[Kelvin green]

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee

Can't agree with that either. Rule 4-44 states that verticality applies to a "legal position". It doesn't say a "legal guarding position". As far I know, the purpose and intent of this rule was to have it apply to any player- offense or defense- that takes up a legal position on the court. It certainly applies to a shooter. Go straight up and any contact is usually called on the defender. Don't go straight up and it could be called on either player. That's what R10-6-1 is implying also, imo.

-The rule does state that one principle of verticality is legal guarding position! It must be attained and maintained.


from rule 4
Verticality applies to a legal position. The basic components of the principle of verticality are:
a . Legal guarding position must be established and attained initially,
and movement thereafter must be legal.
b . From such position, the defender may rise or jump vertically and
occupy the space within his or her vertical plane.
c . The hands and arms of the defender may be raised within his or her
vertical plane while the defender is on the playing court or in the a i r .
d . [/B]The defender shall not be penalized for leaving the playing court
vertically or having his or her hands and arms extended within the
vertical plane.[/B]
e . The offensive player, whether on the playing court or airborne, shall
not “clear out” or cause contact that is not incidental.
f . The defender may not “belly up” or use the lower part of the body
or [/B]arms to cause contact outside his or her vertical plane.[/B]
g . The player with the ball shall be given no more protection or consideration
than the defender in the judging of which, if either, player has
violated the principle of verticality.


Taken literally must be in LGP.

Taken literally arms cannot move because defender shall not be penalized for having hands/arms extended. Does not say anything about movement except that you cannot use arms outside of cyliner...

I agree with Adam that you may be able to move your arms some but given that torso is the guide.. a person's arms dont need to go out much either to the front or side to get them out of the cylinder. With hands above head in a comfortable position it is vertical. so if you moved hands in normal move to guard it may not be a foul... but once the extend past the torso it is a foul.

I would venture to guess that most of the time swats, lunges, movements for the ball will take the arms and hands outside the vertical cylinder