In basketball, a player-control foul occurs when an attacking player commits a foul. A player possessing the ball or in the air while shooting is subject to a frequent player-control foul. A player-control foul is deemed to have been committed whenever a player makes unauthorized contact while possessing the ball. This could involve pushing through or around opponents when there isn’t enough room to do so and making inappropriate contact with the shoulder, elbow, arm, or hand. When a team member attempts to outmaneuver their opponent while the ball is not in their possession, it is called a team control foul.

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Only when more than two players on the same end of the court are engaged, and one has the ball, is it deemed a foul. Defensive players that commit these fouls give up their right to protect themselves and instead advance on the ball carrier to rapidly reclaim control. A relatively frequent type of player-control foul is the charge. If a defender is in a legitimate defending stance and not inside the restricted area right beneath the basket when an offensive player runs into and makes meaningful contact with him, that player has committed a charge. It’s common to believe that the defender must be in a legal defending posture when the offensive player comes in contact by having his feet planted firmly on the ground and remaining still.

For team control foul, it will be assessed if a player of either team touches the ball again after controlling it or attempts to control it with their body extended past the shoulder of the opposition. In addition to everything else that may occur during that possession, a player who is fouled when in bounds is given one chance to try a free throw. There is no time left on either team’s current timeout period if an offensive rebound is scored following a team control foul and both teams reset at halfcourt.