What is a foul in basketball?
B · Beginner · Fouls and free throws · 6 of 9A personal foul is illegal contact with an opponent: holding, pushing, charging, blocking, tripping or getting in their way with an arm, hip or leg stuck out. Not all contact is a foul. Each player owns the space of their own cylinder, and the player who leaves it and causes contact is responsible.
How it works
- The cylinder is the space a player takes up on the floor and the air above it. A player may jump straight up inside it with arms raised.
- A defender may not move into the cylinder of the player with the ball and cause contact while that player is dribbling, pivoting, shooting or passing.
- The player with the ball may not spread arms or legs outside the cylinder to make room.
- Touching an opponent with a hand is not always a foul. It is a foul if it restricts the opponent's movement or gains an advantage.
The usual fouls:
| Foul | What it is |
|---|---|
| Holding | Contact that stops an opponent moving freely, with any part of the body |
| Pushing | Forcibly moving, or trying to move, an opponent |
| Charging | Pushing or moving into an opponent's torso |
| Blocking | Contact that impedes an opponent's progress |
| Illegal use of hands | Keeping a hand or arm on an opponent to slow them, or repeated jabbing |
| Guarding from the rear | Contact from behind, even when going for the ball |
| Hooking and pushing off | An attacker wrapping an arm round a defender, or pushing off to create space |
Penalty for a personal foul:
- On a player who is not shooting: a throw-in for the fouled team, or 2 free throws if the fouling team is in the team foul penalty.
- On a player who is shooting: see Shooting fouls.
- The foul is recorded against the player and counts as a team foul.
Tricky cases
Is basketball a non-contact sport?
No. Referees are told not to stop the game for incidental contact that gives no advantage and puts nobody at a disadvantage.
Is "reaching in" a foul?
It depends on contact. Reaching for the ball is legal. Hitting the arm or body, or reaching into the ball handler's cylinder and causing contact, is a foul.
The defender got the ball first and then hit the arm. Is it still a foul?
It depends on the contact. Playing the ball does not excuse illegal contact, and contact from behind is a foul even when the defender is going for the ball.
Can a foul be called when the ball is dead?
Yes. A personal foul is illegal contact whether the ball is live or dead. After the buzzer or after another infraction it is ignored unless it is a technical, flagrant or disqualifying foul.
Why the rule exists
Ten players share a small court at speed, so contact is certain. The rule protects each player's own space and punishes whoever takes someone else's.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FIBA rules | As above | A32, 33, 34 |
| Last 2 minutes, defender fouls before a throw-in is released | 1 free throw and the ball back ("throw-in foul") | A34.1.2, 34.2.3 |
From the rule book
FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, Articles 32, 33, 34 and 48.3, valid from 1 October 2026. Checked 13 October 2026. Official document: FIBA Official Basketball Rules (PDF).