A blindside block is a block against an opponent other than the runner. Butt blocking, face tackling and spearing are examples of illegal helmet contact. In NFHS, illegal helmet contact is an act of initiating contact with the helmet against an opponent. The block is illegal when the opponent is first blocked high and, with or without a delay, a teammate’s block is made below the waist. In NCAA, it is not a foul if the blockers’ opponent initiates contact. A chop block is a delayed block at the knees or below (NFHS) or at the thighs and below (NCAA) against an opponent already in contact with a teammate of the blocker. Several blocking techniques are always illegal, regardless of the situation. Once the ball has left the tackle box, a player may not block below the waist toward his own endline. Players outside the tackle box at the snap, or any time after the snap, or in motion at the snap may not block below the waist toward the original position of the ball at the snap. Team A players may not block below the waist when the block occurs five yards or more beyond the neutral zone. “Directed from the front” is defined as within the clock face region between “10 o’clock and 2 o’clock” forward of the area of concentration of the player being blocked. All other team A players are allowed to block below the waist only if the force of the initial contact is directed from the front. Linemen with initial position completely inside the tackle box (the rectangular area enclosed by the neutral zone, the two lines parallel to the sidelines five yards from the snapper and team A’s endline) may block below the waist inside the tackle box until the ball leaves the tackle box. In NCAA, offensive players who are on the line of scrimmage at the snap within the zone legally may clip in the zone, as long as the force of the initial contact is not at or below the knee. In NFHS, blocking below the waist is permitted within the zone when all players involved in the blocking are on the line of scrimmage and in the zone at the snap, the contact is in the zone and the block is an immediate, initial action following the snap. For the rest of this column, those will be referred to simply as the “zone.” The NCAA blocking zone is a rectangle centered on the middle lineman of the offensive formation and extending five yards laterally and three yards longitudinally in each direction (2-3-6a). In NFHS, the free-blocking zone is a rectangular area extending laterally four yards on either side of the snap and three yards behind each scrimmage line (2-17-1). In order to correctly judge the legality of the blocking they observe, umpires must be cognizant of blocking zones and where players are at the snap with respect to the zones. In (b), B2 is guilty of encroachment (NFHS) or offside (NCAA). In a legal snap, the ball must be moved backward. Ruling 3: In both cases, the ball remains dead. A1’s movement of the ball was (a) forward, or (b) backward. When center A1 moves the ball, nose guard B2 slaps the ball out of A1’s hand, causing a loose ball. The penalty is five yards (NFHS 2-40-2 NCAA 2-23-1a). A snap must leave the snapper’s hands immediately. Ruling 2: Illegal snap, a dead-ball foul. A2 fakes having the ball and A3 cuts in, grabs the ball from A2 and runs. The ball touches A2’s hands, but never leaves A1’s hands.
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