"Spirit of the Rules"

[justacoach]

Originally Posted by asdf

To answer your questions...

1) It's not an official NFHS publication, but this philosophy is noted in virtually every NFHS Officials Manual published.

2) Not only are these publications available to highly experienced officials, they are also available to woefully inexperienced coaches.

3) You can obtain a copy directly from the NFHS or your state association. Personally, I would suggest you consult your Athletic Director, so as to alert him to your ignorance of such a philosophy.

Would you blindly endorse the following invocation of "The Spirit of the Rules"?...The discussion hinged on 9-8-1 (10 second count in backcourt) which has been treated here many times

"You clearly missed my reasoning. I know what the rule states, but the spirit of the rule is how I will govern it. Should the count start once the ball has backcourt status? Strict interpretation says 'YES'. The spirit of the rule tells you to allow a touch before the count starts. Am I wrong -- probably, but I have never started any count until the ball is touched.

There are many rules that we administer based on the spirit and not it's literal meaning. How many hand-checks do you see called? How many 3 sec violations do you see called? How many technical fouls do you see for flopping in a block/charge scenario? If we are giving leniency to the defense on some rules, why not give the offense the same?

If you wish to officiate strictly by the book, that is your choice, but it MAY lead to poor crew dynamics if all of you aren't on the same sheet of music."