Hands to the face foul

[9thIsleZebra]

In NFHS, is there a foul for "Hands to the face"? I've looked through the rulebook and the closest I could find was under 9-4-3h under Illegal personal contact, grasping the face mask, helmet opening....... Could we cite rule 2-3-2b.4 under "Blocking"?

[Rich]

Blocking to the face is not legal blocking.


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[ajmc]

As always, depending on the actual contact being observed, NFHS 9-4 (Illegal Personal Contact 9-4-3) sections G or J could apply.

[9thIsleZebra]

Yes it could apply but Rule 2-3-2b.4 Blocking, could also apply, especially when blocker is using open hand blocking technique.

[Robert Goodman]

ISTR a discussion here of this one a few years ago. IIRC the consensus was that IUH (illegal blocking) would be correct in cases where the hands or forearms slipped upward during blocking, personal foul in cases where the head or neck was the initial contact point, but no foul by a ballcarrier fending off a tackler unless it looked like a gratuitous head shot -- even though the rule book has no explicit exception allowing above-the-shoulder contact for stiff arming by the runner.

[Kelvin green]

If the blocking to the face “takes aim and initiates contact “to face...it by definition is a target....