Ball-side Mechanics

[ilyazhito]

I have seen ball-side mechanics mentioned in both 2 and 3-person mechanics manuals (NFHS pp. 17, 44-45, IAABO pp. 25, 27 for 2-person ball-side mechanics, NFHS pp. 77-78, 80, IAABO 133-137 for 3-person ball-side mechanics and rotations), but officials tend to place more emphasis on 3-person ball-side mechanics (perhaps because rotations are also involved when Lead moves ball-side in a 3-person game) than on 2-person ball-side mechanics. Officials are often not taught about 2-person ball-side mechanics (those that use it, including myself, learned how to go ball-side from reading the mechanics manual and applying ABC principles).

Seeing this, and reading various online resources on basketball officiating (some of which encourage officials to go ball-side in both 3 and 2-person games) made me wonder what the purpose of ball-side mechanics are. Is the information on 2-person ball-side mechanics just dead words printed in a manual that will not see the light of day, or is there some higher reason for information on ball-side movement to be included in both the 2 and 3-person sections of high school mechanics manuals?

The most common situation where I have seen (or used) ball-side mechanics in 2-person games is on frontcourt throw-ins where the ball and most of the matchups are on Trail's side of the court. I have also gone ball-side if there is pressure in the frontcourt on Trail's side, and there are multiple matchups on Trail's side, or if a drive/pass to the post is imminent. In the 3-person games I have worked so far, I haven't had to rotate frequently, because the ball would either move quickly from one side to the other, or there would be a quick shot shortly after the ball moved away from the Lead's side, making a rotation unnecessary. In your experience, what is the most common situations for moving ball-side (and some reliable cues for ball-side movement/rotation other than ball position)?