Fist in the air with a (single) simultaneous blast of the whistle; hand behind the head, then point in the direction the ball will be put in play towards with the same hand to indicate there are no shots, but a throw in. When the whistle is out of your mouth say, "white, 25" and what he did. I usually just say, "charge." At the table, its, "white, 2-5, player control, blue ball, out of bounds" and point to the spot of the throw in.

Do you say all that for every report or just for PC fouls so as to eliminate any possibility of confusion?

Some of you talk way more than I do. I likely say nothing at the spot and "red 25" at the table and nothing more. Signals do my talking.

Good discussion....

I blow once with fist in air, then point with open palm in oppo direction while saying "playing control". Then point to spot of throw in.

When reporting to table, I put my hand behind my head after reporting color and number. Then point to throw in spot.

I'm trying working hard on several things this summer, one which is to use the proper mechanic when I blow - not just at the table.

I say "Offense!" at the spot on a PC, every time. This is not a conscious decision on my part. It just seems to come out. :p

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I worked my first state tournament in March. Half a dozen guys in my association always make the "grand tour" of state sites, watching 1st-round games at the 1B/2B site in Spokane (where I was), semifinals of 1A/2A in Yakima, and finals of the big schools in Tacoma. One of these guys charts the fouls in every game he watches (including here) and makes comments on the sheet as the game goes on. This guy is a veteran official but not a playoff-level official, and his comments have a reputation for missing the point sometimes.

In my first game, I had a PC for a push-off as C in transition, maybe 10 feet into the frontcourt. Pretty easy call, the girl got her arm out in front and flattened the retreating defender.

Now, I'd been focusing for a month on perfect NFHS mechanics specifically for this tournament, because the observers who help determine the finalists are known to mark guys down for "that college shit". So when this foul happened: fist, hand behind head, yay! And then for some reason I punched instead of pointing. So...remembered to add the one, forgot to subtract the other. :rolleyes: (I like how it looked on film though!)

Well, the observer told me later "Great PC signal!" but the guy from my association wrote "NOT NFHS CHARGE MECHANIC" in giant letters on his little sheet. Left me chuckling.

(End of the story: got my final; head observer said my signals needed more personality but acknowledged that my "robotic" (his word) precision may have helped me get the game. Heh)

Why do you say twenty-five at the spot and then two-five at the table?

Many camps,clinicians, and manuals suggest using the full number ( twenty-five in this case) whenever you give a number.

The NFHS mechanic is whistle, fist, hand behind the head, and then point the other way. All with same hand. No punch at all

Can you tell me where the highlighted part is please?

Every camp I've been to in the last five years. Every instructor, evaluator, and every staff member has said this.

My goodness, I'm so thankful I can make the call without worrying about signal sequence and all that nonsense.

I assign and I couldn't possibly care about this stuff. You can get every signal right and if you get the call wrong you will always be rated below the guy that punches and gets it right. At least with me.

Interestingly, in the IAABO manual the description under the TC signal reads:

"Team Control (not a punch)"

So...I've just shot my arm/fist directly above my head and now I'm supposed to move that same arm/fist in front of me. I guess I'm supposed to drop it straight down like it's Thor's hammer or something instead of punching?

Either/or = bad.
Both/and = nice.

I've often wondered about that. Then I remember it is more IAABO nonsense and I stop wondering.

I think what they want you to do is to just put the fist out, like for a delayed dead ball on a FT - extend the arm.

I also think that's some weak-looking stupid shit. :D

Riddle Me This, Batman ...
 

I agree with you that getting the calls right is the most important aspect of officiating basketball, not only to an assigner, but to everybody; athletic directors, coaches, players, parents, fans, partners, etc., but there are other things to consider, they're minor, but they still should be considered.

How about two officials, both equally get more correct calls than any other official that you assign, both are equal in all other aspects of officiating (game management, appearance, physical condition, availability, reliability, etc.), one executes all signals correctly (IAABO, NFHS, etc.), the other is a loose cannon signaler. Who gets the nod?