Three Seconds in the lane

Point 1 A player cannot stay in the lane for three seconds. The lane being the part of his/her free-throw lane between the end line and the farther edge of the free-throw line. But only applies when the ball is in control of his/her team in his/her frontcourt.

Point 2 The this rule applies to players who have only one foot touching the lane. The line is part of the lane. All lines designating the free- throw lane are part considered part of the lane.This does not include lane-space marks and neutral -zone marks, so if you are standing on them the three second count does not apply.

Point 3 If a player has been in the lane for less than three seconds and is moving in the lane either dribbling or trying for a basket then they should be allowed to finish the play.

RESULT: once te violation is called The ball is dead an given the to other team for a throw-in from the closest spy out of bounds.

For more information read NFHS Rule book. Rule 9 Section 7

My Thoughts

This rule is a little easier to follow although I plan on making it a little more complicated for you.

The purpose of this rule is to keep the bigger players from getting better offensive position by standing right next to the basket without having to move. So now anyone on offense cannot stand in “the lane” for more than three seconds. This means that if he/she is making an attempt to get out of the lane even though the person has been in the lane for three seconds it is allowed, as long as the official can see that he/she is making an attempt to leave the lane.

A common part of this rule that people, including coaches and players, do not understand is that if an offensive player is in the lane for more than three seconds and a player on his/her team shoots the ball then they are allowed to remain in the lane for another three seconds. He/she would not need to leave the lane to get a new three seconds.

In youth basketball games officials often will try to talk players in and out of the lane. Depending on what level the game is I might say to the players in the land to “keep moving” or “ in and out of the lane.” By saying this I am doing two things. The first is I am letting them know that I see that they are in the lane and, second, it is a warning to them that if they do not move I will call the violation.

Traveling

Traveling Rule

“Traveling is when you move a foot or feet in any direction more than you are allowed to while you are holding the ball. Here are some of things to know:

- If a player catches the ball with both feet on the ground they are allowed to create a pivot foot. This occurs by lifting or moving a foot. When one foot moves the other becomes the pivot foot.
- If a player catches the ball while moving or dribbling they are allowed to stop and can create a pivot. Here are some scenarios:

a.If a catches the ball in the air and lands:

1. Simultaneously on both feet, either foot may be the pivot

2. On one foot followed by the other, the first to touch is the pivot.
3. On one foot, the player may jump off that foot and simultaneously land on both. Neither foot can be a pivot in this case.

b. Standing on one foot:
1. It becomes the pivot when the other foot touches down.

2. The player is allowed to leap of that foot and land on both feet. In this case no pivot foot is established.

- After coming to a stop and establishing a pivot foot:

a. You are allowed to lift the pivot foot but you cannot return that foot to the floor without first releasing the ball for either a pass or a shot.

b. If a player jumps he/she cannot return the floor without first releasing the ball for either a pass or a shot.

c. When you are about to start a dribble you are not allowed to lift your pivot foot until you release the ball when starting your dribble.

- After coming to a stop when neither foot can be a pivot:

a. One or both feet may be lifted, but cannot be returned to the floor without first releasing the ball by either passing it or shooting it.

b. When you are about to start a dribble you are not allowed to lift your either until you release the ball when starting your dribble.

Art. 5 A player holding the ball:

a. You are not allowed to touch the floor with your knee or any other body part other than your hands and feet.

b. If you gain possession of the ball while on the floor or laying on the floor, you cannot attempt to get up or stand.

For further information on Traveling you may refer to NFHS Rule Book Rule 4 Section 44

My Thoughts

It’s a lot of information to take in and it takes a few readings to start to get an understanding of it. But when you start to think about the game while you read the rules and imagine some of the things it mentions it starts to make more sense.

The most common comment I get after calling a traveling violation is, “They let that go in the NBA” and my response, if I give a response is, “Well this isn’t the NBA!”

