Illegal Blocks "in the back"

[Jim D]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

Back of the shoulder is NOT a block in the back. A rule of thumb is that the person receiving the block in the back must fall forward, otherwise, it's not a penalty. A "blockee" getting driven to the side is probably blocked in the side.

A block in the back must be inside the shoulders, below the helmet, and above the waist.

See 2-5-2 in the NFHS rules.

It's likely that a lot of legal blocks will blindside the player receiving the block. Those are the ones we always hear about from the coaches. Unless it's between the shoulder blades, though, it's legal.

I won't even go that far. If you hit a player on the shoulder he can, because of the angle of the block or due to his momentum, turn so the rest of the block is in the back. This would be a legal block.