No Longer a Potential Blocker

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

So you're saying that the "use hands in the manner described in this situation" is meant to apply only to "warding off the opponent who is attempting to block by pushing or pulling him", rather than to the entire sentence, which includes "may be a block"? I would say that'd be superfluous language then, because clearly if an opponent is not attempting to block you, you're not warding him off! And since it says the contact may be a block, as distinguished from an effort to ward off a block, clearly the case book is saying that the defense is allowed to make a block against an opponent who wasn't trying to block him first. .

Robert, I might suggest you re-read my 1st sentence, really carefully. ("Reading TOO much into a rule can be as dangerous as not reading enough).

As a game that interests participants between the ages of 6 and 60, distinctly different and targeted rules codes have evolved, that often addressing the same general circumstances, react quite differently to specific situations and talent levels. Trying to mingle, or justify, explanations at one level to apply to other levels, is a fool's game, and the game is a lot more logical when each rule code is applied, exclusively, to the level for which it was intended.