Held Ball Signal Mechanic

Originally Posted by Rich

We usually hit the whistle a few times before coming in with a mechanic. No stop clock, but no immediate thumbs, either.

If you don't give a stop clock signal how is the timer supposed to know to stop the clock??

[APG]

Originally Posted by AremRed

If you don't give a stop clock signal how is the timer supposed to know to stop the clock??

That timer isn't looking to your signal to stop the clock.

Originally Posted by APG

That timer isn't looking to your signal to stop the clock.

Wait, then why am I doing it??

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by AremRed

DISCLAIMER: UNPOPULAR/CONTROVERSIAL OPINION INBOUND. THIS OPINION MAY OR MAY NOT BE SUPPORTED BY RULE, BUT FEEL FREE NOT TO POINT THAT OUT.

I like throwing up the stop-clock mechanic before the held ball signal. It's not necessary but it gives officials a second to make sure that another official doesn't have a foul or a timeout. It's like a blarge -- I'd rather avoid any situation where two officials would be giving different signals and then having to sort out which action came first.

NBA officials advocate a delay between the whistle and the signal (they use that time to point out the jumpers), so do not be surprised if you start seeing it creep into the Big South, Atlantic Sun, and SEC; then trickle down from there.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

NBA officials advocate a delay between the whistle and the signal (they use that time to point out the jumpers), so do not be surprised if you start seeing it creep into the Big South, Atlantic Sun, and SEC; then trickle down from there.

Except we don't need jumpers, so there's no real point to it.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

NBA officials advocate a delay between the whistle and the signal (they use that time to point out the jumpers), so do not be surprised if you start seeing it creep into the Big South, Atlantic Sun, and SEC; then trickle down from there.

Pointing at the jumpers is just the same thing as signaling held ball -- it doesn't solve any (perceived) problem of conflicting signals.

[River Ref]

I prefer to give 3 quick whistle burst before the 2 thumbs up mechanic as it implies to the 2 players to quit (wrestling).

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by River Ref

I prefer to give 3 quick whistle burst before the 2 thumbs up mechanic as it implies to the 2 players to quit (wrestling).

Wouldn't the same result be accomplished by doing both at the same time?

[Rich]

Look, I'll admit that what we do doesn't completely conform to the mechanics manual.

We hold on the thumbs as we close on the play -- it lets us each verify that none of us has a foul or violation first. If one of us has a foul/violation, he comes in immediately with it. If none of us do...that means we have a held ball and all of us can give the thumbs.

Since we moved to this, we haven't had a single instance of thumbs + something else.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Rich

Look, I'll admit that what we do doesn't completely conform to the mechanics manual.

We hold on the thumbs as we close on the play -- it lets us each verify that none of us has a foul or violation first. If one of us has a foul/violation, he comes in immediately with it. If none of us do...that means we have a held ball and all of us can give the thumbs.

Since we moved to this, we haven't had a single instance of thumbs + something else.

I was originally taught to just use the thumbs as the stop-clock signal, then I've been seeing a movement towards what aremred uses. When I think about how I actually do it on the court, I realize I'm actually doing what Rich is doing. Whistle, pause and look, then thumbs.

[zm1283]

Originally Posted by Adam

I was originally taught to just use the thumbs as the stop-clock signal, then I've been seeing a movement towards what aremred uses. When I think about how I actually do it on the court, I realize I'm actually doing what Rich is doing. Whistle, pause and look, then thumbs.

Yep. Personally I kind of feel like an idiot if I'm running in with my thumbs up immediately while a partner is coming in from the other direction with a push on one of the players that is involved in the scrum. If you just blow the whistle a time or two while peeking at your partners to make sure they don't have anything different, no one is the wiser.

[just another ref]

Why does this concept not apply in reverse? Even if they do have something else, isn't it just as likely that the held ball was first?

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by zm1283

Yep. Personally I kind of feel like an idiot if I'm running in with my thumbs up immediately while a partner is coming in from the other direction with a push on one of the players that is involved in the scrum. If you just blow the whistle a time or two while peeking at your partners to make sure they don't have anything different, no one is the wiser.

Why would you feel like an idiot? A held ball is what you had. Your partner had something different. You just have to figure out which happened first. Nothing unusual about that.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

Why would you feel like an idiot? A held ball is what you had. Your partner had something different. You just have to figure out which happened first. Nothing unusual about that.

Nothing unusual, certainly, but why have a coach complain that "he said it was a held ball, how can you have a foul?" Way easier to just hit the whistle and see who's got what.

And JAR, the foul's ALWAYS before the held ball, that's how.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by Rich

..... the foul's ALWAYS before the held ball, that's how.

This is obviously not true, so I guess it's another "'cause that's the way it's called" thing.