Officiating 101 - The Jump Ball

[dvboa]

This is part of an instructional series that I'm working on. Thoughts...

[Freddy]

Nice job with the basics needed to know.
Have regularly used your compilation of jump ball plays entitled, "The Fine Art of the Toss." Makes for good group and/or individual instruction.
Thanx.

[Raymond]

I think we should always fake the first toss to see how high the jumpers can actually jump.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

I think we should always fake the first toss to see how high the jumpers can actually jump.

I like to step on the shoe of the taller of the two jumpers, just to make it fair.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I like to step on the shoe of the taller of the two jumpers, just to make it fair.

How does this make it fair?

[Nevadaref]

In the video the umpire is about six feet away from the division line. That seems too far away from the book position.
The first time that you mention the jump ball ending, you don't list the ball contacting an official. The second time that this comes up, the official is listed.

Although in the vast majority of jump ball situations, the U goes to L and the R to T, there are cases in which the Umpire becomes the Trail following the toss. For example if the ball is knocked close to an end line and saved by a player of the team going the other direction. Someone must get down there to see that he was inbounds.

What do you mean by the words "move down the court opposite the ball" when talking about the Umpire taking his usual position as Lead following the toss? I found it confusing because the umpire stays tableside no matter where the ball goes.

Lastly, a couple of notes mentioning the three feet depth of the spaces occupied by players around the circle and the consequences of that would be nice. Such as non-jumpers further away from the circle than this three feet are permitted to be moving during the toss (too many officials believe that everyone must 'hold their spots'), plus one about players around the circle not being allowed to stand behind an opponent.