The funny thing is the traveling rule in the NBA, NCAA, and High School are all the same. When officials see a player in the NBA travel they call it just the same as a High School official would call it.

For officials the traveling violation is one of the hardest things to look for because once you get up to a certain level of basketball like High School Varsity boys and up to the NBA the game moves a lot faster, you blink and you miss it. Officials are taught to pay close attention to things other than the travel, like contact between the ball handler and the defender. That is not to say that we don’t call traveling, because we do, but it just gets more difficult than say a recreational league game when the teams are not as good and are not as fast.

When we as officials talk about traveling we always say the first thing we need to do is find the pivot foot or the planted foot. Once that is established it makes spotting a travel easier. If that plant foot gets lifted before the player dribbles or moves the pivot foot then we have a travel.

The next time you watch a basketball game try and pick up the pivot foot, the easier that becomes for you the easier it will be to call the traveling violation.

If you have any traveling scenarios you want to ask about or any questions regarding traveling leave a comment and I will try to answer you.

Answer to Garno K.'s question:
First here is an example of a scenario that may help you visualize this play. A1 dives for a loose ball and slides after gaining control. A1 is in a position either on his/her back or stomach. What can A1 do without violating? Ruling: A1 may pass, shoot, start dribbling or request a time-out. Once A1 has the ball and is no longer sliding, he/she may not roll over. If flat on his/her back, A1 may sit up without violating. Any attempt to get up to the feet is traveling unless A1 is dribbling. It is also traveling if A1 puts the ball on the floor, then rises and is first to touch the ball. So to answer your question, if you are on the floor with the ball and you dribble to get up they cannot be called for a travel, unless you start to get up before you start your dribble.

The Court

The Basketball court is covered in countless lines but does each line on the court actually mean something?

Yes, every line on a basketball court has a purpose. Not all the lines or marks on the court are actually related to play on the court, however.

If you look at the image above you will see the “X” marked by the red “A” that is at the center line right in front of the scorers’ table. This is required to be on every basketball court to designate the spot where substitutes are to report before being beckoned onto the court. Substitutes are allowed to enter the game on all dead ball situations, which means when an official has blown his whistle to stop play.

Next, we will stay on the same side of the court and discuss the coaching box. This image is based on the NCAA court dimensions, so the coaching box for High School is a little different. In High School the coaching box is 14 feet long whereas the College coaching box is 28 feet long.. However the coaching box starts in the same location for both High School and College, If you look at the picture you can see a line (marked by the red “B”) where the coaching box starts, as you can see it is 28 feet away from the baseline. This line is called the 28 foot mark.

The rectangles marked in orange are what we call “the lane” or “the paint.” The lane will be explained more in upcoming posts because it is an important part of the game and certain rules apply specifically to this area.

Finally, the last marking on the court I want to cover is the center line, also know as the mid-court line, the time line, and the half-court line. This line is marked by the red “C” and it is important to the game because it separates the court into an offensive half and a defensive half. On one side you prevent the opponent from scoring and on the other you try to score.

The lines and areas on the court that I have mentioned are the lines and areas that people usually disregard. The rest of the lines on the court, like the three point arc and the foul line, come into play on a regular basis and are more known than the 28 foot mark and the center X.

Please leave any questions you have about the basketball court in the comments sections below.

Welcome to Learning the Rules of Basketball.

Have you ever watched a basketball game and thought to yourself (or out loud), “What is the ref watching” or “What was that call?” Then this blog is just the thing for you.

My name is Chris Asdourian and I am a PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) basketball official who has been refereeing for six years. I intend to use my knowledge of the game to help shed light on some basketball rules that fans of the game tend to not know.

This blog can also be used for people who are just getting to know the game of basketball. Some rules that will be discussed will be the traveling violation, three seconds in the lane, different types of fouls, and plenty more.
 

Feedback and comments are something that will help this process, so if you have a specific rules’ question leave it in the comments and I will try to answer it.