3-pt Attempt Signal
 

I've always been trained that the 3-pt signal is a straight arm at a 45-60° angle with three fingers extended. However, at camps last summer I noticed a few guys instead using an arm with a 45° angle at the elbow, and vertical from there on up to an open hand at the top (rather than 3 fingers). Now I'm seeing more and more D1 officials use this signal as well.

Is this a fad or did someone's mechanics manual change recently?

If it's a fad, what do y'all think of it?

It is a fad, and it looks stupid.

MTD, Sr.

I can just hear the "get off my lawn" in this post. :p

To answer the question...NBA has down this half signal TD for a while...NCAA-W went to this signal this year.

My thoughts, it doesn't matter. I think it looks fine.

Every time I see a video from the 70s/80s with counting done as a waist-high flick of the wrist, I think about how stupid that looks (and yes, I did it)...and yet, there were MTD, Sr. equivalents in the early 1990s who said the shoulder high count was a fad and looks stupid.

Same with the T administering all free throws....or working Cadillac...or anything else that's changed.

Maybe this will become the norm in our games...and maybe it won't.

I'd rather see 2-handed reporting and some of the other foul signals (hit to the head, extended forearm, chuck, trip) become acceptable according to the NFHS manual.

Yup...I'd be 100 percent in favor of this...especially adding more signals to the book. It's baffling to me that NFHS has remained so stagnant with their signals....this year would be a perfect year with the absolutes, to add signals like "two hands" or an armbar. It's also made no sense to me that a no brainier signal like a trip or a hit to the head hasn't been added.

NFHS signal is supposed to be three fingers at head level, according to the Officials Manual. I work with partners that do it that way, some that show three fingers toward the sky, and some that show a full hand (half a touchdown). I don't care for the full hand, but I don't lose sleep over it. NCAA-W and NBA use half a touchdown.

I don't know about your NFHS Officials Manual but mine shows the three-point attempt signal being held significantly above head level:

http://i.imgur.com/cDs1FFQ.png

I've understood that to mean the level of the heads of the players. I did some games in a wheelchair tournament a few years ago, so . . .

Straight from the Officials Manual...

"When a player attempts a three-point field goal, the primary coverage official will signal by extending one arm at head level with three fingers
extended."

...which clearly conflicts with the illustration. Sorry, but I'm gonna go with the one that actually demonstrates what it should look like.

I'm in full agreement. I think the NFHS wants to keep it basic for new officials, plus they seem to have this belief that table personnel are idiots who need to be coddled with simplicity (which is usually not true).

In deference to new officials, I don't terribly mind keeping the official signals limited, but from an evaluation, clinic or camp standpoint, please don't downgrade me if I communicate more effectively using two fingers and advanced signals. That's when this issue starts to irk me.

What signal do you use when reporting to the table that the free throw shooter will be shooting 1-and-1?

I haven't used that one (that I think you're referring to, anyway) since the 1990s.

One of my supervisors sent out something about a correctable caused by miscommunication between officials and the table. So I'm wondering what most folks do before I go into the story.

Index finger on each hand.