Fun With Incidental Contact ...

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I guess that a handcheck (or illegal use of hands) can be a form of blocking?

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Holding would probably be a better description than blocking(from an earlier video).

While I probably always knew it deep inside my brain, one thing that I've discovered after serving on my local board's mechanics training committee (paying close attention to signals), and after studying these IAABO videos and play summaries, is that, while identifying illegal contact certainly can be judgmental, identifying the actual illegal act with a label (block, illegal use of hands, handcheck, push, holding, etc.) and with the proper signal surprisingly adds yet another level of subjective judgement to the equation.

Potato, Potahto; Tomato, Tomahto.

One official's block is another official's holding. One official's hand check is another official's block. Same illegal contact, different label, different signal.