Elbows, revisited

[OKREF]

Originally Posted by Scrapper1

The part in red is what is troublesome (to me). I agree with your summary, but as you can tell, not everyone in my state feels the same. I hope that they include precise penalties in the rules next year.

2. Contact above the shoulders. With a continued emphasis on reducing concussions and decreasing excessive contact situations, the committee determined that more guidance is needed for penalizing contact above the shoulders.

a. A player shall not swing his/her arm(s) or elbow(s) even without contacting an opponent. Excessive swinging of the elbows occurs when arms and elbows are swung about while using the shoulders as pivots, and the speed of the extended arms and elbows is in excess of the rest of the body as it rotates on the hips or on the pivot foot. Currently it is a violation in Rule 9 Section 13 Article.

b. Examples of illegal contact above the shoulders and resulting penalties.

1) Contact with a stationary elbow may be incidental or a common foul.

2) An elbow in movement but not excessive should be an intentional foul.

3) A moving elbow that is excessive can be either an intentional foul or flagrant personal foul.



The NFHS saying any elbow in movement that makes contact above the shoulders should be an intentional foul. My guess is they are obviously trying to cut down on contact to the head, and as a result they want the penalty to be punitive, so the elbows will get down.