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Table of Contents
Fouls
List of Fouls
Personal Fouls
Defensive Fouls
Shooting Fouls
Offensive Fouls
Flagrant Fouls
Technical Fouls
FAQ
Fouls
A foul in basketball is a rule-breaking action that results in a loss of possession and possible free throws. There are multiple categories of fouls:
Personal Fouls: A foul that is physical in nature, like grabbing and pushing.
Flagrant Fouls: A foul that involves extraordinary violent contact with an opposing player or a dangerous, non-basketball play.
Technical Fouls: A foul that is unsportsmanlike, including screaming at the referee or an opponent.
In the NBA, if a player commits six fouls in a game, he is disqualified from playing in the rest of the game. The same is true for FIBA and college basketball, but the foul limit is five fouls.
The rules of fouls differ at all levels of play for high school, NBA, college, and FIBA basketball.
The referees in basketball are responsible for calling fouls and violations throughout the game. The crew chief is the head official and makes the final decision on the court.
List of Fouls
Here is a list of fouls in basketball:
Blocking Foul
Charging Foul
Defensive Foul
Double Foul
Flagrant Foul
Illegal Screen Foul
Intentional Foul
Loose Ball Foul
Offensive Foul
Personal Foul
Punching Foul
Reach-in Foul
Shooting Foul
Technical Foul
Personal Fouls
A personal foul is any illegal physical contact by a player. For example, pushing, grabbing, hitting, and tripping are personal fouls. Personal fouls can be committed by both players on offense or defense, although there are more defensive fouls in a game than offensive fouls. Each personal foul also counts towards a team’s overall foul count.
Defensive Fouls
Defensive fouls are committed whenever players on defense use illegal contact to try to stop offensive players. Defensive fouls frequently happen in basketball. Defenders are allowed to move sideways and backward to block an attacker’s path, but moving forward (pushing the attacker backward) is not allowed. Players also can’t initiate physical contact on defense, as that is a foul that happens mostly when a player unsuccessfully tries to steal the ball or block a shot. Defensive fouls have different penalties depending on how and when they were committed.
Shooting Fouls
Whenever a defender commits a foul on the opponent while they are shooting, the player who suffered the foul gets to shoot free throws. These fouls are called shooting fouls. If the shooter was attempting a three-point shot, they get three free throws, or if it is a two-point attempt, only two free throws.
Offensive Fouls
Offensive fouls in basketball are illegal contacts committed by offensive players. Offensively, players sometimes foul when trying to get past defense by pushing or holding opponents. The most common offensive fouls are charging fouls and illegal screens. Every offensive foul results in a turnover, unless the team who committed a foul is in a penalty situation.
Flagrant Fouls
Flagrant fouls occur when a player makes unnecessary and violent contact with an opposing player. These fouls are considered “non-basketball plays” and called for unnecessary actions such as striking another player in the head or neck. Flagrant fouls do not need to be intentional but often appear to be. There are two kinds of flagrant fouls: Flagrant 1 or Flagrant 2. A player who commits a Flagrant 2 foul will be ejected from the game. The result of any flagrant foul is two free throws and possession of the ball afterward.
Technical Fouls
Technical fouls are those that do not involve any physical contact, but violate sportsmanship rules. Technical fouls can be called for a range of prohibited actions, including calling for a timeout when the team has none left, using obscene language or gestures towards a player or referee, and fighting. Technical fouls can be assessed to players, coaches, and even fans. The penalty for a technical foul is one free throw, after which the team who had possession of the ball will retain possession. If a single player receives two technical fouls during a game, they will be ejected.
FAQ
How many fouls can a team commit in a game?
There is not a maximum amount of fouls a team can commit. However, once a team has reached a certain number of fouls (depending on the playing level), the opposing team will be rewarded with free throws after any defensive foul is committed. This is called the bonus or the penalty situation.
How do fouls rules differ from the NBA and the Olympics?
Olympic basketball features a wide range of rule disparities compared to the NBA, with one of the main differences surrounding fouls. In Olympic basketball, the foul limit for an individual player is five fouls as opposed to six in the NBA. This is because of the shortened quarters of Olympic basketball.
How many fouls can a player commit in a game?
