Little travels

[Back In The Saddle]

Perhaps this has aleady been discussed at length, if so I apologize for bringing it up again.

I was talking with a co-worker who also refs some lower level games and we got on the subject of travels. We had different takes on the subject, and his take has really got me thinking.

My take: It is common to let "little travels" go. I don't see anybody around here calling them. I don't hear opposing coaches asking for those to be called. What I mean by "little travel" are things like when a player on the perimeter receives a pass with a defender on him, he'll step away from the defender or to the ball, catch the ball, then bring his trailing foot together with his newly-established pivot. Then, after the defender backs off, the player with the ball will trade pivot feet. There is a definite pause in the action as the defense repositions and the offense sets up for the next pass. So there's this natural pause, and no advantage is gained by trading pivot feet. Another example is when a player catches a pass in while stepping, with his back foot still in contact with the floor. Then he steps with his pivot to bring his feet together to go up for a jumpshot. I have come to accept that, at least around here, nobody calls these and nobody really wants them called.

His take: A properly skilled player is a player who has spent time in the gym and paid the price to learn to perform these actions without traveling. It's unfair to this player to allow less skilled players to get away with these little travels. Aside from the fairness issue, there is the advantage issue. On the "gathering for a jumpshot" scenario, it is to the shooter's advantage to step together to begin generating momentum. To allow the player to travel while doing so gives him an advantage.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you call these little travels? Do they not happen in your area (presumably because they are consistently called?) Is this a natural consequence of the "dumbing down" of fundamentals and we should adjust to it? Should we be more diligent in calling them?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

1) Do you call these little travels?
2) Do they not happen in your area (presumably because they are consistently called?)
3) Is this a natural consequence of the "dumbing down" of fundamentals and we should adjust to it?
4) Should we be more diligent in calling them?

1)Yes.
2) They happen, and they are consistently called by officials who are consistently good officials.
3) I'll leave that to the philosophers. Just call the damn things. They're a violation.
4) Diligence isn't a factor. Ignoring clear violations is.

[DC_Ref12]

A travel is a travel is a travel.

[deecee]

i agree ^^ - unless it was jon diebler then its a great play.

[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.

[tjones1]

Originally Posted by deecee

i agree ^^ - unless it was jon diebler then its a great play.

Exactly, that's just good basketball. You know, they say he never traveled if you looked at the replays.

[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.

[Big2Cat]

At a middle school with no cuts and a B-Team, I am glad when the little travels are not called. When a girl takes 2 steps and then dribbles, it IS called. The B team girls (90% of whom will not play in HS) even know this is a travel. As much as we practice and go over it, I still have girls who when the pressure is on shuffle both feet and I am not upset when it isn't called (for or against my team), and I am not upset when it is called.

If every travel had been called in yesterday's game I think we would still be there. :-) But my definition of a "little travel" might be different than somebody else's. However, middle school GIRLS basketball, especially the B-Team, is more a social gathering than it is a serious athletic endeavor.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Bingo.

But don't tell Drinkeii.

[muxbule]

Originally Posted by DC_Ref12

A travel is a travel is a travel.

I believe this sums it up rather nicely.

[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.