NFHS Rules Changes Predictions/Rumors/Desires

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

I hope that you younguns' realize that the over the past thirty-plus years that NFHS has changed the rules from the "hit", to the "release" (1981 ???), and, most recently, back to the "hit" (1993 ???).

Players going in on the "release" has been tried, not just in a few states as an "experiment", but, rather, as a national rule change, and, at least according to the NFHS, it didn't work. If I can recall the rationale regarding why we changed the last time, it was because there was too much contact, illegal, and otherwise, when players entered on the "release". You guys are all certainly entitled to your various opinions, but the NFHS had empirical evidence that caused them to go back to the "hit".

I'm sure that Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. will be moseying along in a while, if he can drag himself off the baseball, or softball, field, to give us some of the history regarding these rule changes.

Billy is correct in his dates. The NFHS and NCAA Men's changed from "hit" to "release" in 1981. The NFHS and NCAA Men's Committees said the change was made because officials were not enforcing the rule as written. When the NCAA Women's Committee was created in the late 1980's it adopted the NCAA Men's "release" rule. When the NFHS change back to "hit" in 1993, the reason was due excessive contact during rebounding action. BUT, one can go back through all of the NFHS and NCAA Men's/Women's POEs for the last 20 years and one will see that illegal contact has been a concern more often than not and the Rules Committees POEs would seem that the Committees want officials to call more fouls.

MTD, Sr.