The amount of fouls a player can commit depends on the league they play in. When a player commits too many fouls, they are removed from the game; this is known as “fouling out.” In NBA games, players are allowed up to six fouls before they foul out of the game. In college and high school games, players foul out when they receive their fifth foul. Fouling out can be extremely detrimental to your team if you play an important role on the court, so it is essential to be mindful of the personal foul limit in your league.
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Pages Related to Basketball Fouls
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Basketball Nonshooting Foul
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Basketball Charging Foul
Basketball Foul Out
Basketball Personal Fouls
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Basketball Fouling
Home>Sports>Basketball>Basketball Fouls and Fouling
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Fouling in basketball is the act of purposely committing a foul against another player like being called for unsportsmanlike conduct or making illegal physical contact.
Table of Contents
Basketball Free Throws
Basketball Fouling End Game
Basketball Hack A Shaq
NBA Fouls Away From Play
Basketball Penalty Situations
Fouling Out In Basketball
When To Foul In Basketball
End Game Basketball
Basketball Free Throws
When a player is fouled while shooting, they have the right to shoot free throws worth 1 point each. If the player was fouled during the act of shooting a three pointer, they will have three free throws, while if they were fouled while shooting a two point shot, they will have two free throw attempts. If the fouled player still manages to somehow make the shot despite the physical contact by the opponent, they will shoot only one free throw, while adding the field goal’s points to the scoreboard.
Whenever a team reaches the team foul limit, all fouls, regardless of being committed during shooting or not, will lead to free throw attempts to the opponent.
Basketball Fouling End Game
When trailing by a small margin during the dying the last minute or so of a game, teams use a strategy where they purposely foul. Fouling at the end of a game is smart for three reasons:
Free throws are only worth one point.
Fouling stops the game clock from ticking.
You can get the ball back with a rebound or an inbound pass.
That way, the team that trails hopes that the free throw shooter misses the free throws. That allows them to get the ball back without burning the clock. However, most of the time players make the free throws; still the strategy is valid, as they will seek to add three points to score while only allowing two points maximum, that way making the point difference smaller.
Basketball Hack A Shaq
Don Nelson, the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks from 1997-2005, first applied hack-a-shaq against top player Shaquille O'Neal, who although was a remarkable basketball player, was also a remarkably bad free throw shooter. With hack-a-shaq, players purposely fouls a particularly bad free throw shooter. That stops the opponent’s offense while exploiting an opposing player’s weakness. Hack-a-Shaq is sometimes used at the middle of the game, which leads to a lot of stopping, making the game boring. Because of that, the hack-a-shaq strategy is not very liked by basketball watchers.
NBA Fouls Away From Play
For the 2016-17 NBA season, the NBA introduced a rule that gives any team that is fouled one free throw and possession of the ball if the foul is made in the last two minutes of the 4th quarter or overtime. This rule is designed to prevent strategies like hack-a-shaq.
Basketball Penalty Situations
Fouling rewards the other team with free throws. The rewards improve as teams foul more. Teams enter penalty situations, like the bonus and double bonus, which gives them additional free throws every time a player is fouled. The double bonus is only in college basketball.
Fouling Out In Basketball
Fouling too much can also get a player booted from the game. This is called fouling out. When a player fouls out, they have reached their limit of player fouls.
In the NBA, a player will foul out of the game if they reach six fouls. In college and FIBA basketball, a player will foul out of the game if they reach five fouls.
Player fouls keep track of the amount of fouls for each player, and team fouls are a running total of the amount of fouls a team has for the entire game.
When To Foul In Basketball
When deciding to purposely foul, you should consider the following:
How much time is left on the clock?
How many points is our team losing by?
Which player should be fouled and what is their free throw percentage?
How many fouls do I have?
Would it be ok for the team if I fouled out?
End Game Basketball
Imagine a basketball game with the following score and Team A has the ball.
Team A: 72 points
Team B: 70 points
There is this much time on the game clock and shot clock.
game clock: 18 seconds
shot clock: 24 seconds
Team A can let the game clock hit zero with just dribbling. Team B needs to get the ball back to even the score. To get the ball back Team B has two choices:
Steal the ball
Foul the dribbler
Stealing the ball is harder than fouling and doesn't guarantee possession. In this case, Team B should foul. It is possible that Team A makes a free throw, but it remains a one possession game. Team B gets the ball and can tie the game if they make a three-pointer.
