Charging and Blocking Fouls in Youth Basketball

 

Youth Basketball
Image: breakthroughbasketball.com

Michael Wiesemann is an experienced insurance professional who recently spent nearly a decade as president of Fundamental Group in Indianapolis, Indiana. Beyond his work in the insurance industry, Michael Wiesemann enjoys playing basketball and coaching youth sports teams.

Youth basketball coaches are tasked with teaching players the various fundamentals and rules of the sport, including the differences between a charging call and a blocking foul. A blocking foul is assessed to a defender who has illegally impeded the forward motion of an opposing ball handler. However, if a defender is able to set their feet and assume a legal defensive position prior to the offensive player initiating contact, the ball handler will be assessed a charging foul, resulting in a turn over.

Differentiating between a charge and block can often be difficult for referees, particularly when it comes to the restricted area beneath the basket. Defensive players cannot make contact with an offensive player in this area, regardless of their positioning or which player initiated contact. In fact, if any part of a player’s defensive stance crosses the plane of the restricted area, that player will be called for a blocking foul.