Foul Tip Signal

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

Last weekend on the three hour drive across the State of Ohio to officiate in the State Special Olympics Basketball Finals, Daryl Long and I were discussing the "not closely guarded signal" in basketball. I said it was a stupid signal because if I am not visually counting it means that there is no closely guarded situation. My position on the basketball signal lead to a discussion as to why do we need to signal a foul tip.

We came to the conclusion that a foul tip signal is not necessary becasuse when a foul tip occurs, the ball remains live, so why do we need to signal a foul tip, just signal a strike and an out if it is strike three?

Any comments.

MTD, Sr.

I agree that it's generally not needed. I stopped using it several years ago and only restarted because of "negative feedback".

It is needed it the swing isn't obvious -- I ended a play in a D-3 game last week when a batter may have swung, but was also trying to get out of the way of an inside pitch -- but it didn't matter because the ball hit the bat and went sharply and directly to F2's mitt and was caught. So, here I gave the foul tip signal and then the strike signal.

Finally, it's different from the "not closely guarded" signal -- without it, the coach doesn't know whether you're not watching the play or are watchinbut judging the difference to be greater than 6' (3' in NCAAW). S/he doesn't know whether to discuss your mechanics or your judgment.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

I agree that it's generally not needed. I stopped using it several years ago and only restarted because of "negative feedback".

It is needed it the swing isn't obvious -- I ended a play in a D-3 game last week when a batter may have swung, but was also trying to get out of the way of an inside pitch -- but it didn't matter because the ball hit the bat and went sharply and directly to F2's mitt and was caught. So, here I gave the foul tip signal and then the strike signal.

Finally, it's different from the "not closely guarded" signal -- without it, the coach doesn't know whether you're not watching the play or are watchinbut judging the difference to be greater than 6' (3' in NCAAW). S/he doesn't know whether to discuss your mechanics or your judgment.

Bob:

Your baseball explaination made a lot of sense, and your example is a good one.

But, I have been officiating women's college basketball since 1974 and men's since 1993 and every time a coach asks about a closely guarded situation and why I do not have my arms spread out, I respond with the following statement: "If I am swinging my arm, then I have a closely guarded situation and if I am not swinging my arm, I do not have a closely guarded situation." And the response I get almost 100% of the time is: "Gee, I never thought of it like that." Therefore, if my arm ain't swinging, it means I ain't counting, and if I ain't counting it means that I do not have a closely guarded situation.

MTD, Sr.