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What is a foul in basketball: types of technical fouls
A foul is a violation that involves contact between two or more players. Positioned more seriously than non-compliance with the rules of seconds or gears. Free throws can be awarded for fouls and players receive warnings. All this was done in order to make basketball a non-contact game in which strength would be less important than agility or speed. Below in the article the main types of fouls, penalties for receiving them, tips on how to avoid them will be analyzed.
Types of fouls
Since many people have been playing basketball for a long time, different types of fouls have appeared. For situations of contact with an opponent or insulting a referee, different sanctions are needed. Therefore, the NBA distinguishes the following types of fouls:
Personal. This foul is due to personal contact. If the opponent made a throw upon contact, then you need to look at the result. The ball hit the ring - the victim takes one free kick. The ball did not hit the ring - the victim performs as many throws as he could earn if there was a goal. If the foul was committed while the opponent was not shooting, then there are also two options. The team scored 5 violations in the quarter - the victim takes two free throws. The team did not score 5 violations in the quarter - a throw-in is taken.
When attacking. If, during an attack, a player plays too aggressively, tries to push the opponent away, does not allow him to get close to the ball, hits the leg or arm, then this is a violation. The referee will penalize that athlete's team, pass the ball to the opponents, and restart play.
Reciprocal. If, within a short period of time, two enemy players foul at the same time, the referee awards a double foul. Both athletes can receive a warning, and no free throws go to either.
Unsportsmanlike. If a player exhibits unsportsmanlike conduct, the referee will issue a warning for an unsportsmanlike foul. Athletes often earn such a penalty when they clash with rivals or get into an open fight. But you should be more careful, because after the second such warning, the player will be removed from the site.
Disqualifying. If a player behaves in a highly inappropriate manner, the referee may send him off immediately. Usually this happens due to an attack on one of the players or a tough skirmish with the match staff. The athlete will be disqualified from the court, and another basketball player will take his place.
There is another type of foul - technical. It is described in more detail below.
Technical fouls
If a player allows himself to insult the referee or staff, he commits a technical foul. Such violations are punished depending on how the judge decides. He can say that the ball is in touch, as well as award free throws. Sometimes such scandals and squabbles happen within the site. Often technical fouls are called if players are deliberately playing for time.
It is interesting that not only athletes can get technical violations, but also the staff, coaches, even assistant referees. There are only a few such cases in history, but if someone follows the match too emotionally, then the referee has every right to remove this person. In recent times, technical fouls have often been called for displaying racism or any other ethnic slur.
Maximum number of fouls before disqualification
In the game, the referee keeps the score for fouls for each team and player individually. For example, if a team has committed fewer than five infractions in a quarter, then a smaller sanction will be imposed on it when committing actions that do not comply with the rules. This rule is used quite often in modern realities. The tight game and fast pace of the players makes them often take risks, commit fouls against opponents.
For an individual player, the maximum number of fouls is 5 (6 in the NBA). After receiving the last violation, the judge will disqualify the athlete from the area. The removed player will not be able to return to this match, and after the game he will have to explain himself to the coach and the team. In basketball, this situation is quite rare, but all judges remember this rule and are ready to calm down the athlete at any time by kicking him off the court.
Subtleties: how to avoid getting fouled?
In order to avoid violations, it is worth remembering the “cylinder” rule. It lies in the fact that the player imagines a cylinder around which he cannot put his arms and legs. All the defender can do is jump and intercept the ball, blocking shots or passes. Thus, the artificial border will not allow contact with the attacker. The “top hat” rule is used by both professional players and beginners.
To avoid a foul, you need to keep your emotions under control at all times. It's hard to believe, but most dismissals in basketball happen for this very reason. The offensive lag of the team or the “blindness” of the referee greatly offends the players. They begin to actively collide with the opponent, thus trying to calm their rage. After removal, very often basketball players apologize and regret that they succumbed to an emotional outburst.
You can avoid violations if you hone your defensive skills. Defense is one of the most difficult parts of the basketball game. For a good defense, it is worth asking a teammate to coach a defensive player with various passes and dribbling. You can hone blocks or pass interceptions. Now in the arsenal of players there are a large number of simulators that shoot basketballs, and the defender needs to quickly intercept them.
It's worth saying that a good defender is a massive athlete. He should have high agility along with the ability to knock well. If the attacker passes under the ring, such a player will be able to stop the attack. He will rely on his speed, and in extreme cases, on a strong body with which to repel the attacker. All these nuances are perfected in the hall.
