5 second call in the backcourt

[Mark Padgett]

I've worked tons of leagues and tournaments where we had at least four games in a row without a break. Usually, I'll tell my partner to switch "when it makes sense". That means when a foul call puts you in a position in which a switch would be a minimal change. However, if we go quite a long time without a switch, I'll usually indicate a switch on the next foul regardless of our positioning. Of course, sometimes we switch on violations if not switching would mean a significant change of position.

Around here, this is also referred to as "convenience mechanics".

A few years ago, I worked with a guy in a 5 games in a row situation in which he started switching on every foul. I told him there was no way I wanted to do that. He apologized and said it was "just habit." From then on, I could tell he had to physically stop himself from switching every time.