The "FLOP"

[LRZ]

I have trouble with a flop on marginal contact, where, without the flop, I'd pass on calling it either way.

One of my assigners once said to me that when a body or bodies hit the floor on a flop, call a block and tell the defender, "That flop cost you a foul. You have four flops left." When in Rome....

[Camron Rust]

I have a hard time calling a charge when the defender goes down much harder than the contact would have caused...that is a flop. Conservation of momentum is real...a slight bump by the shooter doesn't put the defender into the 3rd row.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Pantherdreams

For it to fall into the flop category no contact would have to result in a reaction that was clearly meant to indicate there was contact

Originally Posted by Raymond

I consider players who throw themselves to the ground after a jump shot or who snap their heads back as if they got hit to be flopping.

Originally Posted by VaTerp

defenders who try to get PC fouls by feigning non existent contact or embellishing legal contact.

Originally Posted by HokiePaul

"I know it when I see it" approach works just fine for flopping

Originally Posted by Pantherdreams

I know it when i see it ... knowing it when I see it.

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

the defender goes down much harder than the contact would have caused...that is a flop.

For all Forum posters who have described flopping in their own manner (some are pretty good descriptions).

When your see flopping (according to you own description) do you penalize with a technical foul?

Be honest.

Thirty-seven years of officiating, and a lot of basketball as a player, and a coach, and I have never, ever, seen, nor have I ever charged, a technical foul for "faking being fouled".

I've seen potential flopping situations adjudicated, possibly incorrectly, as blocking fouls, as no calls, and occasionally (actually rarely) observed an official warn, but have never seen a technical foul charged.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

For all Forum posters who have described flopping in their own manner.

When your see flopping (according to you own description) do you penalize with a technical foul?

Be honest.

Thirty-seven years of officiating, and a lot of basketball as a player, and a coach, and I have never, ever, seen, nor have I ever charged, a technical foul for "faking being fouled".

I've seen potential flopping situations adjudicated, possibly incorrectly, as blocking fouls, as player control fouls, or as no calls, and occasionally (actually rarely) observed an official warn, but have never seen a technical foul charged.

I have. Once.

I had a varsity boys player throw himself backwards without contact. I was *stunned* by that. Next time down the floor, I talked to the coach who didn't realize there wasn't contact *at all.* He took the player out.

Player came back in, did the same thing. Whack. Coach wasn't happy. I shrugged.

[LRZ]

MTD, BillyMac and maybe a few others might remember the 1963 Sports Illustrated article about the Celtics' Frank Ramsey, entitled "Smart Moves by a Master of Deception." In it, Ramsey described his defensive tricks, including how he flopped convincingly: http://www.si.com/vault/1963/12/09/5...r-of-deception

At the time, I studied that article religiously!

[crosscountry55]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

I have a hard time calling a charge when the defender goes down much harder than the contact would have caused...that is a flop. Conservation of momentum is real...a slight bump by the shooter doesn't put the defender into the 3rd row.

This. Excellent post. Couldn't have said it better.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

When your see flopping (according to you own description) do you penalize with a technical foul?

Be honest.

Nope. I usually just laugh at them, or say something like "Come on, man" or "Dude, who are you fooling?" More often than not they smile back, as if to say, "Ok, you got me." It lightens the mood while making the point. I don't often see that same player flop again.

If I had a situation like the one Rich described, however (i.e. egregious second-time offender), I'd probably whack him, too.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Conservation of momentum is real.

Originally Posted by crosscountry55

Excellent post. Couldn't have said it better.

If you liked Camron Rust's post, check out Principia, Isaac Newton, 1687, hardcover $23.51 on Amazon.

