double dribble / ball control?

[MrPlywood]

I get the impression that it's OK to bat the ball to the floor at least once in order to control a pass and then gather the ball, and then start a dribble at any time. Last night a stationary player received a pass and batted it once, then twice (which did look under control) before holding the ball. Then he started a dribble and was called for double dribble. Is there a guideline (and/or unwritten rule) for how many "bats" there can be before it's considered that "dribbling" has started? It looked like a legit call to me, since the second bat/dribble looked under control...

Hope that makes sense.

[APG]

Nope, pure judgement call. Gotta judge if the "bat" is a dribble or not.

[fiasco]

I had that last night too. Girl batted the ball twice before picking up the ball, then started dribbling. In my judgement, both bats were an attempt to control the ball, not the start of a dribble, which is what I told the coach when she asked about it. She seemed satisfied with the answer. (not that that's a barometer for good judgement by an official )

[twocentsworth]

this is definitely a judgement/"had to be there" play....what MrPlywood describes sounds like double dribble; what fiasco describes sound like a legal play.