You have undoubtedly heard the announcers refer to a “loose ball foul” if you watch basketball on television, whether it be NCAA or NBA games.
If it wasn’t on television, you might have heard a referee make the decision during a game. An accurate definition of a loose ball foul
You are not alone if you are unsure.
There is considerable misunderstanding about this, and some of the materials I have seen online are not entirely reliable.
Let’s examine what a “loose ball foul” actually is and what various rule books have to say about it.
What is a Loose Ball Foul: Background
To make the topic a little clearer, I’d want to first go through some background details. The terminology that are used when talking about basketball fouls are defined in the sentences that follow.
When it comes to basketball, there are two types of fouls:
Personal Assault
This occurs when a player violates another player through physical contact that prevents the other player from moving around the court freely. Basketball involves a lot of physical contact, so it is up to the referee to decide if the infraction warrants a personal foul.
Technical Mistake
When a player or the team commits a “technical” rule infringement, it constitutes this kind of foul. Although player contact is uncommon, technical fouls are frequently committed when a fight breaks out. They are most frequently indicted for actions like disrespecting the referee or calling a timeout when you have none left.
A team’s total number of individual fouls during a certain time frame constitutes its team fouls. The opposing team will receive bonus free throws for each additional foul once the team foul cap has been met, and they are referred to as being “in the bonus” once this happens.
Team fouls always include personal fouls.
It is debatable whether technical fouls qualify as personal fouls. The league regulations will determine this.
There are various categories of personal fouls, including:
- Injurious reach
- blocking error
- bad shooting
- Backwards-moving foul
- accusing of foul
- errant ball foul
What is a Loose Ball Foul: Definition
According to the information above, a loose ball foul is a type of personal foul, which denotes that a player has somehow physically hampered another player’s progress to the point that the referee will make the call.
The ball is “loose” in this situation, either on the court or in the air, and neither team is in possession of it when the personal foul occurs. Here are a few instances where a loose ball foul might happen:
When a player drops the ball or fumbles it, it rolls about the court aimlessly. To get the ball, one player shoves the other out of the way.
A player attempts to lob a pass to a teammate, but it deflects, and as the ball is in the air, an opponent grabs the receiving teammate’s arms to prevent them from collecting the ball.
When a player’s shot is blocked and the ball hits the floor, the player pushes the opposing player to the ground so they cannot pick up the ball.
When a long shot rebound is in the air, one player pulls the other player’s arm to prevent them from leaping into the air to catch the rebound.
As you can see, loose ball fouls, which frequently include players rolling around on the floor battling for the ball, are committed on misplays, pass deflections, shot blocks, and rebounds.
View this NBA Video Rulebook clip to see a fantastic illustration of a loose ball foul.
Since bodies are frequently flying over the floor during loose ball fouls, there is a high risk of injury. In this instance,
- Final Words
A popular kind of personal foul in basketball is the loose ball foul. These fouls happen when a player physically touches another player to keep them from gaining possession of the ball while neither team holds the ball.
There is a lot of misunderstanding regarding loose ball infractions, so if you have any inquiries or like to learn more information, take the time to look at the official rule books.
What do you think about fouls on loose balls? Please feel free to leave any comments; we’d love to hear from you.