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2010-11 NCAA Women's Basketball Elbow Rule (Updated 10/12/10)
The new rule change for 2010-2011 states that when an elbow is swung/moved in such a way that it creates non-incidental contact above the shoulders and yet is not deemed excessive, that foul must be a minimum of an intentional foul. The following information is intended to provide more detail about what this rule change is and is not.
1. Specific Rule Language.
This rule will be added to NCAA Basketball Rule 10-1.13, among others places, in the 2012 Rule book when it is published in the summer of 2011. The following is a draft of the new rule language and may appear differently in the book.
Rule 10-1 Personal fouls (live ball contact)
When the action of the arm(s) and elbows resulting from total body movement, as in pivoting or movement of the ball incidental to feinting (faking) with it, releasing it, or moving it to prevent a held ball or loss of control, illegally contacts an opponent BELOW the shoulders during a live ball, that illegal contact may not be considered a flagrant foul for excessive swinging (Rule 4-36.7), but a personal foul, common or intentional, has been committed.
When the action of the arm(s) and elbows resulting from total body movement, as in pivoting or movement of the ball incidental to feinting (faking) with it, releasing it, or moving it to prevent a held ball or loss of control, illegally contacts an opponent ABOVE the shoulders during a live ball, that illegal contact may not be considered a flagrant foul for excessive swinging (Rule 4-36.7), but a minimum of an intentional foul has been committed.
Any foul involving excessive swinging of the arm(s) and elbow(s) (Rule 4-36.7), either above or below the shoulders during a live ball, or that otherwise meets the requirements of Rule 4-29.2.c and 4-29.3.f.1 shall be penalized by a flagrant personal foul.
Rule 10-3 Player/Substitute Technical foul (interpretation for dead ball contact)
When the action of the arm(s) and elbows resulting from total body movement, as in pivoting or movement of the ball incidental to feinting (faking) with it, releasing it, or moving it to prevent a held ball or loss of control, illegally contacts an opponent ABOVE the shoulders during a dead ball, that illegal contact shall be a player/substitute technical foul. The penalty for this player/substitute technical foul for dead ball contact with an elbow ABOVE the shoulders is two free throws and the ball awarded to the offended team at the point of interruption.
Any foul involving excessive swinging of the arm(s) and elbow(s) (Rule 4-36.7), either above or below the shoulders during a dead ball, or that otherwise meets the requirements of Rule 4-29.2.c and 4-29.3.f.1 shall be penalized by a flagrant technical foul.
(Note: As a reminder, there are three penalties in which the offended team is awarded two free throws and the ball at the point of interruption. These penalties are for the infractions of (1) calling an excessive timeout, (2) a flagrant technical foul, and (3) a Player/Substitute technical foul for dead ball contact with an elbow above the shoulders of an opponent)
2. Intent of the new rule.
a. Officials determine what is a foul before they make any other decisions about the contact.
b. When officials determine that the foul involved a swinging/moving (not excessively according to Rule 4-36.7) elbow that made contact ABOVE the shoulders, a minimum of an intentional personal foul must be assessed.
c. By penalizing a foul that involved a moving/swinging elbow that made contact ABOVE the shoulders with an intentional personal foul, players would be discouraged from making contact with the elbows.
3. Changes for the 2010-2011 season.
· A foul that involves contact ABOVE the shoulders with a moving elbow during live ball (not being swung excessively as defined in 4-36.7) MUST be a minimum of an intentional personal foul. This same foul could have been a personal foul, common or team control, before the 2010-2011 season. These fouls are no longer options for this type of contact.
· A foul that involves contact ABOVE the shoulders with a moving elbow during a dead ball (not being swung excessively as defined in 4-36.7) MUST be a player/substitute technical foul. This same foul was a player/substitute technical foul last year, but the penalty for this foul this year is two free throws and the ball to the offended team at the point of interruption.
4. What has NOT changed for the 2010-2011 season.
a. Officials determine what is legal/incidental contact. This type of contact is still not a foul. (Rule 4-40)
b. Officials determine what is illegal/non-incidental contact. This type of contact is still a foul. (Rule 4-40; 4-29.2)
c. A foul caused by a STATIONARY (not moving or swinging) elbow is still a common foul. (4-36.1, .3, .4, .5 and .6; 4-29.2.a)
d. A foul caused by swinging the elbows EXCESSIVELY is still a flagrant foul. (4-36.7; 4- 29.2.c and .f)
e. Officials are permitted to review the monitor to see IF a contact flagrant foul has occurred. When it is determined that a contact flagrant foul did not occur, but an intentional personal or player/substitute technical has occurred, these acts and only these acts can be penalized. (Rule 2-13.2.d)
5. New Rule Myths.
These are all FALSE statements.
a. The new rule change requires that a foul be called when an elbow makes contact above the shoulders. FALSE
b. Every time a player is bleeding because of contact to the head it is a foul. FALSE
c. Every time there is contact of any kind to the head it is a foul. FALSE
d. Every time there is a foul of any kind to the head it is an intentional personal foul. FALSE
e. The rules committee wants officials to call an intentional personal foul on all contact to the head. FALSE
f. When a player runs into an elbow it is always a foul. FALSE
g. The new rule only applies to contact to the head and not the neck. FALSE
h. Contact with an elbow BELOW the neck is always an intentional or flagrant foul. FALSE
i. The arm area surrounding the elbow is considered the elbow. FALSE
j. Officials are permitted to go to the monitor to see if a foul was an intentional foul. FALSE
6. New Rule Facts.
a. The rules committee is not requiring or requesting that fouls be called any differently than what has been done in the past.
b. The official’s judgment still determines what is legal/illegal contact.
c. The only decision the rules committee made was that WHEN A FOUL IS CALLED that a different penalty would apply for a particular type of contact (outlined in section 2).
7. Concerns of Coaches.
a. More fouls will be called.
b. Fouls will be called just because it involved contact to the head.
c. More players will be ejected because of this new rule.
8. Progression of Rules/Penalties.
The following questions can be asked to see if the new rule applies. When the answer to each is ‘yes’ then the next question should be asked. This sequence will outline the new rule.
a. Is this contact a foul?
b. Does this foul involve contact above the shoulders?
c. Was this illegal contact (foul) created with an elbow?
d. Was this foul with an elbow above the shoulders…
i. stationary? Must be a common foul.
ii. swinging/moving during a live ball? Must be an intentional personal foul.
iii. swinging/moving during a dead ball? Must be a player/substitute technical foul.
iv. swinging/moving excessively during a live ball? Must be a flagrant personal foul.
v. swinging/moving excessively during a dead ball? Must be a flagrant technical foul.
For a PDF of this rule, click here.