Little travels

[Adam]

My tolerance for traveling goes down as the skill level goes up. By the time they're freshmen, I'm calling what I see. The beginning of this year, I called a ton of those "little travels" you describe. One coach complained that I was calling them too much. I ignored him at the time, and asked a varsity official in the locker room (this is my first year in this area and I'm sensitive to trying to fit in at this point) who had watched the first half. His response: "Freshman ball is ugly basketball, you're calling what needs calling." I kept it up, and as the season wore on, I noticed the players some how gained control of their pivot feet.

I called a travel on one end when the 3 pt shooter caught the ball with his trail foot still on the floor, planted his other foot and brought his trail foot up and put it down before jumping for the shot. Not a minute later on the other end, a 3 pt shooter caught the ball airborne, planted one foot and jumped off that foot with a perfect jump stop before launching for a 3 pt jump shot. Coach complained that it was the same thing. I didn't have a chance to explain the difference.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

My tolerance for traveling goes down as the skill level goes up. By the time they're freshmen, I'm calling what I see.

Bingo.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Bingo.

But don't tell Drinkeii.

[Time2Ref]

I believe that they should be called.

Avantage/disadvantage applies to contact, not violations, such as travel.

This became painfully obvious to me when I first started officiating last year and was doing little children games. There was only this gray/foggy notion as to when I should call traveling/illegal dribble. I had to make up the rules as I went. The theory was, "This kids are just learning, try to give them a break".

The problem was, that in an age bracket of a year or two, the skill level differed greatly.

Now, there I was out on the court having to decide who got to take how many steps.

Oh, that's the little guard in the orange shirt. She isn't very good yet. She can take an extra step. Oh, here is that little boy in the blue shirt, he isn't very coordinated, he gets two steps. Oh, here is the kid in the green shirt. Next year he won't even be playing basketball. He can walk all the way down the court. Oh, here comes the boy in the red shirt, he's got a lot of talent. If he even thinks about traveling, I'm going to blow the whistle.

The parents didn't like it. I hated it. And the kids learned nothing.

It's no longer practice. This is the test to decide if you have learned anything in practice. The rules clearly state what traveling is. The book clearly states that you don't make up your own rules. What is the debate about?

In Church and Rec leagues, with very young children, at the very beginning of the season, I certainly can understand working with the players and coaches to help teach the kids what they are suppossed to be doing out there. In NFHS games with student atheletes, you aren't doing anyone any favors by bending the rules.

Just my take on it.

[AFHusker]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

I called a travel on one end when the 3 pt shooter caught the ball with his trail foot still on the floor, planted his other foot and brought his trail foot up and put it down before jumping for the shot. Not a minute later on the other end, a 3 pt shooter caught the ball airborne, planted one foot and jumped off that foot with a perfect jump stop before launching for a 3 pt jump shot. Coach complained that it was the same thing. I didn't have a chance to explain the difference.

Had the same type thing this year. Only difference one team was very good at executing that jump stop. The other team's coach complained and asked my partner why we weren't calling that a travel. At halftime he must have told his players to do it too. Problem was the first time one of his players tried it, he travelled. Coach went crazy and got to sit down the rest of the game.

[dave30]

B or C team junior high girls basketball with a stop clock and a principal who wants you out of the gym by 9pm.......please just call the obvious!

YMCA type little bitty youth league players. They travel at least once on EVERY possession. If they are all called, the game would be nothing but take the ball out of bounds until the clock runs out.

[mplagrow]

Call it how you want, but for goodness sake, CALL IT BOTH WAYS!

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

My tolerance for traveling goes down as the skill level goes up. By the time they're freshmen, I'm calling what I see.

Concur! We have a great many school cafeterias that double as gym's in the Rec Leagues. They are really slick and at the younger levels ya gotta use your "judgement" when they slide. We talk to the coaches about it before the game to minimize the whining.

[Owatonna,MN Ref]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

My tolerance for traveling goes down as the skill level goes up.

I couldn't have put it any better! Although you also have to remember that consistency is key as well.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Owatonna,MN Ref

I couldn't have put it any better! Although you also have to remember that consistency is key as well.

Which is what makes the lower levels more difficult to officiate consistently. It's easier to call everything. It takes some judgment to figure out when to call them and when not to, so the best I can do in these games is to use advantage/disadvantage on travels.

I've wondered about this several times while watching many NCAA games more intently this year. I've seen several instances where a player jumps in the air to catch a pass and then lands obviously on one foot first, then the second. Then they used the second foot as the pivot. I was curious if they were letting these go or just not seeing them.

[Dan_ref]

HS game yesterday the point guard jump stops just outside the lane on my side, hesitates, then steps to his right and passes out.

Damn. Missed it.

He cuts to the corner just outside the 3 point line, receives the pass, makes his bunny hop to the left & shoots.

I got that one.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

HS game yesterday the point guard jump stops just outside the lane on my side, hesitates, then steps to his right and passes out.

How could you miss someone "passing out?"
Even I would have seen that!

[bronco]

As somebody who has coached youth, my theory is that if the travels are called instead of ignored, then the kids will learn faster what they can do, and correct themselves. I know that I am in the minority, both among coaches and refs on this, so I can't complain when a "little travel" is ignored in a youth game, so I don't.