In a live game, they often happen so fast that players, fans, and officials completely miss it.<\/p>\n
\n
What is a Carry in Basketball?<\/h2>\n The rule is called a \u2018carry\u2019 because of the action the player does when they commit the violation.<\/p>\n
It looks like they’re “carrying” the basketball with their hand instead of dribbling it.<\/strong><\/p>\nHere’s how the NBA defines a carrying violation (section II, d.):<\/p>\n
“A player who is dribbling may not put any part of his hand under the ball and (1) carry it from one point to another or (2) bring it to a pause and then continue to dribble again.”<\/em><\/p>\nAs the rule states, players must dribble with their hand on top<\/span> of the basketball.<\/strong><\/p>\nOnce their hand gets underneath and then they continue their dribble, that is a carry.<\/p>\n
Players also can\u2019t hold the ball and pause, then resume their dribble, as the rule states.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is not to be confused with a double dribble, which is called when a player is dribbling, picks the ball up completely, then starts their dribble again.<\/p>\n
A “carrying violation” is called if it\u2019s just a “pause” in the dribble while it remains in one hand, then a resumption after the pause.<\/p>\n
Here’s a video explaining the rule:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Why is Carrying the Basketball Illegal?<\/h2>\n Dribbling is a key fundamental of basketball.<\/p>\n
As players progress, they learn different moves while dribbling to try and get by defenders.<\/p>\n
However, if carrying was allowed, it would give the offense a significant advantage.<\/strong><\/p>\nThe dribbler could move in unnatural directions. It was just be simply unfair.<\/p>\n
Making players keep their hand on top of the ball while dribbling gives the defense a fighting chance to contain the basketball.<\/p>\n
If the offense could carry the ball instead of maintaining their dribble, it would be nearly impossible to play good defense!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
What\u2019s the Penalty for Carrying?<\/h2>\n Just like a double dribble or travel, a carry is a dead-ball turnover.<\/strong><\/p>\nIn high school and college, the ball is thrown in from the sideline or baseline closest to where the violation occurred.<\/p>\n
While in the NBA, the ball is inbounded between the free throw line and baseline to try and give the defense more of an advantage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Should Carrying Get Called More Often?<\/h2>\n You\u2019ll often hear critics say violations like traveling and carrying aren\u2019t called enough.<\/p>\n
Are some carrying violations missed? Of course.<\/p>\n
But NBA players are masters at their crafts. They work hours and hours on their games to be the best in the world at basketball. What people generally think is a carry, usually isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Players in the NBA often use a “pocket dribble,” where their hand is behind the ball, but not underneath it. Some people call this pocket dribble a hesitation move.<\/p>\n
While it may look like a carry to the naked eye, it isn\u2019t one. The ball never goes underneath the player\u2019s hand and the pause isn\u2019t long enough to warrant a violation call.<\/p>\n
Referees, especially in the NBA, are specially trained to spot the differences and blow their whistle when a real carry actually occurs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Teaching Players to Avoid Carrying<\/h2>\n The majority of carrying calls happen during youth basketball.<\/p>\n
Youth players are still learning and trying to get a grasp on the fundamentals of the game, which includes proper dribbling techniques.<\/p>\n
Ways you may see carrying called in a youth basketball game include:<\/p>\n
\nPlayer is dribbling too high and hand is placed underneath the ball.<\/li>\n Player hesitates with their dribble, and their hand slides under the ball.<\/li>\n Player is sprinting while trying to control their dribble, leading to a carry.<\/li>\n Player is stationary dribbling and accidentally palms the basketball.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIf players frequently carry the basketball, it’s incredibly important their coach corrects it.<\/p>\n
If players aren’t taught proper dribbling, their poor habits will be extremely hard to break.<\/p>\n
“What’s the best way to do it?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nWhile stationary ball-handling drills and cone drills certainly have their place in practices, small-sided games are also a great way to drill players to avoid carrying.<\/p>\n
Small-sided games allow players to practice their dribbling skills in game-like situations.<\/p>\n
Because these drills replicate what they’ll encounter in a live game, players can utilize skills they learn in stationary and cone drills in a real competition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n A carrying violation is called when a player is dribbling and their hand goes under the basketball.<\/p>\n
It’s typically called more in youth settings than in high school, college, or professional games.<\/p>\n
Teams able to avoid carrying will have more possessions, hence more opportunities to score.<\/p>\n
With time and proper guidance, players can avoid carrying and turning the ball over.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The carry in basketball can be difficult to detect in real time. In a live game, they often happen so fast that players, fans, and officials completely miss it. But what is a carry in basketball? What’s the penalty when a player does commit the violation? And how can a coach help their players avoid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[174],"tags":[255,2309,3644,3563],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17089"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17091,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17089\/revisions\/17091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nbanewsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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