To signal for a penalty kick, the ref points to the penalty spot with his index finger. The penalty spot is the part of the football field where penalty kicks are taken, indicated by a bold dot. The penalty kick is awarded to an offensive player when he is fouled inside the penalty area.

Referees also use signals to indicate penalties that occur before, during, or after a play. For example, a pre-snap penalty, such as offsides, will be signaled by the referee blowing the whistle and throwing a yellow flag. Penalties that happen during the play, like holding or pass interference, will be signaled after the play is complete.

The referee’s first step in quality communication is to get an accurate report from the official who threw the flag. The referee must then move clear of the players, face the press box, stand stationary and indicate the foul and the offending team using the appropriate signal. Do not signal fouls from your position.

Penalties can have varying levels of punishment for teams, including loss or gain of yardage, automatic first downs, or even ejections in extreme circumstances. Referees will usually signal penalties by throwing a yellow flag and using the corresponding hand motion for the penalty.

Geiges came up with four simple signals: offside, holding, illegal shift and timeout. When he stopped the action, Geiges looked to the broadcast booth and flashed the appropriate sign. The nonverbal communication enabled the announcers to better describe the action.