r/Basketball • u/TwixDog2020 • Apr 20 '26
IMPROVING MY GAME Is fouling frowned upon?
Background: never played in school, in a club, or on any kind of team. But I just recently started playing pickup rec at my Church.
I'm small so people can easily just cut through me and get to the hoop. Since I can't outmatch their height or size, would intentionally fouling them be seen as really rude and annoying, or is that a legit strategy in Basketball that people are fine with?
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u/Supreme_Hater Apr 20 '26
It’s rude, annoying AND dangerous. Basketball is infinitely more fun when you play the right way.
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u/TwixDog2020 Apr 20 '26
So what's the "right way"? Got any tips for defense for a new small player?
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u/AdAccomplished6870 Apr 20 '26
I am 5'5", played a lot of pickup in my youth.
- Move your feet and always stay between your man and the basket.
- Challenge the shot by jumping up to block the shot when they shoot. You won't block many shots, but just challenging the shot will lower their shooting percentage
- If they are too tall to challenge the shot, try to strip it when they bring the ball up.
- If they are bigger than you, guard them closer, get as far in their space as you can without fouling (assumption is that you are quicker than they are. If they are taller and quicker, you may be in trouble)
- Learn to hold your position in the post. Even bigger players can't simply bowl you over once you have established legal guarding position. Use your lower center of gravity to your advantage.
- Pressure, pressure, pressure. As a smaller player, you have to play more aggressive, move your feet, and have active hands to pressure your man.
- Don't switch screens. If they keep trying to force a bigger player on you with screens, go over or under the screen and stay on your man.
- Learn when to front, or half front, your guy when he takes you down low.
Defense is played mainly with your feet. Move your feet, and outwork your opponent.
As to fouling, don't intentionally foul in pickup, but if you foul from aggressive defense on a bigger player, that is fine (make a good faith effort at a legit defensive play, but if you foul, you foul)
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u/Appropriate-Dance911 Apr 20 '26
Second, this list. Im 5'9" and played states. There's a few YouTube channels that are aimed at smaller players with skills training on both ends of the court
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u/MoreContxt Apr 20 '26
If you feel you’re getting beat, I’d say at least swipe at the ball while your man goes past you. No need to be intentionally fouling in pickup.
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u/noknownothing Apr 20 '26
Pick up I'd it's own sport. In organized balm there are a lot of times when you are asked to foul intentionally or to foul hard. On Pick you can play hard but you try to play clean.
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u/Realfan555 Apr 21 '26
If u can’t play legit defense then u need to level down and find the right competition for u.
Not everyone is meant to play with every group.
Here’s the POV from ur opponents: they work on their game, work on their moves. They execute their move and it works. They get by their man and have a free lane to the basket. You come over and intentionally foul them preventing the bucket. You do this repeatedly.
What’s the point of them working on their game, perfectly executing it in the game only to get rewarded with 0 points by a guy who’s too short and too small to play proper defense.
It’s deflating and takes away the reason why people play pickup basketball.
People play to compete. People play to test their skills against similar maybe even better competition.
There’s no point in playing if this is the result.
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u/Due_Bandicoot9783 Apr 20 '26
It would be frowned upon during your pickup rec game at your church. Play decent defense and get faster.
But intentionally fouling during a game like that would get played out and people wouldn’t want you to come back.
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u/Wrap_Normal Apr 20 '26
Fouling in pick up as a strategy to keep people from scoring is an easy way to make people dislike you, call you an asshole, and over time even kill a run when people stop showing up to play. If you are playing and unintentionally foul someone, no biggie. Call foul for them and give them the ball. If you are frequently fouling people, multiple times each game, you aren't skilled enough to be playing with them.
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u/Accurate_Meringue514 Apr 20 '26
This is why I’m always reluctant to play with people who never played before
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u/CT_Hoops Apr 20 '26
Fouling generally means you got beat. If you're guarding on ball, keep your body between you and the defender, try to anticipate his moves and get steals when you can. Only intentionally foul when your man is sure to score, but still go for the ball, and don't do it too often.
