Violation Signals:

When a violation occurs, you will always hear the referee blow their whistle and
raise an open hand in the air before signalling the violation.
The open hand in the air signals a dead ball.

The referee then gives their signal, and then the ball is taken out of bounds to
resume play.

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
signal a traveling.

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 fingers
in the air.

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 team that will take possession.

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 hips.

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
attempted.

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 them.

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.