FOULS

Personal Foul

• A personal foul is a player's illegal contact with an opponent whether the ball is live, or dead.

Types of Personal Fouls

• Hold
• Push
• Block
• Charge
• Hand check
• Illegal Use of Hands
• Illegal Contact on Hand
• Hit to the Head

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Personal Fouls Cont’d

• A player shall not hold, block, push, charge, trip or impede the progress of an opponent by extending his/her hand, arm, elbow, shoulder, hip, knee or foot, nor by bending his/her body into an "abnormal" position.

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• If personal contact occurs and results in an unfair advantage, not intended by the rules, the referee shall call a personal foul against the player responsible for the contact and the foul shall be recorded on the score sheet.

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Personal Fouls Cont’d

• If the foul is committed on a player who is not in the act of shooting, the ball is awarded to the opponents for a throw-in.

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• If the foul is committed on a player who is in the act of shooting and the shot for goal is not successful, he/she is awarded two (or three) free throws.

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• If the foul is committed on the player who is in the act of shooting and the shot for goal is successful, one free throw is awarded.

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Team Control Foul

• A personal foul committed by a player whose team is in control of the ball.

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Player Control Foul

• A personal foul committed by a player who is in control of the ball.

Double Foul

• A double foul is a situation in which two opponents commit personal fouls against each other at approximately the same time.

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• A personal foul shall be charged against each offending player and play will resume at the point of interruption.

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Technical Foul

• Technical fouls are non-contact fouls of a behavioural nature.

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• The penalty is one free throw followed by a throw-in at the point of interruption.

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• Player technical fouls count toward the penalty. Two technical fouls disqualifies a player.

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• Technical fouls to coaches or bench personnel do not count toward the penalty. Two direct technical fouls to a coach, disqualifies a coach.

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Unsportsmanlike Foul

• An unsportsmanlike foul is a personal foul that involves contact, which in the opinion of a referee, is not a legitimate attempt to directly play the ball within the spirit and intent of the rules.

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• If a player in an effort to play the ball causes excessive contact (hard foul), then this contact shall also be judged to be unsportsmanlike.

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• A player charged with two unsportsmanlike fouls shall automatically be disqualified.

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Unsportsmanlike Foul Cont’d

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• Two free throws are awarded to the player who was fouled, followed by a throw-in for the same team at the throw-in line, opposite the scorer’s table in the front court.

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• If a player commits an unsportsmanlike foul on a player in the act of shooting and the shot is successful, the penalty is one (1) shot and possession

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• On the throw in, the ball must be passed in to the front court. 

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Disqualifying Foul

• A disqualifying foul is any flagrantly unsportsmanlike behaviour of a player.

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• Two free throws are awarded to the opponents, followed by a throw-in for the same team at the throw-in line, opposite the scorer’s table in the front court.

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• On the throw in, the ball must be passed in to the front court. 

Five Fouls by a Player

• A player who has committed five fouls, personal and/or technical, shall be informed thereof by the referee and must leave the game immediately.

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• He/she must be replaced by a substitute.

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Block/Charge

Many consider block/charge the toughest call in basketball.

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• If you understand how a defensive player establishes “legal guarding position” and what he/she can legally do after it is established it becomes much easier.

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Criteria for Establishing

A defensive player has established legal guarding position when he/she:

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• is facing the opponent, and

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• has both feet on the floor.

Criteria for Maintaining

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The defensive player may remain stationary, jump vertically, move laterally or backwards in order to maintain legal guarding position. He/she may NOT prevent the offence from passing by extending the arms, shoulders, hips or legs.

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• Contact on the front of the defensive player’s chest = charge

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• Contact on the side of the defensive players body = block

Block/Charge