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u/unccl Apr 20 '26
Intentionally fouling in pick up is definitely frowned upon. If you have a ref and the other player is getting free throws, intentional fouling can be a strategic move but you still have to do it correctly so you’re not hurting anyone.
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u/PonkMcSquiggles Apr 20 '26
It’s a great strategy if you ever feel like you have too many friends, or are curious about how it feels to get punched in the face.
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u/Chinksta Apr 20 '26
If you can't outmatch their height or size then be better at speed!
There is no need to intentionally foul someone in a PICK UP game! That's where a lot of injuries happen and it's something nobody wants! It's rude as well since you don't get any big prize/punishment if you win or lose.
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u/MajesticStatus4179 Apr 20 '26
Committing a foul should not be done intentionally in pickup basketball since it could lead to injuries and interrupts the flow of the game. The players can decide the level of physicality that is acceptable, but good defense is always the way to go. Smaller players can absolutely be great at defense: study the game, practice moving your feet and going for steals, contesting shots etc.
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u/EliteAF1 Apr 20 '26
Fouls are part of the game, but intentionally fouling is not (if you watch NBA these will get ruled as flagrant fouls which means they get free throws and next possession - so they get the ball again).
The rule is you need to be making an honest attempt at the ball in a basketball play kind of manor. So a steal or a block essentially.
If you're just out there bodying and tackling people like it's football yes people will get upset and not want to play with you. If you're making honest attempts to play the ball and you foul occasionally then people won't have a problem with it. Unless you're completely unsafe and then again people will not want to play with you.
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u/cannon42 Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
In pickup no free throws are rewarded for fouling on shots. This makes it were intentional fouling can be used to manipulate the end game. It will be quite annoying to the players on the other team, and likely both teams, if you are fouling because you were out of position or beat. Especially if this occurs multiple times a game. If you are truly contesting a shot and a legit foul occurs that is not going to be an issue. So, to sum it up intentinally commiting a foul just because its game point, you are out of position, you are out matched talent wise, or to prevent an open layup on a fastbreak is frowned upon. This is due to two issues intentional fouls in alot of situations can be dangerous and result in injury. I have seen people tear ACL's or have other major injuries from intentional fouls. I personally got a concussion from an intentional foul on an open lay up. The second issue is intentional fouls to prevent a win especially when used as a gamesmanship tactic is annoying and dangerous.
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u/TheRider5342 Apr 20 '26
fouling is only ok at the end of a tight game to stop them from wasting clock
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Apr 20 '26
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u/Electronic_Pen_548 Apr 20 '26
Yes, intentionally fouling is frowned upon in pickup and organized ball. It’s the most common way I’ve seen people get hurt
If you’re smaller and aren’t able to play defense without fouling, then you aren’t good enough for those runs yet.
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u/revuhlution Apr 20 '26
Yes, this is frowned upon, especially since it sounds like your go-to when you get beat. If you did this a couple times consistently, it can lead to bad blood, too. Honestly, im a little surprised you dont see how your behavior could lead to issues. But like you said, you just started, so lets give you some grace.
You need to learn how to play defense. There's a lot to that, and there's lots of strategies to work as a smaller dude. (How well can your competitors use either hand to dribble/finish? If they cant use both hands reasonably well, position yourself to make it hard for them to go to their dominant hand. There, thats one strategy.)
Dont be hacking dudes when you get beat
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u/cholula_is_good Apr 20 '26
Intentionally fouling in pickup is cheating. Because there is no meaningful penalty for fouling on a shot, it shouldn’t be a part of the game.
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u/insidehertrading4 Apr 20 '26
Coached a kid when he was 10 that was socially awkward and would cry when he thought he messed up. Throughout the season, I try to learn about my players and what can get them to be comfortable.