[Pantherdreams]

Up until this year I had only been in the gym for 1. My partner asked me to watch a kid who was going down every time his check ripped hard. He gave him an official warning. Middle of 3rd quarter kid bodied up to ball carrier on catch at mid court. Offense ripped high and d went down like hit by sniper. Partner T'd him up, kid stood up ha a mouth ful of blood spat some on my partners shoe. Partner tossed him. Wanted no part of it. lol

That was before this season. In our conference this year I was involved in games or witnessed games at tournaments where 5 different times it was called. Including 4 times in 1 game (all on shooters). In all of these cases it was on offensive players. I still routinely see defensive contacts where people go down and its clearly not the contacts fault but me and refs around me are just giving them the "get up signal".

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

I have a hard time calling a charge when the defender goes down much harder than the contact would have caused...that is a flop. Conservation of momentum is real...a slight bump by the shooter doesn't put the defender into the 3rd row.

Conservation of Momentum for a Two Particle System: p1 = p2, where p1 = m1v1 and p2 = m2v2, therefore m1v1 = m2v2 and v2 = (m1v1)/m2.

Let m1 be greater than m2. t is time, and (t)i is t before the contact between m1 and m2. (t)f is t after the contact between m1 and m2.

From v2 = (m1v1)/m2, v2 at (t)f will be greater than v2 at (t)i. If m1 is significantly larger that m2, and at (t)i v1 is significantly larger that v2,, then v2 at (t)f can be significantly larger V2 at (t)i. Therefore, it is possible for a slight bump by Player #1 against Player #2 can send Player #2 into the third row.

MTD, Sr.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

Conservation of Momentum for a Two Particle System: p1 = p2, where p1 = m1v1 and p2 = m2v2, therefore m1v1 = m2v2 and v2 = (m1v1)/m2. Let m1 be greater than m2. t is time, and (t)i is t before the contact between m1 and m2. (t)f is t after the contact between m1 and m2. From v2 = (m1v1)/m2, v2 at (t)f will be greater than v2 at (t)i. If m1 is significantly larger that m2, and at (t)i v1 is significantly larger that v2,, then v2 at (t)f can be significantly larger V2 at (t)i. Therefore, it is possible for a slight bump by Player #1 against Player #2 can send Player #2 into the third row.

Not only did Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. blind me with science (with apologies to Thomas Dolby), but now I'm deaf, and dumb, or, at least, dumbfounded, and totally bored to death. Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. is certainly a pretty sharp guy, but he ain't no Bill Nye The Science Guy.

Who would have guessed that someone could be more boring than Carl Sagan, may he rest in peace?

Wasn't it Confucius who said, "One video is worth a thousand words"?

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Not only did Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. blind me with science (with apologies to Thomas Dolby), but now I'm deaf, and dumb, or, at least, dumbfounded, and totally bored to death. Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. is certainly a pretty sharp guy, but he ain't no Bill Nye The Science Guy. Who would have guessed that someone could be more boring than Carl Sagan, may he rest in peace?

Carl Sagan and I share the same birthday!

MTD, Sr.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

Carl Sagan and I share the same birthday!

Both eighty-two years old, and never been kissed. But Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. has one up on Carl Sagan, Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. isn't dead, at least, we don't think so. It's hard to tell because he takes so many of those damn naps. Mark T. DeNucci, Jr. always has to hold a mirror up to Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.'s mouth to see it he's still breathing.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Both eighty-two years old, and never been kissed. But Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. has one up on Carl Sagan, Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. isn't dead, at least, we don't think so. It's hard to tell because he takes so many of those damn naps. Mark T. DeNucci, Jr. always has to hold a mirror up to of Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.'s mouth to see it he's still breathing.

We were both born on November 09th, just not the same year, LOL!

MTD, Sr.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

... Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. isn't dead, at least, we don't think so. It's hard to tell because he takes so many of those damn naps. Mark T. DeNucci, Jr. always has to hold a mirror up to Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.'s mouth to see it he's still breathing.

The odd part is that while he's holding the mirror in one hand, he's holding Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.'s Last Will and Testament in the other hand, while saying, "C'mon, baby needs a new pair of shoes".

[gogumakilla]

How I like to define flop: an effort to enhance marginal contact.