Three-Foot Restraining Line

[bainsey]

Middle-school doubleheader yesterday (girs/boys) in the smallest gym I'll work all year. The end lines are literally three inches away from the walls. (Sideline space was rather normal.)

All around the court, there's a restraining line that's three feet away from all sidelines and endlines. We went over this in pre-game with both teams: During throw-ins, don't cross the line or break the plane, and the thrower-in can step in to throw, provided he/she doesn't cross the restraining line. I don't know of any other gym in our area that has that line.

In a nutshell, we had the kids inbound from the regular boundary line (or standing on the endline), with all others behind the restraining line. In retrospect, that really wasn't correct, and it caused some confusion. Kids were breaking the restraining-line plane from time to time, and we had to stop play and clear up the matter. (My veteran partner and I decided not to push the DOG warnings, as the breakages were largely sloppy, not intentional.)

Instead, if I'm reading the rule right, we should have had the throw-ins take place directly behind the restraining line, with all boundary plane rules applying. Granted, the thrower-ins had every right to back up as far as they liked, but we probably should have encouraged getting up to the restraining line, so as to avoid any confusion.

Does anyone else have experience with the restraining line, and how they enforce it?

[Adam]

I wouldn't encourage them to get up to the line. If anything, I will remind them they can stand back as far as they like. Having them (even just encouraging them to) step to the restraining line pretty much negates the purpose of the restraining line to begin with.

The first time I worked a court with this line, my partner and I had three offensive throw-in violations (two on the home team) before the teams settled in and figured it out.

[SNIPERBBB]

The one court around here that has it we had the kids between the lines. Seemed to keep everyone else out...mostly.

[Moosie74]

We have one court like that around here.

We just tell both teams that the end line is the dashed black line and works the same way as it would on a bigger court.

No one ever seems to have any issues with that.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Moosie74

We just tell both teams that the end line is the dashed black line and works the same way as it would on a bigger court. No one ever seems to have any issues with that.

The throw-er-in-er, and his immediate defender, usually don't have problems with the restraining line. It's the other four offensive players, and other four defensive players, that can't get use to using the restraining line.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

It's the other four offensive players, and other four defensive players, that can't get use to using the restraining line.

7.6.4D might say differently -- but maybe it's the difference between an imaginary restraining line and a real one.

[Altor]

As somebody who played on a floor with a restraining line years ago, there's a couple other "gotchas" to remember about them, as I recall:

1. The restraining line only applies to the end or side that the throw-in is made. e.g. A player can catch a throw-in made from the endline while standing between the restraining line and sideline.
2. The restraining line rules end when the throw-in ends. Assuming his feet are entirely between the OOB line and the restraining line, the player making the throw-in can bounce the ball off the defender and catch it without moving his feet.

I used to think of it as simply moving that one OOB line three feet for the duration of the throw-in. Don't know if that's a technically accurate description.

[Moosie74]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

The throw-er-in-er, and his immediate defender, usually don't have problems with the restraining line. It's the other four offensive players, and other four defensive players, that can't get use to using the restraining line.

That's true. I've been fairly successful in asking the defense to take a couple of steps back and that take care of that problem as well.