Bob's right. There's no definition of "jump stop" in the rulebook. But coaches and officials talk about the jump stop all the time and there are two very different ways of defining the it. The first, more general way, to understand it is anytime a player jumps, then catches the ball (either catches a pass or picks up his own dribble) and then comes to a complete stop when he lands.
The more specific definition has to do with when a player catches the ball in the air, and then lands on one foot. In that case, he may jump off that foot and land simultaneously on both feet. This is what I
always mean by "jump stop" (except in my first paragraph above
).
Here's what Hank Nichols has to say on the subject in the most recent Official's Bulletin (from 2/10/04):
Quote:
Jump Stop. Last year the jump stop was officiated well and consistently; consequently, it removed existing confusion as to what was legal. This year there appears to be an inconsistent understanding of Rule 4-65.3 and as a consequence, the rule is not being officiated correctly.
As a reminder, when a dribbling player initiates a jump, ends his dribble with both feet off the floor and lands simultaneously on two feet (jump stop), he is permitted to establish a pivot foot. When there is doubt as to how many feet were off the floor when the dribble ended, the official shall assume that the dribble ended with both feet off the floor (which is most often the case); consequently, the player, after executing the jump stop, is allowed to establish a pivot foot. When the official does not allow the player to pivot after a jump stop, he shall be absolutely sure that player ended his dribble with only one foot off the floor.
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Hope that helps.