Rules & Signals for Officiating Women's Basketball

The rules and signals for women's basketball are very similar to the rules and signals for men's basketball. There are a few rules differences in women's basketball such as the shot clock is 30-seconds instead of 35-seconds in college and there is no 10-second back court violation in women's basketball at any level.

  1. Traveling

    • Traveling violations get called often in women's basketball. The NCAA defines traveling as when a player moves one or both feet in an illegal manner when holding the ball. To avoid traveling, the player must have one foot permanently planted on the floor unless she is dribbling. The traveling signal for women's basketball for the official is when the official holds both hands out in front of the body and rotates them one hand over the other.

    Illegal Dribble

    • Illegal dribble is a common violation in women's basketball. The NCAA says an illegal dribble occurs if the player tries to dribble again after she has already dribbled and picked the ball up. The only way the player can dribble again is if there is a try for a shot, if the opponent bats the ball or if there is a pass or a fumble that has been touched by another player. The official will signal a dribble violation by placing both hands out in front of him with the palms down. He will then alternate moving his hands up and down resembling a player dribbling the ball.

    Kicking

    • Kicking the ball is against the rules in women's basketball. Kicking often occurs in women's basketball because the frequency at which the ball is loose on the floor during women's play. Even accidental kicking is considered to be a violation. If there is a kicking violation in a women's basketball game, the official will signal it by moving her foot in a kicking motion. As she is moving her foot, she will often point to it so the coaches see what she is calling.