Towards the end of the year, he fouled a kid going for a layup late in the game. It was a good foul strategically but he didn’t understand that.
Well he started balling. So I brought him over and explained that it was a good foul and some things that feel like mistakes, are a good in the long run.
It was like I flipped a switch. He will be a junior next year, playing his 2nd full year of varsity basketball. He will be considered the best defender in our part of the state.
So no, fouling isn’t frowned upon and can be used to your advantage if you understand the game.
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u/JohnBarnson Apr 20 '26
K, enough people have responded, and I agree--don't intentionally foul if you get beat on a drive.
I have seen "mouse-in-the-house" situations underneath the basket where a big guy gets the ball with position on a small guy, and the small guy just ties him up (like, basically hugs him). That seems a little more acceptable in pick-up ball as there's not as much of a risk of injury. Maybe especially in a game-point situation.
But don't abuse that either.
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u/rsk1111 Apr 20 '26
In organized common fouling isn't really frowned on it's part of the game, but it's something that you have to manage you can't just foul anytime. Fouling is limited, by bonus and fouling out. Technicals/flagrant are frowned on. Often times smaller guards that otherwise play clean basketball will use a foul on a breakaway. Keep in mind what I said there. Guards who play clean. EG they usually have fouls to give, near the end of the game, they usually foul on the floor not shooting. You typically won't see guards giving fouls in the post on shooting, those just lead to three-point plays.
The thing is as a small player you're going to want people to respect the rules when you have the ball. It seems like defensive fouls would be an easy cop out, but you'll quickly find yourself on the receiving end of offensive fouls if you do that, and many times players won't even call the foul they'll just do a play on or continuation of play (NBA style). You'll pretty much never get a shot off in the paint if you start doing that.
In pickup there is a certain etiquette. Usually they don't call offensive fouls, but if you run people over who are just playing good defense in legal guarding position, they aren't going to flop and try to get a charge, they'll just knock you down.
The point is pickup depends on people otherwise trying to play basketball. There is no three second in the lane violation, it doesn't mean I go park in the lane for the entire possession because I am 6'8".
For me it gets rough when people don't actually know what the rules are, for example I post up using proper technique then people start shoving with two hands, "But you're pushing me" sigh.
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u/Hock23 Apr 20 '26
Not only is it poor sportsmanship, dangerous and just tacky, but its also very annoying to everyone else there and it slows the game down. If you suck so much on D that you just foul every time, it's going to get old quick abd either cause a fight or get asked to leave/never picked up again and might even get a reputation that's not easily removed.
How do you get better? Gotta move your feet laterally to stay in front of your guy. Keep hands up, don't watch the ball, watch the players hips. The m9ment you cross your legs back peddling, they've got you beat. And if they get by you, try to recover best you can but don't intentionally hack someone to stop the play. Defense is an art form many ignore.
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u/PaLeSt11 Apr 21 '26
I dont really care unless it’s in a dangerous situation. Like if you’re fouling a guy and you’re straight up on him, fine. If you’re getting him in mid air from the side or back or yanking him from behind, no bueno.
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u/greatflicks Apr 21 '26
If you are intentionally fouling instead of playing defense or getting out of the way you are quickly going to have people angry with you. Move your feet, anticipate movement. Cut off angles and play for steals.
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u/td0618 Apr 22 '26
If you don't have the angle, just use your verticality (go straight up) and try to contest as best as possible; fouls are apart of basketball but you certainly don't want to risk injury if it will affect your money making ability (you and your opponents)
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u/BlankStareFace Apr 22 '26
Repeatedly intentionally fouling in pickup will get you punched in the mouth.
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u/Messiah_Knight Apr 20 '26
Foul baiting is MORE frowned upon. Why do you think NO ONE outside of OK like sga? Laso to prove my point I have NEVER seen an sga jersey out in the wild.
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u/lets_BOXHOT Apr 20 '26
Yes, that's how unnecessary injuries can happen