I know that different chapters in different areas tend to allow more or less hanchecking than other areas. How is the best way to control handchecking--zero tolerance takes away from the game--advantage-disadvantage is hard sometimes to determine. I tend to use alot of warnings the first few minutes of the game and then start tagging. Still, when you have 2 big boys rooting around offball near the paint, it's tough to call. You veteran official's opinions and expertise are very valuable to me in this area so please shed some light on this topic for me, thanks, Ralph.

Ralph,
Rightly, or wrongly, I generally reserve the Hand-checking violation for an "On-ball Defender" against an opponent who, with the ball, is attempting to make a move, or drive, in the direction of the basket. Otherwise, I will be going to illegal hands, pushing, holding.
With active players in the post, ...if I wonder, if there is an A/D, then I say to myself there is no A/D. In other words, if I am not sure, I call nothing. If I am sure, no problem..."Tweet".
mick

I will try to give a warning or two when I think the contact is coming too close, but if they jump over the line right off the bat then I I'll make the call. It still boils down to "they should know better".

Verbal warnings ... not for me.
 

Brian,
I have had too many coaches say, "Just CALL IT!"
So, although I still warn occasionally, I am more inclined to say to myself, "'Tis or 'Tain't" without giving the players an option. This I, too, put under your statement of "they should know better".
mick

I recently worked my first D3 game. One of the things mentioned was hand-checking. The 2 other guys I was working with are calling D1. They said the NCAA is really pushing handchecking and post-play. This year they are giving the defender one-touch to size-up or measure-up the offense. (This is in a non-dribbling situation.) Once the offense has begin to dribble, any hand that is on the dribbler for more than two dribbles should be called. On post-play: the defense may use a forearm on the offense, but they must have palm down or closed fist. Two of anything ( arm and leg or knee, two hands) must be called. I hope I explained myself clearly, if not I'll try again.

vhslref,
Yeah, I didn't go to a CCA camp, but I was told they wanted to "take the weight room out of the game."
mick

touching
 

Now most people think that touching is a handcheck. So it depends on what you consider handchecking. I always call handchecking, but some people call touching.

When hand checking arrived with it's very own signal we were advised to call it right away if a player was dribbling "north or south" (towards the basket) when the play was going "east or west" (across court) take a good hard look and tell'em "hands off".

We found that letting the players know what you are looking at has forced the players to conform more quickly then calling loads of fouls. When i had to call the hand check I would respond to any question by saying i told him/her to keep the hands off! We would also address this situation when we would give a high school rule's clinic.

I agree with what was said in another thread, that the NCAA is getting back to the "Finesse rather then the Physical Game" with this year's "Points of Emphasis".

Good Luck All

IMHO, there should be no warning given before calling a handcheck. Do we warn before calling a block? Foul is a foul. Get it early, they will adjust...

warnings
 

But there is a difference. A defender can touch a dribbler and not have fouled yet. If you warn you can get them aware that they have potential for a foul. It is no different than post play. Stop it by voice if you can, but if you cannot, use the whistle.

BigDave,

A D-1 supervisor told me years ago "if you arn't talking the players out of at least 10 fouls a game you are not doing your Job"

I also express to my partner in our pregame that we will try to avoid calling a foul in the first couple of minute's of play, (of cource we will call all elephants) this will give the teams a chance to get into a flow! We will try talking them out of fouls if we can and start calling them if we can't.

I believe that we should do as much preventive officating as possible. This again is officating the "gray" area and that is what i believe we are judged most by, the "gray" area.

Good Luck

Don,
I prefer to make the call in the first 2 minutes
rather than warning. I think it sets a much better tone
for making the tough calls later on in the game,
particularly with rough play and hand check type things.

-Dan

IMHO, calling fouls early keeps the game from getting out-of-hand later. I, too, try to talk players out of fouls but experience has shown me that calling fouls early leads to cleaner play later. Again IMHO it is better to be too strict early and then loosen up later than to try to tighten things up when the game has gone progressed to the crapper. While I am by no means a veteren official, the games where I have called fouls earlier seem to go much better.

What do you do after the first 2 minutes? I agree about calling fouls, but after that why change. Once you call something you have to continue to call it that way or you are in trouble. Make the first fouls real fouls and watch out for calling things that are boarderline. I really do not like the terminology tight and loose. It is a foul because of advantange/disadvantage or it is nothing.

Dan didn't say he stopped calling it after two minutes. He said he preferred to make the call in the first two minutes rather than warning the team. If he calls it in the first two minutes, then that's telling the kids he's going to call it like that all night.

In my post i said i like to try and let the teams set the flow or tempo of the game. I work hard at trying to talk them out of a few fouls, but by no means am i swallowing my whistle. I don't go out on the court to give a clinic in blowing the whistle ether. If the players are not going to respond to "preventive" officating then the whistle will get a work out when fouls accur.

I still believe our job is to prevent unnecessary game interuptions. I also believe the best compliment that a coach, fan or player can say is "who were those referee's tonight".

Good Luck

There is a difference, really, between the men's and women's games. While the men's game may permit at least some discretion and "preventative" efforts by the officials, the women's game is much less tolerant. The guidelines are spelled out so specifically, that there is little to no room left for discretion: either there was a handcheck, or there wasn't. After the initial "measuring for distance," there can be no open hand placed on the ball-handler/dribbler. However, an occasional FOREARM is permitted, as long as it is not sustained. The guidelines are equally spelled out re: post play. And, BTW, as of this year the defensive post player MAY have a leg AND an arm or hand on the offensive player--but not two hands, forearms, or one of each. I'm not real thrilled with that degree of specificity, but that's how they want the game called. And believe me, that's how it IS being called, from what I've seen.

Don, I agree with your attitude of talking to the players,
and I will warn if I see them in a sitch that might lead
to me using my whistle (press in backcourt, low post
match-up, etc). It is better to say "watch hands"
or "off his back" than it is to disrupt the flow. My only
point was in the first 2 minutes when you set the tone
it's got to also be set with the coaches & bench folks
(and to a much lesser degree the yahoos in the stands).
Warning does not do this, IMO.

Took the words right out of my mouth!

NCAA Women - Post Play
 

The June 1, 2000 letter on points of emphasis (NCAA Womens) says "The defender may not place two hands, two forearms, a forearm and hand or a leg and hand".

The NCAA Rulebook (Page 16 Paragraph [a.] under POE for Women) says "A forearm and leg or a hand and leg may be placed on the offensive player as long as there is no displacement".

The two are inconsistent with regard to the defender placing a leg plus a hand.

Does anyone know of an interim document explaining the difference?

I am not saying not to blow the whistle. But I am not going to treat the first 2 minutes any different than the last two minutes. I just believe that you make your first foul a good one and make sure that is what you want to call the entire game. If you call something that is not a foul at the beginning trying to send a message, you might have problems if make that call later. As I have said before, I believe in fouls and not fouls, not tight and loose. And depending on the talent of the players, that might mean different things.

Who said that you should be calling a non-foul a foul?

IMHO
 

If you arbitrarily call fouls in the two minutes that you would not call any other time just to set the tone, you are going to have some fouls being called that are thought to be non-fouls whether you like it or no. What I am saying is that you might not need to call anything in the first couple minutes. I feel that it is especially important to have the first foul a good one, if not, do not call it.

From the NCAA mens video.
1. Call early
2. Call Consistantly
3. Keeping a hand on the opponent
4. Two hands on an opponent.
5. Continually jabbing an opponent.
5. Controlling movement.