dribble/fumble/dribble
 

had some discussion on this topic at the last game i did with some fellow officials, looking for some clarification please. A1 fumbles a pass from A2, ball bounces away from him where he gets to the ball and starts a dribble, he dribbles twice and looses control of the ball , then dribbles twice and looses control again. or he receives a pass and fumble the pass ,catches up with the ball and dribbles again . question is how long can that dribble /fumble/ dribble or dribble lose control go on for since that player never caught the ball (recovered) it .thanks for the comments

I know the one that gets called all the time, is the pass to A1 that hits them in the hands, drops to the ground and bounces back up to them and then they control it and start a dribble. This is one that is called double dribble all of the time and it drives me crazy, because you haven't dribbled the first time yet because they didn't even have control of the ball yet! kinda the same situation...as long as it's fumbled it can't count as your dribble!

I totally agree. Everyone yells "double dribble" and you want to pull your hair out!

You're using the wrong terminology. A player can't FUMBLE the ball while he's dribbling it. He can only fumble the ball is he is holding it. In the play you describe, all you have is an interrupted dribble as long as he does not end the dribble. The dribble ends when:

a. The dribbler catches or causes the ball to come to rest in one or both hands.
b. The dribbler palms/carries the ball by allowing it to come to rest in one or both hands.
c. The dribbler simultaneously touches the ball with both hands.
d. An opponent bats (intentionally strikes the ball with the hand(s)) the ball. e. The ball becomes dead.

I agree with this - but what about the same situation but in your observation the kid does catch the ball double handed, dribble down once and then reset. Dribble over.

My point is that the difference between delecting an errent or hard pass and catching and dropping are two different things.

For me there is a fine line between fumbling a pass and control of a fumble. If a player fumbles, the ball drops and the player then control the ball the a dribble is legal. But there are times that a player controls the ball with a push to the floor (dribble), then catches the ball and then dribbles. IMO this is a double dribble.

Gotta use your judgment on whether it's a fumble or a dribble.