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ASK THE REF #9
Block, Charge or No Call?
QUESTION - (from a long time, veteran coach) How do referees make the decision on "block, charge or no call?"
ANSWER - This could be the question of the year. There's no way to explain it easily, so I'm going to answer it on two levels. First the brief "Readers Digest" version, short and sweet. But for those of you who want more detail, I'll give the more descriptive "Wikipedia" version. In both cases, we'll assume the play involves an offensive player who has the ball.
Reader's Digest version:
Officials will make a quick determination as to whether or not the defensive player has "established himself" relative to the player with the ball. If he has, they will then watch to see that either player does not extend a hand, arm, shoulder, hip or knee in a way that violates the other player's "verticality." Lastly, they will watch to see that the defender does not move into or under the offensive player after the offensive player has left the floor to shoot. If there's contact (as there usually is.....) the official will quickly decide who caused what to whom and whether or not the contact caused either player to be put at a disadvantage. If not, there will be "no call." It all develops quickly. Good officials learn what to look for.
Wikipedia version:
1. The answer begins with an understanding that the best officials learn over a period of time to envision the possibility that a block/charge play might develop by carefully watching the ways in which the players are moving. This does not mean the officials are "anticipating a call." It simply means they try to see the entire sequence so that they are ready in case a call will have to be made. After many, many repetitions, the best officials become pretty good at "seeing the play develop."
2. Secondly, officials are trained to "referee the defense".....or, to pay specific attention to what the defensive player is doing. This attention will go a long way toward sorting things out if a collision occurs. From an official's perspective, he will also learn the importance of being in good position to see the play as it develops. This will give him the best chance to judge it correctly.
3. The next point is that the official will be looking to see if the defensive player is able to "establish a legal guarding position" on his offensive opponent. Assuming the offensive player HAS THE BALL, there are NO TIME OR DISTANCE REQUIREMENTS for the defensive player. This means the defender does not have to give the offensive player any space as long as he gets to a spot on the floor before contact with his offensive opponent and is also facing his opponent with two feet on the floor (Rule 4-23). Assuming the defensive player has "established" himself in this way (that is, "first there, facing, two feet on the floor") EVEN IF ONLY MOMENTARILY, he is NOT REQUIRED TO STAND STILL. He is free to move his feet to maintain that position in front of the offensive player. He may also turn, or duck, to protect himself from a likely collision. But, he cannot cause contact by extending his hand, arm, shoulder, hip or knee into the offensive player. The same applies to the offensive player.
NOTE: From a coaching perspective, the most important thing is to teach players the fundamental of how to "establish and maintain a legal guarding position."
4. If, in the judgment of the official, the defensive player fails to "establish" himself, it's more likely that any ensuing contact will be ruled a "block." But, once the official determines that the defensive player has "established" himself, any ensuing contact is more likely to be ruled as being caused by the offensive player. The easiest play of all is when the established defensive player catches the offensive player squarely in the chest. This is a "no brainer" and is the simplest of all "charge" calls. But, there are many other plays that require split second judgment.
5. ALL of the above assumes that the offensive player has not yet left the floor to attempt a shot. Once the offensive player leaves the floor, the defensive player cannot slide into or under the airborne shooter, nor can he take the shooter's likely landing space. This is where the block/charge calls become the most difficult.......that late movement by the defense AFTER the shooter has left the floor. The official will look to see if the defensive player holds his position (that is, "takes the charge" as opposed to "diving" or "flopping") because if he does, the ensuing contact is more likely to be seen as caused by the offense. If the defense moves into or under the airborne offensive player, the ensuing contact will be seen as caused by the defense. This is also where a second level of judgment comes into play, a decision that involves the principle of "verticality" (Rule 4-45). In simple terms, this refers to the principle that each player is entitled to occupy not only his particular space on the floor but also the vertical area above that space.
The official will have to decide if either player "violated" the vertical space of the other and, in so doing, caused sufficient contact to cause either player to be put at a disadvantage. If so, the official must determine "who caused what to who." That is, who was the one who "most caused" an advantage/disadvantage? Sometimes the contact is slight and neither player is put at a disadvantage, and it is judged a "no call." Or, it may be that the official sees that the defensive player moved into the offensive player (especially if it happens after he left the floor). In that case, it will probably be seen as a "block." The third possibility is that the offensive player is the one who "initiated the contact...." (as opposed to trying to avoid the contact). In that case, the official must decide whether the contact did, or did not, place the defender at a disadvantage. If so, it will be ruled a "charge." If the defender was not put at a disadvantage, the official may simply decide that, in this contact situation, the offensive player "caused his own problem" and will simply ignore the contact ("no call.") In plays like this, sometimes the offensive player may well end up on the floor and a lot of people will be questioning how the official could let that play go without making a call. It's very simple. The official simply judged that the offensive player "caused his own problem" and will not penalize the defender for having done nothing to cause the contact. With no significant "advantage or disadvantage" there is no reason for a whistle.
Unfortunately, many of the "expert commentators" (ALWAYS ex-coaches......NEVER ex-officials) on TV games do not understand that sometimes a collision can occur without a call being made. They will say something like "there's got to be a call on THAT!!" But, people (like our readers...) who understand what officials are looking for will understand how it can happen.
Let's understand that these plays tend to develop very quickly. And, depending on the view that everyone has of the play, it may appear slightly different depending upon the angle from which we are seeing things. In addition, the judgment must be made almost instantaneously. So it can be difficult. Indeed, if 100 coaches and 100 officials were to watch 100 such plays from a lot of different angles, I can guarantee you that they will disagree on some of them. But, one thing is for certain.....the ultimate decision will always boil down to judgments based on defenders "establishing postion" and "advantage, disadvantage and verticality." The best referees, coaches and players are those who learn to sort it out using these basics.
From a coach's viewpoint, what is needed is the understanding that these plays are not simply based on contact. As with all basketball situations, they are much more about "advantage and disadvantage" using a variety of rule fundamentals as a guide. So, although the contact may appear to be significant or similar from one play to the next, there are always some subtle differences that help the official make his determination. In the heat of the moment, the referees must make instantaneous judgments in the best interests of the game. Since many of the plays are very close calls, it is inevitable that someone is not going to be happy. But, as most people come to understand, these things tend to balance out over the course of a game.
Do you have a question? Have you seen a play you didn't understand?
Was there a controversy you'd like clarified? Send your questions in and I'll do my best to get you an answer!
Skip Yutzler
IAABO Board 127
40 Years High School and Junior College Official
5 Times NY State HS Championships - Glens Falls
# 65
Ask The Ref !
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