The language of basketball. Unsportsmanlike and technical foul, personal and zone defense
17 September
Our website presents the seventh edition of the rubric The language of basketball . In it, we talk about basketball terms - borrowed words, specific expressions and jargon - the language that all participants and fans of the game speak. Each word is accompanied by a video tutorial with illustrative examples. We bring to your attention the seventh series of the project Basketball Language , in which we will analyze four terms in detail: unsportsmanlike foul, technical foul, zone and personal defense.
Unsportsmanlike foul An unsportsmanlike foul is a personal reprimand against a player who, in the opinion of the referee, did not legally attempt to play the ball directly in accordance with the rules. An unsportsmanlike foul is called on the offender and a free throw(s) is awarded to the opposing team, after which the ball is passed to that team for a midfield throw-in. Generally, unsportsmanlike fouls are called for gross infractions that could result in injury to a player, as well as deliberate fouls in situations where the attacking side is highly likely to hit the ring. So, for example, a similar punishment follows when trying to disrupt fast attacks, if the player who violates the rules is the last defender on the way to the ring.
Technical foul A technical foul is a foul not caused by contact with an opponent. Called for unsportsmanlike behavior: disrespectful treatment of opponent players, referees or match commissioner, insulting or provocative gestures, delaying the game, entering the playing court without the referee's permission. A technical foul is called on the offender and a free throw(s) is awarded to the opposing team, after which the ball is passed to that team for a throw-in from the middle of the court. Due to the similarity of penalties, technical and unsportsmanlike fouls are often confused. It should be remembered that an unsportsmanlike foul is punished only by players and only for game violations. Technical fouls can be received both by basketball players on the court and by representatives of the bench. They are associated with non-playing moments and can be recorded both at the time when the ball is “live” and when it is “dead”.
Man on man defense and zone defense ) There are several different types of defense in basketball. The most popular of these is personal (personal) protection. When using it, each of the defending players takes care of one opponent attached specifically to him. Usually they try to disassemble opponents according to their position. This is how centers defend against centers, heavy forwards defend against heavy forwards, and so on.
The second most popular defense system is zone defense. Its essence lies in the fact that each player must defend within a certain zone on the site, and not against a specific player, as in personal defense.
Offensively, players sometimes foul when trying to get past defense by pushing or holding opponents. The most common offensive fouls are charging fouls and illegal screens. Every offensive foul results in a turnover, unless the team who committed a foul is in a penalty situation. 
Technical fouls can be assessed to players, coaches, and even fans. The penalty for a technical foul is one free throw, after which the team who had possession of the ball will retain possession. If a single player receives two technical fouls during a game, they will be ejected. 
With hack-a-shaq, players purposely fouls a particularly bad free throw shooter. That stops the opponent’s offense while exploiting an opposing player’s weakness. Hack-a-Shaq is sometimes used at the middle of the game, which leads to a lot of stopping, making the game boring. Because of that, the hack-a-shaq strategy is not very liked by basketball watchers.
This is called fouling out. When a player fouls out, they have reached their limit of player fouls.
Positioned more seriously than non-compliance with the rules of seconds or gears. Free throws can be awarded for fouls and players receive warnings. All this was done in order to make basketball a non-contact game in which strength would be less important than agility or speed. Below in the article the main types of fouls, penalties for receiving them, tips on how to avoid them will be analyzed. 
But you should be more careful, because after the second such warning, the player will be removed from the site. 
There are only a few such cases in history, but if someone follows the match too emotionally, then the referee has every right to remove this person. In recent times, technical fouls have often been called for displaying racism or any other ethnic slur. 
In basketball, this situation is quite rare, but all judges remember this rule and are ready to calm down the athlete at any time by kicking him off the court. 
In it, we talk about basketball terms - borrowed words, specific expressions and jargon - the language that all participants and fans of the game speak. Each word is accompanied by a video tutorial with illustrative examples. 
So, for example, a similar punishment follows when trying to disrupt fast attacks, if the player who violates the rules is the last defender on the way to the ring. 
Technical fouls can be received both by basketball players on the court and by representatives of the bench. They are associated with non-playing moments and can be recorded both at the time when the ball is “live” and when it is “dead”. 
