|
No, the INITIAL contact must be BELOW the waist if the player is going to cut like that. If they go high, they cannot go low.
That's incorrect.
If an offensive player engages a defensive player outside the FBZ, or when the zone has desintegrated, that player may engage above the waist and slide down if he so chooses. If he were to engage below the waist initially, that would be illegal. If he tries to go low, but meets the defenders hands first, it is not considered a BBLW.
I don't want to put words in the mouths of the Fed Committee, but their primary reason for the rule is safety. The danger is when a player initially goes for the legs of another player with some speed built up (e.g. outside the FBZ). If he has already engaged another player high, his sliding down doesn't give the dangerous force that a head on at-the-knees block would provide.
To recap - one can go high and slide down.
I think eventually, all BBTW will be outlawed. That seems to be the direction we're headed.
|