Playing sports is an important activity that improves your hand-eye coordination, and physical and mental health. But every competitive sport requires its players to follow a set of strict rules. These rules may not seem like fun at first, but they are important to standardize games and level the playing field, fostering healthy competition.

All famous sports have some well-known rules that both players and fans are aware of. But there are some pretty weird and obscure rules of sports that most fans are unaware of. These weird rules seldom come into play during a game and when they do, they set a new precedent, leaving fans perplexed and raising excitement levels for the players and spectators alike.

Pulling The Goalie in Hockey

The ‘pulling the goalie’ tactic in a game of hockey is one of the most thrilling plays, and leads to goals scored in either of the nets. This trick is often employed at the end of a game to score a point so as to even out the score.

However, the rules about pulling the goalie in overtime are quite different. According to the rules of hockey in overtime, pulling the goalie results in the team either scoring two points for the win or zero for a loss.

LisaVanDorp/Pixabay. A hat drop is a distraction in the game of tennis

Unintentional Distractions in Tennis:

Tennis is a game of intense focus, and even the drop of a hat can be counted as a distraction and can result in the other player requesting that the point be replayed. Known as unintentional distractions, the dropping of a hat or a ball falling out of a pocket during play can lead to the hindrance rule. Furthermore, taking off one's hat can also lead to the opponent getting a point.

Keithjj/Pixabay. An ambidextrous hitter must declare the arm they will use before hitting in a game of baseball

The Pat Vindette Rule in Baseball

Known as the ‘Pat Venditte’ rule, named after the famous switch-pitcher in Major League Baseball, this rule states that an ambidextrous pitcher has to declare the arm they will use for throwing before each at-bat. Although the player can use both arms, declaring which arm they would throw with helps avoid giving the ambidextrous player any undue advantage.

Discussing strategy in a game of Golf

Due to a strange rule of the game, golf players are instructed to not discuss strategy and plan their moves among themselves. As a result, golfers cannot talk to each other to discuss the rules of the game, hazards or shot distance–basically anything which could influence the outcome of the game.

422737/Pixabay. The cactus rule in golf is one most bizarre rules of the sports

The Cactus Rule in Golf:

Another bizarre rule in sports is the cactus rule in a game of Golf. Under this rule, if a player’s ball lands near a cactus, the player can protect themselves from its thorns using a towel draped around their arms and legs. Quite bizarrely, however, the player cannot cover the cactus in a towel.