Too Wide ...

[BillyMac]

IAABO recently released a video play summary commentary on a garden variety block-charge situation.

Some IAABO members had commented that the defender's stance as being "too wide" to be considered legal.

IAABO responded that, “This is not the case. There is no provision for the defender's feet to be within shoulder width like there is in the screening rule”.

While true that the phrase “stance approximately shoulder width apart” is only stated in rule on screening, doesn’t the phrase “a player who extends an arm, shoulder, hip or leg into the path of an opponent is not considered to have a legal position if contact occurs” in the guarding rule imply the same purpose and intent of the (shoulder width) screening rule? There is also similar language in the contact rule.

4-40-2-D: The screener must stay within his/her vertical plane with a stance approximately shoulder width apart.

4-23-1 Guarding is the act of legally placing the body in the path of an offensive opponent. There is no minimum distance required between the guard and opponent, but the maximum is 6 feet when closely guarded. Every player is entitled to a spot on the playing court provided such player gets there first without illegally contacting an opponent. A player who extends an arm, shoulder, hip or leg into the path of an opponent is not considered to have a legal position if contact occurs.

10-7-1-Contact: A player must not hold, push, charge, trip or impede the progress of an opponent by extending arm(s), shoulder(s), hip(s) or knee(s), or by bending his/her body into other than a normal position; nor use any rough tactics.

Is IAABO correct in that in a garden variety block-charge situation, a defender’s stance cannot be “too wide”?