How Much Space?

[DownTownTonyBrown]

How much space can a player legally occupy?

I'm not talking about big/large players but rather physically extending arms and legs.

I was involved in a game where an offensive post player took a stance as follows:
feet are probably 2-1/2 to 3 feet apart.
knees and waist are bent so that the body is low but the head is up.
elbows are extended and strongly held out at nearly the shoulder level with the forearms and hands forward as if to receive a pass.
elbows were forward from his back so he wasn't holding the defender

Defender was standing relatively tall behind this offensive post player and trying to move around by pushing on the player between the elbow and shoulder. Defensive coach is yelling for me to call a foul (He called it a hook and told me to read the rule book - I was more laughing than wanting to call a T.) I made no call on the contact.

The post player's technique was reasonably successful. He made a lot of foot movement and was able to keep good track of the defender because the defender was pushing on his upper arms. A push on the left arm was followed by foot movement to the left and vice-versa.

Defender soon changed his technique and the issue disappeared.

It is tough to describe this situation precisely but who was correct - myself or the coach?

And how much space can a player try to occupy? I would not have allowed the player to fully extend his arms to the side but can he extend his upper arms as wide as his feet? Should I be limiting a player to his shoulder width for feet and arms?

And what if the defender forcefully swings his own arms and moves underneath the offensive post player's extended elbow?