In basketball, a personal foul is a breach of the rules that concerns illegal personal contact with an opponent. It is the most common type of foul in basketball. It should be noted that a contact foul involving excessive or unjustified contact is classed as an unsportsmanlike (or in the NBA, flagrant) foul.

Contents

1 History 2 Principles 2.1 Cylinder principle 2.2 Elements of time and distance 2.3 Charging and blocking 2.4 Screening 2.5 Airborne Player 2.6 Dribbling Player 2.7 Personal fouls other than charging and blocking 3 Penalties 4 References

History

The concept of a foul goes back to the very beginning of basketball in 1891, when in his original 13 rules, James Naismith defined a foul as:

• running with the ball,
• holding the ball with the arms or body,
• striking the ball with the fist,
• shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent.

Only the fourth defintion remains. Running with the ball and striking it with the fist have since become violations; and holding the ball with the arms or body is no longer prohibited, though players rarely do so anyway.

The original penalty was, on a player's second foul, he would be disqualified until the next successful goal without substitution. Before long, free throws were introduced, originally worth three points each, then becoming one. In 1924, a player was made to shoot his own free throws.

The definition of a foul has since developed into what is outlined in the principles section below.

Principles

Personal contact in a game does not neccessarily constitute a personal foul. The player who fouls must put himself at an advantage or his opponent at a disadvantage. The official makes this decision, though sometimes calls can be controversial or even incorrect.

Unless otherwise stated, the principles outlined in this section apply to both the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA. Please note that in the NBA the term "assessed with a foul" instead of "charged with a foul" is used.

Cylinder principle

FIBA uses the cylinder principle to determine if contact was illegal. The concept is that a player may not extend his limbs or bend his body in a way that is not normal. In this system there is an imaginary cylinder occupied by each player. The cylinder is limited to

• The front by the palms of the hands,
• The rear by the buttocks, and
• The sides by the outside edge of the arms and legs.

The arms are not allowed to be further in front than the feet, and should be bent at the elbows so that the forearms and hands are raised. The cylinder extends from the floor to the ceiling (so the player can jump and remain in his cylinder).

A player can occupy any cylinder not already occupied by the opponent. The cylinder he occupies is protected, that is, no-one else is allowed to step or reach into it. If there is a breach of this principle, then there is a possible foul, which the official may or may not penalise after deciding if it placed the opponent at a disadvantage.

The NBA does not use the cylinder principle to judge contact; it only says that a player may not bend or reach in a position that is not normal (and that a player many not push, hold, and so on.)

Elements of time and distance

The elements of time and distance are the principles regarding the reaction time and distance of another person, for example, a player can not suddenly step in front of a sprinting player even if the cylinder was not occupied at the time. They apply only on players who do not have the ball; they do not apply on the ball carrier. Another example of the elements of time and distance is when a player sets a screen directly behind a player: the player would not physically be able to react to the screen in enough time to avoid it.

Charging and blocking

Charging and blocking are the most controversial foul calls in basketball. Charging is defined as illegal contact by pushing or moving into another player's torso. Blocking is illegal contact which impedes the progress of an opponent. Sometimes, however, it can be difficult to see which player in a charging/blocking situation is at fault. In "charging/blocking situations" the offensive player is charging and the defensive player is blocking (but that is not to say charging is only committed by offensive players and so on.) It is generally accepted that if the defense

• was still, or moving sideways or backwards but not forwards, when contact occurred
• took a legal guarding position before the contact, that is, one with both feet on the floor
• was hit on the torso (as opposed to the arm or leg)
• respected the elements of time and distance if it did not involve a dribbling player

then the offensive player was at fault and should be charged with a charging foul.

Charging/blocking situations almost always occur with a player who is dribbling the ball (and the player who is guarding him).

Screening

A screen is an attempt by an offensive player to stop a defensive player from guarding an offensive player. It can be worked very effectively; John Stockton and Karl Malone were well known for their screen and roll plays. The screener stands in the path of the defensive player in the hope that he will inadvertently crash into him, thus leaving the screener's team-mate free to run. However if the screener is moving when contact occurs, or he did not respect the elements of time and distance, or he initiated contact, he is charged with illegal screening, which is a type of blocking foul.

Airborne Player

An airborne player, whether he lands on the same or a different spot to that where he took off, has the right to land uninterrupted. A player who moves into the path of an airborne player is charged with a blocking foul.

Dribbling Player

In the NBA, a player who is dribbling the ball is not permitted to attempt to dribble past a defensive player where there is not enough space. Examples of this are when he tries to dribble between a defensive player and either a boundary or another defensive player. If there is space to put his head and shoulders past the defender then the defensive player is responsible.

While this rule is not in FIBA's rules, it should be noted that any contact caused by the dribbler will still be penalized accordingly.

Personal fouls other than charging and blocking

Pushing 

contact which attempts to force a player to move

Holding 

contact which attempts to interferes with a player's freedom of movement

Reaching 

contact which is the result of a player reaching outside of his cylinder with his hands

Penalties

The general penalty for a foul is a foul entered on the scoresheet against the offender, and possession of the ball for the other team to pass inbounds from the out-of-bounds point nearest to the foul. Depending on when and where the foul occurs, however, other penalties may apply.

In some cases free throws may be awarded to the other team. This happens when either the foul was on a player who was in the act of shooting, or when the fouling team is in the team foul penalty situation for committing too many fouls. The article on free throws provides a more detailed analysis.

If, in one game, a player commits five fouls (or six in the NBA), including technical and unsportsmanlike (or flagrant) fouls, they must be substituted and may not participate for the rest of the game.

References

• International Basketball Federation (June 2004). Offical Basketball Rules 2004.
• National Basketball Association. Official Rules of the National Basketball Association. Retrieved Oct. 28, 2004.