Traveling The PIVOT FOOT is what matters!!! If the pivot foot is lifted the ball MUST be passed or shot before it returns to the floor.

4-44 How to establish a pivot foot

Traveling is moving a foot or feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits while holding the ball. The limits on foot movements are as follows:

ART. 1

Traveling is moving a foot or feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits while holding the ball. The limits on foot movements are as follows:

A player who catches the ball with both feet on the floor, may pivot using either foot. When one foot is lifted, the other is the pivot foot.

Art 2

A player, who catches the ball while moving or , may stop, and establish a pivot foot as follows:

a. If both feet are off the floor and the player lands:

1. Simultaneously on both feet, either foot may be the pivot.

2. On one foot followed by the other, the first foot to touch is the pivot.

3. On one foot, the player may jump off that foot and simultaneously land on both. Neither foot can be a pivot in this case.

b. If one foot is on the floor:

1. It is the pivot when the other foot touches in a step.

2. The player may jump off that foot and simultaneously land on both. Neither foot can be a pivot in this case.

ART. 3

Traveling is moving a foot or feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits while holding the ball. The limits on foot movements are as follows: After coming to a stop and establishing a pivot foot:

a. The pivot foot may be lifted, but not returned to the floor, before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal.

b. If the player jumps, neither foot may be returned to the floor before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal.

c. The pivot foot may not be lifted before the ball is released to start a dribble.

ART. 4

Traveling is moving a foot or feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits while holding the ball. The limits on foot movements are as follows:

After coming to a stop when neither foot can be a pivot:

a. One or both feet may be lifted, but may not be returned to the floor before the ball is released on a pass or try for goal.

b. Neither foot may be lifted before the ball is released, to start a dribble.

ART. 5

Traveling is moving a foot or feet in any direction in excess of prescribed limits while holding the ball. The limits on foot movements are as follows:

A player holding the ball:

a. May not touch the floor with a knee or any other part of the body other than hand or foot.

b. After gaining control while on the floor and touching with other than hand or foot, may not attempt to get up or stand.

Number of feet touching the floor while holding the ball:

Zero – player may land either on one foot or both. If simultaneously lands on both, then either foot may become the pivot, if land on one, then see below.

One - may establish a pivot by touching the other foot to the floor or jump off of one and land on two. May not hop from one to one.

Two – may never jump from two to two or two to one.

Question 1: A1 is in the corner of the court. He receives a pass from A2 while moving behind the 3-pt line. A1 catches the pass with one foot on the floor. He jumps off that foot and lands on both feet in the corner of the court. A1 now jumps into the air and shoots. Has A1 traveled?

Question 2: A5 catches a pass in the post (on the ) with his back to the goal. A5 has both feet on the court. A5 steps away from the FT lane with his right foot, then reverses direction and steps into the FT lane with this same foot. He now lifts his left foot and extends it past his right foot in order to move across the FT lane and attempt a . A5 releases the try before his left foot touches the floor. Has A5 traveled?

Question 3: A4 catches a pass in the post. He has both feet on the court. A4 steps around his defender with his left foot and then brings his right foot along side of this one and proceeds to jump off of both feet for short . Has A4 traveled?

Types of Fouls in NFHS

Let’s first state that there are TWO basic types of fouls for high school (NFHS) games: (1) Personal and (2) Technical. That’s it. Whenever you call a it MUST be one of those two types and here is the important —it can NEVER be both! It has to be only one or the other.

So how do you know which? By the definitions provided in Rule 4 of the rules book. By consulting 4-19-1 and 4-19-5 we see that PERSONAL fouls are those which occur during a live ball and involve physical contact by a player against an opponent, with an exception made for contact by or on an airborne shooter. That contact with an airborne shooter may occur when the ball is dead if the ball has already passed through the basket and the shooter has not yet returned to the floor and still be a personal foul. Otherwise, if you just remember contact during a live ball is a PERSONAL foul you will be fine. Conversely, any foul which doesn’t involve contact by a player or occurs during a dead ball, except for that involving an airborne shooter, has to be a .

Those are the two basic categories and everything else just describes what specific kind of personal or technical foul occurred. These modifiers and subcategories include: intentional, flagrant, common, multiple, double, simultaneous, player, team, false multiple, false double, unsporting, player- control, and team-control. That’s a lot, but fortunately what we need to know about these modifiers is fairly simple too.

1. A common foul MUST be a personal foul and cannot have any other modifiers besides player-control or team-control, per the definition given in 4-19-2. Common personal fouls which are not either player-control or team-control fouls are the only type of fouls for which the rule applies. All other fouls have their own FT penalties. So if it isn’t a common personal foul, don’t even think about shooting a one-and-one!

2. Unsporting fouls can only be technical by definition because 4-19-14 specifically says “noncontact technical foul.” Make special note of the word noncontact in this definition.

