what is the official ruling

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Really, you're going to call a foul every time a player contacts an opponent with his hand?

I definitely don't do that. My idea is more of a "When in doubt, it is a foul," on a hand check, while I lean much more toward "When it doubt, it is not a foul," in most other cases. As far as contact with both hands, while still not automatic,
(is there really such a thing?) I would say this makes the foul call much more likely. Twice as likely, if you think about it.

Originally Posted by Rule 4-19-1

A personal foul is a player foul which involves illegal contact with an opponent while the ball is live, which hinders an opponent from performing normal defensive and offensive movements. A personal foul also includes contact by or on an airborne shooter when the ball is dead.

If the defender uses the contact of the hand to measure the opponent, (yes, this is a theory, but one that I think has merit) and this contact, which is illegal according to 10-6-2, allows the defender to more easily maintain his defensive position, this could easily be considered a hindrance, could it not?