"Imaginary" 3 foot restraining line? NFHS Throw Ins
 

Please forgive me if this is an easy one and I am just not looking in the right place in the rule book.

If the player throwing the ball in bounds, has limited room to move backwards, do we have the authority to implement an imaginary restraining line?

And if so then now this imaginary line falls under all of the normal restrictions/penalties/enforcements for reaching through the plane, etc.

If so could someone direct me to this in the rule book?

Thanks.



.

I've been doing this, but I'm starting to question whether or not I have rules backing to do so.

I think the answer is to not back them up but to STRICTLY enforce the "reaching through the plane" rule.

Does Rule 1-2-2 help you: "If, on an unofficial court, there is less than 3 feet of unobstructed space outside any sideline or end line, a narrow broken line shall be marked on the court parallel with and 3 feet inside that boundary. This restraining line becomes the boundary line during a throw-in on that side or end, as in 7-6. It continues to be the boundary until the ball crosses the line."
Also 7-6-4: ART. 4

The opponent(s) of the thrower shall not have any part of his/her person through the inbounds side of the throw-in boundary plane until the ball has been released on a throw-in pass. See 9-2-10 Penalty.

NOTE: The thrower shall have a minimum of 3 feet horizontally as in 1-2-2. If the court is not marked accordingly, an imaginary restraining line shall be imposed by the *administering *official.

Thanks Jimmie and I will go take a look. I guess it is the "note" that is the most helpful. Usually find this as an issue in front of the benches, etc. And really just makes me think it should be something that is pre gamed with coaches, etc. instead of waiting until crunch time to all of a sudden start implementing and enforcing it.

Thanks.

7.6.4c

That broken line in a tiny gym brings back memories of a couple of old junior high gyms of my youth . . . and the one that had two division lines -- is that rule still in the books? (They had never even repainted that floor to replace the key shaped key . . . )

Yes, it is still there for courts shorter than 74'


RULE 1, SECTION 3, ART. 2 . . . A division line 2 inches wide, shall divide the court into two equal parts. If the court is less than 74 feet long, it should be divided by two lines, each parallel to and 40 feet from the farther end line.

Until about 4 years ago, we still had one junior high gym that had the split division lines and 3 foot boundary on the endline.

Always confused new visiting coaches even after it was explained...and some officials. Many IW's.

We used to play in a gym where our feet, when sitting on the bench, was on the playing court. I remember that gym did have a restraining line.

You have rules justification in high school but not college (M)

jpgc99:

Are you referring to the narrow dashed line three feet inside and parallel to the boundary line?

MTD, Sr.

No, I'm saying that the high school rules allow for the official to move a player back up to 3 feet to give space to the thrower-in. It was quoted above, I believe 1-2-2 note.

NCAA-M rules give no such guidance or directive.

No you are incorrect. By rule if there is less than three feet space outside the boundary line there is to be a marked dashed line parallel to the boundary line. And if there is no such line the officials are to administer the throw-in and the throw-in rules as if the line was really on the court. That is what the NOTE says in NFHS R1-S2-A2.

MTD, Sr.

Ah, so you move the thrower-in up, not the defender back? After re-reading the rule, this does appear to be the proper action. I don't work in gyms that have this issue anymore, but I seem to recall the common practice being for the calling official to move the defender back rather than move the thrower-in forward...

Regardless, In NCAA-m, you don't do either. You just strictly enforce the boundary plane provisions.

You don't move the thrower anywhere since they can be as far away from the line as they like. I tell them they "may" move up to the designated line but I don't tell them to move. I do move the defender ball and tell them they can't cross the designated line until the ball crosses it.