Hand checking versus touching

[mick]

It is my opinion that the new P.O.E. were written to reduce, not totally eliminate, the unnecessary touching and pushing that may occur during a game.
I think the rule framers know darn well that we are not going to call the "as written" rules, but they realize that the intent of the rulings will seep into play, and play will then become more moderate.
By drawing my own lines, with regard to the P.O.E., I have found that last year's borderline "should-I-or-shouldn't-I" calls are much easier to call. I have also found that I have been automatically calling the "forearm bar", which, when called early, has a tendency to go away for the rest of the game.
After nearly 7 weeks of Michigan girls' hoops, I am still using the guidelines (see another post below) with which I began the season, and the players and coaches have rarely reacted very strongly, or negatively.
Don't feel uncomfortable drawing your own lines to eliminate some of the stuff that makes our jobs hard. We have to remember, that "they" get the same rule books that we get. "They" go to the same rules meetings and "they" hear the same "official interps".
mick