3. Player-control and team-control fouls are common personal fouls for which no free throws are awarded. Years ago FTs were awarded for these fouls, but not anymore.

4. All other modifiers may apply to either personal or technical fouls.

5. A foul may either intentional or flagrant, but never both.

6. A foul may be either double or multiple, but never both. This is because the word double signifies that each team committed one of the fouls and multiple denotes that the same team committed the fouls.

With just the knowledge given above and knowing the definitions of the modifier terms provided in 4-19, any can always be precise about what kind of foul is appropriate to charge based upon that action which took place.

Question 4: A3 and B3 are running down the court side-by-side while A1 is dribbling the ball in the backcourt. They have been battling with each other for the past few possessions. An official observes A3 and B3 deliberately elbow each other, one immediately after the other, as they cross the division line. What types of fouls should be assessed?

Question 5: A4 has the ball on a . B3 is the only defender back. B3 takes a position in the FT lane in an attempt to draw a charge. After A4 goes airborne to shoot, B1 who had been chasing A4 from behind, jumps and grabs A4 around the neck and shoulders. This contact causes A4 to crash into B3 as all players tumble to the floor. B3 jumps up very angry and kicks the still down A4 in the head. A2 comes running in and two-hand shoves B3 away from his teammate, knocking him to the floor. At this point the officials and head coaches are able to get between the players and separate them. What fouls should be assessed on the play?

Backcourt

4. Team Control Status During Throw-in. Team Control Status Inbounds - Since a 2011-12 rules change, team control exists during a throw-in when the throwerin has the ball at her/his disposal. The change was made ONLY to eliminate the penalty of administering free throw(s) when a teammate of the thrower-in commits a common foul during the throw-in. The change made the penalty consistent with the penalty for other team control fouls. The penalty now is the awarding of a throw-in to the opposing team at the spot out-of-bounds nearest to where the foul occurred.

NOTE: Team control during a throw-in is not intended to be equated to player control status inbounds which creates team control status inbounds. During the throw-in, 10- seconds, 3-seconds, frontcourt status, backcourt status, closely guarded, etc., are not factors as there has yet to be player control/team control status obtained inbounds .

That last sentence is critical and what will enable us to get these backcourt plays right! It tells us that backcourt violations, 3-seconds in the FT lane, and 10- seconds in the backcourt, among other violations, are not possible until AFTER an INBOUNDS player gains control of the ball. So no matter where the ball goes and who touches it, officials don’t even have to worry about a backcourt occurring until someone inbounds is able to either hold or dribble the ball (that is the definition of player control per 4-12-1).

Four point test for backcourt violations:

1. Has player control been established INBOUNDS which creates team control INBOUNDS for Team A?

2. Has the ball gained frontcourt status?

3. Was a member of Team A the last to touch the ball BEFORE it entered the backcourt?

4. Was a member of Team A the first to touch the ball AFTER it was in the backcourt?

Only if theses items occur in this specific order and you can answer “yes“ to ALL four of these questions should you call a backcourt violation. If you say “no” to any one of these test questions, then no violation is the correct ruling.

Question 6:

Play #8 - A1 is dribbling near the division line. B1 bats the ball away. The ball hits B1's leg, and then hits A1's leg before going into the BC. A2 is the first player to the ball in the BC. Is this a violation? Why or why not?

Answer - This is a violation by A1. Although many fans and coaches don't understand it, A still has team control, is the last to touch the ball before it goes into the BC, and the first to touch it in the BC. Don't penalize a good defensive play by not calling this a violation!

Question 7:

Play #2 - A1 is holding the ball and straddling the division line. Her left foot is in the BC and her right foot is in the FC. She has not established a pivot foot. A) A1 lifts her left foot, which is in the BC, establishing he right foot as her pivot foot. She then puts her left foot back down in the BC. Is this a BC violation? Why or why not? B) A1 lifts her right foot, which is in the FC, establishing he left foot as her pivot foot. She then puts her right foot down in the BC. Is this a BC violation? Why or why not?

Answer - In A) the player has committed a BC violation. Since the pivot foot is in the FC, when the left foot is lifted, the player is now standing completely in the FC. If she puts her foot back down in the BC, it's a violation.

Just the opposite is true in B). Since the pivot foot is in the BC, she can pick up and move the right foot and put it down in either court legally. But the 10-second count continues.

Question 8:

A1 has the ball for a throw-in from the endline in the frontcourt. There is a 3- person officiating crew for this game. The Lead official administers the throw-in. The ball is passed high in the air towards the division line where A2 is standing in the frontcourt. A2 jumps into the air, but is able to only touch the ball with his hand as the pass goes over his head. The ball goes into the backcourt and A2 retrieves it. The Trail official whistles a backcourt violation. Is the Trail correct? What should happen now?