My poor roommate Trent has some difficulties understanding the rules of the game of basketball. In order to help him further his education, I have decided to repost a few rules of basketball here:
- Blocking- impeding the progress of an opponent by extending one or both arms horizontally or getting in the path of a moving player. The fact that you can’t impede the progress of an opponent obviously implies that you cannot CHARGE THROUGH the person in an effort to get the ball.
- Charging- running into a stationary player while you are moving with the ball.
- Hacking- the player hits the arm or hand of the person holding the ball.
Further analysis from the NBA rules:
In all guarding situations, a player is entitled to any spot on the court he desires, provided he legally gets to that spot first and without contact with an opponent. If a defensive or offensive player has established a position on the floor and his opponent initiates contact that results in the dislodging of the opponent, a foul should be called IMMEDIATELY.
A player may continue to move after gaining a guarding position in the path of an opponent provided he is not moving directly or obliquely toward his opponent when contact occurs. A player is never permitted to move into the path of an opponent after the opponent has jumped into the air.
A player who extends a hand, forearm, shoulder, hip or leg into the path of an opponent and thereby causes contact is not considered to have a legal position in the path of an opponent.
A player is entitled to a vertical position even to the extent of holding his arms above his shoulders, as in post play or when double-teaming in pressing tactics.