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"I realize I am better than when I started, but I still have some gaps in my game and I'm not sure how to improve. First, I miss a lot of walks. I'm okay if the player is stationary and slides or something, but when he is moving high speed and picks up his dribble, I'm never quite sure which is his pivot foot and until he takes about 4 extra steps I'm in a fog. I guess I'm leary of just calling it because it looked wrong if I'm not sure."
On drives to the basket, if it looks funny, it probably was not legal. These are judgement calls. If you call it, sell it by making a strong call.
"I also get questioned on a call I make for kicked ball. A player who traps the ball with his legs by flexing his knees over the ball on an errant or low pass. The player doesn't stick his leg out, but he clearly is intentionally using his lower legs to trap the ball or to keep it from going through the wickets. Should I let that go?"
The book says the definition of a kick is "... intentionally striking it (the ball) with the knee or any part of the leg or foot below the knee." If you feel the action by the defender meets that criteria, call the kick.
Action under the boards is a tough area to call. You will feel more comfortable with more experience. But contact on loose balls is a pet peeve of mine. Some players think a loose ball on the floor is a free ticket to dive on someone. It is not, and in my opinion the foul in this situation does not get called enough. Yes, there can be incidental contact, but many times the 2nd player dives on top of the 1st player. If you don't call that foul early, you get the 10 car pile ups and alot of rough play.
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