Not all contact needs a whistle even if everyone else thinks so. Let's discuss Incidental Contact.

This is Rule Review and our coverage on plays involving incidental contact. This video is dedicated to educating basketball officials on the proper way to rule on contact that may not constitute a foul. Watching actual videos of plays involving incidental contact, along with some basic instruction explaining each rule, helps officials learn faster and retain rule information better. We can all learn together by continually discussing the rules as they are written in the NFHS rules book and viewing actual high school basketball games reinforces that learning.
Unfortunately, many times officials will blow their whistle to stop play when contact occurs, however, the NFHS rules book tells us not all contact constitutes a foul and should be ruled as incidental contact. This is what we will be reviewing in this segment of Rule Review. And remember, all video clips we reference to highlight incidental contact are from high school games and focus solely on the NFHS high school rules book.
Video #1
- A dribbler drives to the basket along the endline and in the process hits his defender in the face with his elbow. No whistle was blown by any of the officials. This is because, the dribbler and defender both performed normal offensive and defensive actions and neither did anything illegal. They both simply moved toward the same location at the same time and some incidental contact occurred.
Video #2
- On a throw-in at the endline, two players run toward a passed ball and end up getting the feet tangled up and falling down. Don’t believe the philosophy of two bodies on the floor needs a whistle on this play. Since both players are in equally favorable positions to get to the ball, and neither are being hindered of performing their normal offensive or defensive actions, the contact that occurs, causing them to fall down should be ruled incidental contact.
Video #3
- After a long pass to a teammate in the frontcourt, a defender bumps into and displaces the ball handler and again, no whistle from the officials. This is because the contact is incidental and even though it was hard enough to displace the ball handler, it did not hinder his ability to continue the dribbling action he intended all along.
Video #4
- With an offensive screen set at the top of the key, the defender of the dribbler runs into and knocks both him and the screener to the floor with the officials calling a foul on the defender. But wait, the screen was set outside of the visual field of the defender and contact was inadvertent. This play should have been ruled as incidental contact. Remember, contact can even be severe and still be considered incidental contact.
Watching video clips is a good way to stay connected to the skill of officiating basketball but true education and learning can more effectively be attained when each video is annotated with diagrams and shading to point out key teaching points.
The Officials Institute, and the Rule Review segment, creates videos that don't leave you guessing about whether there was a foul, violation or not. Even though we cannot officiate in slow motion or freeze frames, by watching and reviewing video video in this fashion, we are able to "retrain our brain" so we can start seeing plays more accurately when we do see them in real time and increase our ability to get the call right.
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All rules referenced in this video are taken from the official rules book provided by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). To find out more about the NFHS, you can visit them at nfhs.org/

[@sparx2565]

From the explanation of your final ruling, if a screen is set initially outside of my field of vision I can simply plow through them with no foul and do whatever I like to them since its incidental. No ref should call this incidental and give a no call

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Thanks for watching.

[@colinmurray9297]

If you don’t see them you aren’t going to “do whatever you like to them” because if you do that then it is clear that you saw them

[@philliprunge]

The last example play at 5:34 should have been called an illegal screen. A player cannot set a legal screen if any part of their body is outside their vertical plane. You must call #10 on white for a foul.

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Thnx for watching

[@skyoctopus2003]

The first one there is a blocki foul for defender

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Thanks for watching.

[@chounglee5741]

Thank you for the video.

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Thanks for watching!

[@timcullen5656]

This a excellent video explaining incidental contact. I especially like the non call by the official in the clip where the defense player ran into the dribbler....great no call .

[@ImDJVA]

But did he make that last shot?!?

[@OfficialsInstitute]

🤷🏼‍♂️

[@jeffwright7587]

Great videos! Keep em coming.

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Thanks! Will do!

[@TrollfaceDarkBruhLmao]

Great now I know how to get away with it😂

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Geez

[@colinmurray9297]

Pretty much every one of these are saying that it is not a foul because because no disadvantage was given to an opponent. So getting away with it just means that you aren’t having much of an influence.

[@MG53v8]

Was windering about rolling after setting a screen. I was taught to screen then roll in the direction the guy i set a screen on moves. Cheers

[@OfficialsInstitute]

This is still legal as long as there is not contact made to intentionally screen the opponent away.

[@michaelj529]

Very helpful! The clips are terrific. How can I get a golf shirt like Joshua is wearing ?

[@OfficialsInstitute]

We have a few in stock. Email me your size and and color preference and I'll see what we have.

[@jameswalsh2527]

Please explain closely guarded rule. With examples if possible

[@OfficialsInstitute]

th-cam.com/video/pG2hJtBRjNI/w-d-xo.html

[@paulmoss6352]

could there be a reaching violation called initially?

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Was there illegal contact caused by the reach? Remember, reaching in itself is not a foul. In fact, rule 4.24.2 states "It is legal use of hands to reach to block or slap the ball controlled by a dribbler...." so don't react to "a reach" and stay focused on the contact that may occur because of it. Thanks for watching.

[@christmasdavis2551]

Very informative. A goldmine of information.

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Glad it is helpful

[@karnkumar8940]

please make video on layup

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Ok, we can definitely do that. What specifically about the layup would you like us to talk about?

[@karnkumar8940]

Explain advantage step in lay up, like 3 step .

[@sachill]

These are great Thanks!!!

[@OfficialsInstitute]

Your welcome

[@bradwilliams6691]

i'm sorry. that last play IS NOT incidental contact. the rules state that a screener should allow one normal step when setting a screen outside the visual field of the defender. Screener does that. Since there is contact to the torso of the screener, it should be a pushing foul on the defender. I believe the official got this one right.

[@OfficialsInstitute]

You are correct, the screen appeared to be legal, however the contact caused by the defender who didn’t see the screen should not be held responsible for the contact either, according to rule 4.27.4.

[@garyncoa]

@@OfficialsInstitute I agree with Brad on this. Contact by the legally screened player displaced the screener causing him to go to the floor. No call this and you'll have a very physical game on your hands, which I hate. I'm all for no calls, but when two players go down gotta have a call.

[@jasonbolinger9433]

​@@garyncoa That is an old school philosophy. Nowhere in the rules book does it state that a foul must be called if two players are on the floor. I don't see a foul on the last play in this video.

[@markdunham9634]

@@OfficialsInstitute I would agree with that reading. Putting on my lawyer cap, the text of the rule says "in cases of screens outside the visual field, the opponent may make *inadvertent* contact with the screener." Backing into a screener that is behind you that you could not have possibly seen while actively defending the player in front of you with the ball is the definition of inadvertent contact, considering you cannot avoid contact with something you can't see.