Free Throw Lane Violation
 

Rule 9-1 G states the following:
A player occupying a marked lane space may not have either foot beyond
the vertical plane of the outside edge of any lane boundary, or beyond the
vertical plane of any edge of the space (2 inches by 36 inches) designated
by a lane-space mark or beyond the vertical plane of any edge of the space

Am I overreading or does this mean that if a players toes are in his space but his heal is over the lane lane next to him - it is a violation. I asked V officials about it last night and got some strange looks...:confused:

You are correct...and in my experience you'll see girls do this more than boys. For some reason they like to get right up to the edge of their lane space and then lift their heel up and put it over the lane space mark.

Makes no sense to me. But it's a violation.

You are correct; but you'll rarely (if ever) see it called. Mainly because there's no advantage, and the intent of the rule has more to do with players hanging their whole foot over to get a head start.

That's quite the eagle eye needed to see that one. Call the obvious. This ain't one of the obvious.

Oh yeah...and I agree with Snaqs and Juggling. Don't think I've ever called it. I've said something to a girl about it before, though, and she stopped.

Semi-hijack of thread with another situation
 

My GV game last night was toward the end and the visiting team was shooting free throws. The visiting team was up 20+ points at this time with <2:00 to play.

On the first free throw, from the time she gets the ball from my partner who is administering, her toe is about one inch over the line through her whole pre-shot motion and through the end of her shot. On the second free throw she has her toe behind the line the whole time.

Violation on the first free throw?...by rule, yes, but I did not call it. I saw no advantage since the game was out of reach and it had no effect on the outcome.

How many of you would have called the violation on the first free throw? Oh, she ended up missing her first but making the second so maybe she put herself at a disadvantage by being an inch closer to the basket!!! :D

"Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead" ???
 

Agree. Why? Two X chromosomes?

I was watching a girls junior varsity game with my partner before our varsity game, and had a girl yell, "Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead, Dead". I asked him why girls do this and boys don't? He replied that if a boy did it he would get punched in the face. Now that's the Y chromosome at work.

Every time I encounter the term 'Y chromosome' it reminds me of the news story I read a while back. According to that story, the Y chromosome is shrinking. Within 10,000 years, there will be nothing left of it.

That's right: no more men. :(

I would.

You are correct about how the rule is written. That is generally not how it is called.

Also, notice that by the rule being written that way it is NOT illegal for a player to extend his/her hands/arms into the space of a another player along the lane.

You will hear many not-so-knowledgeable officials instruct the players to keep their hands in their own space. :( There is no such rule.

2008 2009 Basketball Bulletin I
 

I have to disagree with you comment about not-so-knowledgeable officials.

Lane Violations will occur more frequently now that we have moved everyone further from the end line. The offensive players in the second lane spaces will try to hook around the defensive players in the first lane spaces. There is more room to use that maneuver. Remember the ball must strike the basket before anyone moves from his/her lane space. Also, each person must keep his/her entire body in his/her own vertical plane which is 3-foot wide. Arms, legs and torso must stay within that plane.

:)

That simply is a false statement. There is no rule requiring each player to stay within his/her vertical plane.

Being outside that plane may make a player more responsible for any contact that occurs, but if there is no contact, a player can put his/her arm wherever he/she darn well pleases (other than directly in front of another player's face in an effort to obscure that player's vision).

Reference, please.

Unfortunately, that comment is not supported by NFHS rules.

The entire second half of your post is incorrect. As others have pointed out, NFHS rules do not require arms legs and torso remain in the space. Also, which hasn't been mentioned, the ball does not need to strike the basket before they can leave their space. They can also leave once it hits the backboard.

I hate it when refs inform the players to "wait til it hits the rim" on free throws.

Wow, I see that's directly from the PIAA website. Sad. They really ought to read the rules before posting these sorts of things.

Along the same lines. A1 is in the first legal lane space closes to the basket. B1 has the ball, A1 takes one step backwards to look to the bench then before B1 shoots A1 takes one step forward. He has not enter the lane. L official has a delayed lane violation. Is this the correct call?

Did the "one-step back" cause A1 to leave the space?

Did the movement disconcert the FT shooter?

If neither, then the official was not correct.

I usually hear that instruction when A1 and B1 are "slapping" at each others arms.

The question you need to ask, "How deep is the lane space?"

IMO he did not disconcert the FT shooter. But how deep is the lane space. I thought it was 36 inches wide and 12 inches deep but I am not positive.

Dude, my feet are 13 inches long.

Okay that is why I ask. 36 x 12 seemed to small. I also was told 36 x 36 which seems way to big. I am looking for help.

My book's in the car, but I'm pretty sure it's 36 x 36. 36 inches really isn't that deep.

36" x 36" does sound big...how does 3' x 3' sound?

:D

Okay lets say we agree on 36 x 36 once the shooter has the ball can a player step off the line staying within the 36 inches and not disconcerting the free thrower and not have a lane violation?

What would the violation be for? :confused:

Okay, we agree this should not have been a lane violation. I talk the referee after the game and I did not agree with his explanation that once the shooter has the ball nobody can move off the lane line. I felt as long as he stayed within the 36" x 36" box he was okay as long as he did not disconcert the free thrower.

Thank you all for verifying my thoughts.

1-5-2.

Not all the answers are in the book, but some are.

First of all, already mentioned on the board, this isn't even supported by rule. Second of all, if the part in red is true, then basketball might as well as be played by kids with sticks up their a**es.

Sorry I upset you but if you look at my post. This was posted by the PIAA who governs the high school rules in Pennsylvania. I have since contacted them in hopes of getting a correction or retraction.

Another violation I see at the younger levels a bit is the one where their body is leaning into the lane after they release and eventually their foot breaks the plane. Not always easy to tell if the foot broke the plane before the ball got to the basket or board. So I figure don't blow the whistle unless the shooter is CLEARLY in violation.

But another question/violation that I see called inconsistently: if a players has any part of their foot touching the "black" of a lane marking (or the shooting stripe), is it a violation? Or do they need to be touching on the "other" side for it to be a violation?

My understanding of the rule is the lane includes all markings (other than the lines between the spaces), similar to an out-of-bounds line. Therefore, touch the lane marking and it is a violation. But I've worked with a number of partners who see the shooter and players as being "out-of-bounds" so to speak, and must cross the lane marking for a violation.

Comments?

Your partners' analogy to being OOB is incorrect.

1-5-1

"... All lines designating the free-throw lane, but not lane-space marks and neutral-zone marks, are part of the lane."

Sounds Fine To Me ...
 

Six of one. Half dozen of the other.

Congratulations. You have just shown yourself to be one of those "not-so-knowledgeable" officials. :D

Hopefully, you will stick around here for a while and we can help you out. :) It is an eye-opening experience when you discover that what you thought that you knew for sure isn't correct.

As for the PIAA play ruling about a player who tries to "hook around" the opponent in the next lane space, I believe that it is unclear what the author means by "hook around." If he means with the arm, then he is incorrect, but if he is attempting to describe movement with the leg, then he has the right concept as that would mean that the player put a foot outside of the vertical plane of his lane space.