A lifted ball that is falling to a player in clear space may be made potentially dangerous by the actions of an opponent closing to within 5 m of the receiver before the ball has been controlled to ground – a rule which is often only loosely applied ; the distance allowed is often only what might be described as playing distance , 2–3 m , and opponents tend to be permitted to close on the ball as soon as the receiver plays it : these unofficial variations are often based on the umpire 's perception of the skill of the players i.e.