Blarge--does it exist?

[eg-italy]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

I'm not in agreement here. While I think it's not common, I think the rules allow for a block/charge just as they allow for a double foul away from the ball. It's very possible for two players to foul each other simultaneously; even if one has the ball.

(a) A1 dribbling down the court holding up an "arm bar" and pushing B1 just as B1 is reaching and hacking the dribbling arm. What do you call?

(b) Or A1 extending his arm to push B1 who is moving but not in LGP; both players fall. What do you call?

Case (b) is easy: the contact is caused by A1. It is a foul for the defender causing a contact without having LGP. It is not required to have LGP at all times: the defender who has LGP at the moment of the contact doesn't have responsibility for it; the rules don't say that a defender not in LGP is responsible for any contact.

In case (a) the defender must have very long arms, if I picture correctly the situation. Penalize the first contact.

The rules don't prohibit a "blarge" call, just because they can happen; it's the fault of the officials, though. Blarges shouldn't happen if they make a good team job.

In FIBA we are required to raise the fist before giving the team control foul signal. This helps to avoid blarge calls, because it gives time to realize there has been a double whistle; the official with the play in their primary will decide if it is a charge or a block. Or maybe the officials will confer, if one of them has something that the other one could not see. Blarge calls happen, in fact, when one of the official makes immediately the team control foul signal.