Basketball

Handsignals
GROUP 1
1. Traveling
When a player
illegally moves one or
both of their feet, a
traveling violation is
called.
The referee will put
both arms in front of
their face and move
them in a circle to
2. Double Dribble
A double dribble occurs
when a player dribbles the
ball, picks it up, and then
dribbles again.
The referee puts both of
their hands in front of them
with their palms down, then
alternates moving them up
and down to signal a double
dribble has occurred
3. Carrying the
Basketball
A carrying violation is called
when a player is dribbling
the basketball and puts their
hand under it, then
continues dribbling.
To signal a carry, the official
will use one of their hands
and flip it over from palm up
to palm down several times.
4. 3-Second Violation
Players are only allowed 3
seconds in the paint -- a 12x16
feet area closest to the basket.
If a player is in the paint for
more than 3 seconds, the
referee will call a 3-second
violation.
The referee will take three
fingers, point them down at
their side, and then swipe their
hand back and forth to signal
this violation.
5. 5-Second
Violation
A team has five seconds to
throw the ball inbounds
when they are taking it out.
If they take longer than five
seconds, the referee will
call a 5-second violation.
This is a simple signal, as
the referee will use one of
their hands and put five
6. 8-Second Violation
When a team has the ball in the
backcourt, they have 8 seconds
to get the ball across the half-
court line.
If they take longer than the
allotted 8 seconds, the referee
calls a 8-second violation.
(many younger leagues use 10
seconds instead of 8)
The referee signals this
violation by putting eight
fingers in the air.
7. 24-Second
Violation
If playing in a league that uses a
shot clock, teams will have 24
seconds to take a shot on each
possession (some leagues use
longer shot clocks).
If a team fails to shoot within
this time, the referee will call a
24-second violation.
The referee will use one handed
to tap the top of their shoulder
on the same arm.
8. Over-and-Back
(Backcourt Violation)
When a team possesses the basketball in
the front court, then a player with the ball
goes into the backcourt without the defense
touching it, an over-and-back violation
occurs.

The referee will place their hand out with

their palm down and move it back and forth
from side to side like their hand is going
over a line.
This is to signal that a player went over the
half court line and an over-and-back
occurred.
9. Kicking
In basketball, a player
may not intentionally
kick the basketball.
If they do, the official
will blow their
whistle.
To signal a kick
occurred, the referee
will point at their foot.
10. Out of Bounds
The ball is out of bounds
when it touches a line that
outlines the court or
anywhere outside of those
lines.
It is also out of bounds if it
touches a player who is
standing outside or on a line.
When the ball goes out of
bounds, a referee will signal
whose ball it is by pointing
toward the basket of the
11. Jump Ball
When players from
both teams possess
the basketball, a
jump ball is called.
The referee will give
two thumbs up above
their head to signal
that a jump ball has
been called
Fouling Signals:
 When a foul occurs, the first thing a referee will do is
blow their whistle and place a closed hand in the air.
 The closed hand means that a foul has occurred,
which is different from the open hand, which signals a
violation.
 After the foul occurs, the official will signal what type
of foul it was.
 They will also go to the scorer’s table and tell the
scorekeeper who the foul was on, and also do the
signal for the type of foul.
12. Blocking Foul
When a defensive
player does not have a
legal guarding position
and impedes the
dribbler’s progress, a
blocking foul occurs.
The referee's signal for
blocking is placing
both hands on their
13. Charging Foul
If the defensive player is in a
legal guarding position and the
offensive player knocks them off
of their spot, a charging foul is
called.
This is also called a player-
control foul.
When the referee signals a
charging foul, they make a fist
with one hand and "punch" the
open palm of their other hand.
14. Hand-Checking
Foul
Defensive players are not
allowed to limit a ball-
handler’s ability to move
with their hands.
If the defender does limit
the movement with their
hands, a hand-checking foul
is called.
For this signal, the referee
will chop one hand across
the opposite wrist.
15. Holding Foul
In basketball, you are not
allowed to grab another
player by the jersey or any
of their body parts.
If this happens, a holding
foul is called.
The ref’s signal for a holding
foul is making a fist point
with one hand, holding that
arm out, and then
"grabbing" the wrist with
their other hand.
16. Pushing Foul
Players are not able to push
their opponents in basketball.
If a ref sees a push, they will call
a foul.
These fouls happen a lot when
two players are going after the
same rebound.
In fact, when an ‘over the back’
foul occurs, you will typically see
the referee call it a push.
The signal for pushing is putting
two arms out and making a
pushing motion with the hands.
17. Elbow Foul
If a player gets aggressive with
their elbows and connects with
an opponent, a foul will be
called.
Sometimes these fouls can be
deemed flagrant and can result
in two shots and the ball for the
team that got hit by the elbow.

The official will signal this type

of foul by swinging their elbow.
18. Intentional Foul
Over the course of the game,
fouls happen unintentionally
numerous times.
However, if the referee thinks a
foul was done purposely or with
malicious intent, they can call an
intentional foul.
An intentional foul results in two
shots for the offensive team and
the ball.
The signal for an intentional foul
is putting both arms in the air
and making an ‘X’ with them.
19. Technical Foul
If referees feel like a coach
or a player is not conducting
themselves properly or
having unsportsmanlike
behavior, they can call a
technical foul.
This foul also results in two
shots, plus the basketball.
The signal for a technical
foul is taking both hands
and making the letter ‘T’
with them.
20. Substitution
When teams wants to
exchange an on-court
player with someone on
the bench, the coach
asks for a substitution.
At the next dead ball,
the referee signals the
substitution by making
an "X" with their arms.
21. Start the Clock
In basketball, there are a lot of
dead balls where the clock is
stopped.
The clock doesn’t start again until a
player on the floor touches it.
Instead of the timekeeper making a
judgment of when to stop the
clock, they look for a referee signal
to start. The ref will have their
hand in the air until it’s time to
start the clock.
Once that time has come, the
referee will drop their arm down
and the time will start.
22. Three-Point
Attempt
When a player
attempts a three-
pointer, the referee has
a signal to show that.
They will put one arm
straight up in the air to
signal a three-point
shot is being
23. Three-Point
Make
If the three-point
attempt is made, the
official has another
signal for that.
They will take both of
their arms and place
them straight into the
air.
24. No Basket
Sometimes shots are
taken that are
immediately after a foul
is called or the time has
expired.
The official will signal
the shot does not count
by waving and crossing
their arms out in front of
25. Timeout
The other type of
timeout is a full
timeout.
The signal for this is
to stick both arms
straight out to the
side with fists being
made.