Be the Referee: Calling Intentional Fouls

February 1, 2018

In this week's edition, assistant director Mark Uyl discusses when basketball officials should call an intentional foul.

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Calling Intentional Fouls - Listen

At the end of any close basketball game, it’s an accepted part of basketball strategy for the team that’s behind to foul and send the team in the lead to the foul line.

This year there is a point of emphasis nationally dealing with intentional fouls. Intentional fouls should be called whenever a player obviously neutralizes an opponent’s obvious advantage, or when contact occurs with an opponent who is clearly not in the play, or when that contact is not an attempt to play the ball.

Certainly excessive contact remains as one of the types of intentional fouls. A team merely trying to foul on purpose does not make it an intentional foul.

Past editions
January 25: Points at the Edge of the Mat - Listen
January 18: Behavior Warning - Listen
January 11: Ice Hockey Safe & Sound - Listen
January 4: Why No Shot Clock - Listen
December 21: Coaches Responsible for Equipment - Listen
December 14: Mentoring New Officials - Listen
December 7: Dive on the Floor - Listen
November 30: Wrestling Weight Monitoring - Listen
November 23: Ejections - Listen
November 16: Toughest Call - Listen
November 9: Hurdling - Listen
November 2: The Survey Says - Listen
October 26: Helmet Comes Off -
 Listen
October 19: Goal Line Rules - Listen
October 12: No 1st-Year Fee - Listen
October 5: Athletic Empty Nesters - Listen
September 28: Misunderstood Football Rules: Kicking - Listen
September 21: Preparation for Officials - Listen
September 14: Always Stay Registered - Listen
September 7: Other Football Rules Changes - Listen
August 31: Pop-Up Onside Kicks - Listen
August 24: Blindside Blocks - Listen

Be the Referee: Misunderstood Kick Rule

September 27, 2017

In this week's edition, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl reviews a pair of football kicking rules that are among the most misunderstood at the high school level.

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Misunderstood Football Rules: Kicking - Listen


Some of the most misunderstood high school football rules revolve around the kicking game.

At the high school level, on both kickoffs and punts, the rules are unique to what’s seen at the college and pro levels. When a kick breaks the plane of the goal line – it does not matter if it’s a punt or a kickoff – when that ball breaks the plane, the ball is dead under high school rules and it results in an automatic touchback.

And an even more unique set of rules deal with field goals. Under high school rules, whenever there’s a missed field goal, it’s treated just like a punt, so that long field goal that comes up well short and goes out of bounds at the 2-yard line means the other team gets the ball, 1st and 10 at the 2.

Past editions
September 21: Preparation for Officials - Listen
September 14: Always Stay Registered - Listen
September 7: Other Football Rules Changes - Listen
August 31: Pop-Up Onside Kicks - Listen
August 24: Blindside Blocks - Listen