offensive foul

Question
QUESTION: When is something classified as an offensive foul?

ANSWER: Hi David,

Thanks for the question. An offensive foul is basically any foul committed by the team that has possession of the ball. For example,

Player A has the ball and drives to the basket. Player B on the defensive team establishes his/her position and player A runs into player B and knocks him/her down. That would be considered a Charging foul or a Player Control foul. Another type of offensive foul would be an illegal screen set by a player on the offensive team. Any illegal contact by a team member on the offensive side is considered an offensive foul. It should be noted that offensive fouls do not count towards team fouls, so therefore no bonus free throws are awarded if the team is in bonus.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: so does player b have to be standing still for it to be an offensive foul?

many times on tv you hear them debating if something was a charging/offensive foul or a blocking/defensive foul. So it seems that the difference is very unclear. What guidelines or rules do the officials use to determine if it was an offensive or defensive foul?

thank you very much

Answer
HI David,

the Charge/block call can be the most difficult and controversial call in Basketball. Sometimes the call is obvious. Player A clearly establishes position and Player B just runs him/her over and is out of control. Other times the defensive player doesn't necessarily have to have both feet completely planted and still as if they were standing in cement to draw a charge. If the defensive player establishes their position but is still moving, the offensive player may still not run him/her over. It's a judgement call by the official whether or not the offensive player created the contacted rather than the defensive player and gained an advantage.

example:

Player A is dribbling the ball and is being defended by Player B. Player B is playing tight defense up close to Player A and is moving. Player A then lowers his/her shoulder into player B or simply pushes Player B off with his arm and Player B falls down. Player A created the illegal contact even though Player B was still moving back and forth playing defense. This would be an offensive foul.

We all listen to announcers debate calls during games, and one will always think it's a blocking foul, and the other a Charging foul, or they will disagree with the official's call. My favorite duo is Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. Especially Jeff, who disagrees with every call made.  The bottom line is neither of them are officials and they are basically fans like you that happen to have a job announcing the game. They might know basketball rules, but knowing the rules and knowing how to call a game are two different entities.

If I can instill one concept in anyone who is attempting to understand how officials call the game, it's the concept of Advantage/Disadvantage. If one player creates an advantage for themselves while putting another player or team at a disadvantage, then the play is most likely illegal. I hope that cleared it up for you. Let me know if you need more explanation.