difference between winning and losing.
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[edit] American football
In American football, a false start is movement by an offensive player (other than the center) after he has taken a set position. For offensive linemen, this movement might be as minute as a couple of centimeters. A false start brings a penalty of five yards.
At the end of the 2005-2006 NFL season, owners complained regarding false start penalties on players whose flinches have little effect upon the start of the play, such as wide receivers. In response, the NFL competition committee has said that they plan to inflict fewer false start penalties on players who line up behind the line of scrimmage.[1]
[edit] Athletics (track and field)
In track and field sprints, the sport's governing body - the IAAF - has a rule that if the athlete moves within 1/10th of a second after the gun has fired the athlete has false started. [2] This is an arbitrary figure that is based on the idea that the human brain cannot process the information of the sound of the starting gun and then get the body rolling in under 1/10th of a second. This rule is only applied at high-level meets where fully automated motion sensor devices are built into the starting blocks that are tied via computer with the starter's gun. In the vast majority of meets that do not have these sophisticated motion sensor devices false starts are determined visually by the officials.
Since 2003, IAAF rules state that after any false start committed, all athletes are warned.[3] Any subsequent false start by any athlete leads to immediate disqualification. Previously disqualification occurred only after the same athlete false-started twice.[4]
[edit] Horse racing
In thoroughbred horse racing, a false start occurs when a horse breaks through the starting gates before they open. A notable example was the 2006 Preakness Stakes when Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro broke through the gate early; he was reloaded and the race was started properly.
[edit] Ice hockey
In ice hockey, a false start is the movement of a player in the face-off circle before the puck is dropped. When this occurs, the player is "chased" from the circle and another player must come in to take their spot.
[edit] Sailing
In sailing, a boat which crosses the starting line within the last minute before the starting signal is not disqualified, but is required to return, round an end of the starting line and cross it properly before continuing the race.[5]
[edit] Swimming
In swimming, any swimmer who starts before the starting signal is given is automatically disqualified.[6]
[edit] Entertainment
On television broadcasts, usually those that are live, a false start is an intro to a song that is quickly cut short to another song. One famous example is Elvis Costello playing "Radio Radio" on Saturday Night Live.
The version of the Beatles' song "I'm Looking Through You" which appeared on the American edition of Rubber Soul has a false start at the beginning. There's also a false start on "Dig a Pony", from Let It Be.
