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May 13, 2008

Classification of Technical Fouls


Traditionally trainers and interpreters have taught officials to call a technical foul like any other foul, they're all the same." "Call it with dignity." "If you don't haw,what it takes to call the technical foul, you shouldn't be here." "If you can't take the heat * * *" I propose these statements are pure cannon fodder. Technical fouls are different. Officials are in the people business, always in the public eye, under so much scrutiny where the people only remember the mistakes, where your reputation is on the line every time out.

Personal fouls are tough enough, but technical fouls challenge a referee's ability to exercise people skills and the ability to get along with others. They have the potential to be confrontational, one on one between official and coach. Coaches are suspicious of officials to begin with. We say, "don't wake them up," don't give them the chance to confirm their suspicions.

There is a reluctance to call technical fouls. The game is abruptly halted, it takes more time to administer, rule knowledge and the power to explain are heavily drawn upon. It's not call the foul, bird dog, preliminary signal, report, and be gone. If it's not different, why do assigners request a phone call immediately after the game to explain the circumstances. It is different.

The reluctance also occurs because officials are not certain to whom the technical foul should be charged. Why exacerbate an already volatile situation by administering it wrongly. Is it a team technical foul, a player technical foul, a bench technical foul an indirect or direct coach technical foul, an administrative infraction; should it also be charged to a player and the coach, must it be discovered and penalized before the ball becomes alive, or must it be penalized while the rule is being violated? Technical fouls are a lot to remember. It is enjoyable and entertaining to hear war stories concerning technical fouls, but "Call them like any other foul?" I think not.

Our goal is to give an approach on how to teach officials to address the classification of technical fouls, and to diminish an official's anxiety when it is necessary to call one.

Before addressing the actual classification of technical fouls, a few general principles should be explained regarding the bonus and disqualification as they relate to technical fouls.

  1. All team fouls, personal and technical count toward reaching the bonus, but we administer the bonus free throws on all common fouls, except player control fouls beginning with the a team's seventh (7th) in each half
  2. All fouls on players and substitutes, personal and technical, count toward disqualification.
  3. The second technical foul on ;my player or bench personnel results in disqualification.
  4. The second direct technical foul or a combination of two indirect and one direct technical fouls on the head coach results in disqualification.

Classifying Team Technical Fouls
Remember the acronym "CARDS FOR EVERY CONCEIVABLE HOLIDAY!"

  1. C- Change player's number to a number in the scorebook.
  2. A- Adding a name to the squad list.
  3. R- Roster submitted (10 minutes before start of game).
  4. D- Duplicate numbers.
  5. S- Starters (10 minutes before start of game).

    CARDS are administrative infractions (team technicals). Only two technical fouls for administrative infractions may be called per game. One at 10 minutes before the start of the game and one for the remainder of the game. At 10 minutes the only administrative infraction technical you can have is roster or starters not submitted.
  6. F- Five, more than five players simultaneously.
  7. E- Excessive timeout.
  8. C- Consuming 1 minute and not ready to start either half.
  9. H- Huddles, preventing the ball from being put promptly into play. Contacting the free throw shooter.Not after timeout or intermission, where resuming of play procedure applies.

Team technicals do not count toward disqualification, only toward the bonus. Remember team technical fouls do not deal with illegal shirts or illegal numbers, they are player -technical fouls. Technical fouls by Substitutes

  1. Failure to report to scorer.
  2. Failure to be beckoned by official (except between quarters).
    TFs by substitutes must be discovered and penalized before the ball becomes alive.

Classifying Player Technicals
Remember the acronym "FRIENDS CLUB"

  1. F- Free throws, goaltending, and basket interference during free throws, knowingly attempting free throw not entitled to.
  2. R- Rings, grasping ring or dunking during pregame, also charged indirectly to coach. Charge to player only during game.
  3. I- Illegal jersey or number.
  4. E- Excessively swinging elbows.
  5. N- Numbers, changing numbers without reporting to scorer or official.
  6. D- Disqualification, participating after disqualification.
  7. S-Slow, delaying, or preventing ball from being put promptly into play. Reaching through plane and touching ball.
  8. C- Contact fouls, dead ball, intentional or flagrant.
  9. L- Language, profane, inappropriate.
  10. U- Un sportsmanlike conduct, taunting and baiting.
  11. B- Backboard, striking or slapping.


Classifying Bench Technicals
Remember the acronym “FOILS”

  1. F- Fan, inciting negative crowd reaction.
  2. O- Opponents, disrespectfully addressing or baiting opponents.
  3. I- Integrity, questioning or influencing official.
  4. L- Language, inappropriate or obscene gestures.
  5. S- Seated, remain seated unless to spontaneously react to good play by own team.
    Bench TFs are charged to the offender and to the head coach as an indirect technical fold, unless the offender is the head coach.

Bench Decorum Requirements
Coach may leave bench to-Remember the acronym "Calm Referees Stay Trouble free In Delicate Situations"

  1. C- Correctable error, confer at table to request timeout for correctable error.
  2. R- Replace, injured or disqualified player within 30 seconds.
  3. S- Speak to players during timeout.
  4. T- Timeout, instruct player to request.
  5. I- Injured player, attend to, when beckoned onto court.
  6. D- Disqualified or injured player, replace or remove.
  7. S-Scoring and timing mistakes, confer at table to request timeout.

Direct Technical Fouls
Direct technical fouls are technical fouls charged to the head coach as a result of the coach's own behavior or actions. They include:

  1. Coaching box infractions.
  2. Failure to replace an injured or disqualified player within 30 seconds.

Disqualified individual on the team bench causes further problems.
If two direct technical fouls are charged, the head coach is ejected. Indirect Technical Fouls

Other technical fouls charged to players or bench personnel (pregame dunking, hanging on ring, and a bench decorum) are charged indirectly to the head coach with the head coach being ejected whenever the third technical foul is charged. If coach is charged indirectly with a technical foul, it only counts as one team foul to reach the bonus.

Technical Fouls Resulting in Disqualification

  1. Flagrant technical fouls.
  2. Participate after disqualification.
  3. Number changed without reporting same to scorer and official.

Technical Fouls Which Must Be Penalized Before Ball Becomes Alive Following the Infraction

  1. Wearing an illegal number or shirt.
  2. Entering court without reporting to scorer or being be beckoned by official.
  3. Excessive timeout.


Technical Fouls Penalized Whenever Discovered-Have duplicate
numbers on squad members
and or players. This assumes no other administrative infraction
has preceded it.

Technical Fouls Penalized If Discovered While Being Violated

  1. More than five players participating simultaneously.
  2. Participate after changing number without reporting to scorer and official.
  3. Participate after being disqualified.

In. surveying 50 officials this past season and at summer camps, the majority did not know whether administrative infractions were team technical fouls or player technical fouls. I wonder how many of those technical fouls were called. With a better understanding of technical fouls, the anxiety level of the official will not be as acute. The official will be in a better position and mindset to exercise self-control and deal with the action, rather than worrying "Am I getting the application right." The official will be comfortable and balanced, and be able to diffuse a problem, rather than contribute to it. And just maybe have absolute control to ensure that the technical fouls were administered at the correct basket.