Everyone is entitled to a spot

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Chris Whitten

According to 4-23-2 and -3, we must have INITIAL legal guarding position (both feet touching the playing court AND the front of the guard's torso facing the opponent). Then, after INITIAL has been established, the guard, among other things, may "turn or duck to absorb the shock of imminent contact."

Note that after INITIAL lgp has been established, the guard may have both feet off the floor, move laterally or obliquely, raise hands vertically, etc.

This brings in to play something I believe some in my association have been calling incorrectly for years: the slight tilt backward by the defender who has lgp before contact actually occurs. Isn't it clear by the above rules reference (especially 3c) that even if the defender who has INITIAL lgp starts moving backward early to absorb the imminent contact, AND contact does occur, he is still in lgp? "But Coach, he flopped!"

The first two paragraphs are irrelevant to the OP.

In the last, if the falling back is slight then call the charge (assuming the other conditions are met). But, sometimes the defender falls so much that either there isn't any contact or the defender already put himself at a disadvantage and the contact didn't add to it, so the contact now becomes incidental.

(Not to say that "some in (your) association" aren't being too generous to the offense on some of the plays.)