Basketball Reach In Fouls

In basketball, one of the many types of defensive fouls is a reach-in foul. These happen when a defender makes illegal contact while reaching for the ball. Read on for more information on reach-in fouls in basketball.

Definition of a Reach-In Foul

A reach-in foul in the NBA is when the defensive player "reaches in" and tries to steal the ball away from the offensive player. The foul occurs if a player impedes a ball carrier's personal space while making contact with them and reaching for the ball, typically by making contact with their hand dribbling the ball.

Why Does a Reach-In Foul Occur?

Defensive players can have a bad habit of committing reach-in fouls because they often try to steal the ball before a scoring opportunity can open up for the offense. Ball carriers can also bait defenders to reach based on certain movements. Reach-in fouls are technically personal fouls, which adds the total foul tally of an individual player as well as their team.

Why Do Defensive Players Reach in for the Ball?

Defensive players reach in for the ball against the offensive player because they are trying to impede their progress to the basket and are also trying to steal the ball. Defensively, players try to get the ball back as quickly as possible and can get caught reaching in when trying to steal the ball in order to do so.

Free Throws on Reach-In Fouls

The offensive player doesn't usually get to shoot free throws on a reach-in foul unless the opposing defense is over the limit on fouls given. If the defense is over the limit on fouls, the offense is in the bonus, which means that each foul on the defense results in free throws for the offense.

The majority of the time, however, reach-in fouls are non-shooting fouls. This means that, instead of free throws, the player who was fouled inbounds the ball to their teammates in the frontcourt.

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