Charge: Basketball technique, drills and fixes

Taking a charge means beating a driver to a spot in their path, legally set, so that their contact is an offensive foul instead of a block on you. The rulebooks decide it: FIBA and NCAA both say a legal guarding position starts with both feet on the floor and your torso facing the opponent, and the help defender has to stay out of the arc under the basket. You also have to land a backward fall safely. The analyzer reads your set, balanced, upright stance before contact.

Set up

Read the drive early and get to the spot in the driver's path. Against a quicker dribbler, give a little more space so you have time to set your feet before they arrive.

Beat them to the spot.

Arrive without making contact. You don't owe a player with the ball any time or distance, but you must be set before they leave the floor. NCAA: before they put down their last foot before going airborne. NBA: for a help defender, before they start their upward motion.

Set before their last step.

Plant both feet on the floor and square your torso to the driver. That is the legal guarding position in FIBA and NCAA rules.

Two feet down, chest square.

Under the basket, check the arc. NBA and NCAA: a help (secondary) defender needs both feet completely outside the 4-foot restricted-area arc, and heels raised over the line count as inside. FIBA: the no-charge semi-circle (1.30 m) applies to any defender, and one foot touching it counts as inside. Other leagues may differ, so check yours.

Both feet outside the arc.

Set your feet about shoulder-width apart and sink lower as the driver gets closer, so your fall is a short one.

Closer driver, lower you.

Keep your hands up and hold one forearm firmly across your body to take the contact. Never reach out or grab the driver.

Forearm across, no reaching.

Charge

Hold your spot. You may stay still or move sideways or backward to keep position, but never toward the driver when contact comes.

Never step into them.

Keep your hips and shoulders square and take the hit on your torso. FIBA treats contact on the torso as proof you were there first; turning your hips or shoulders away can make it look like a block.

Chest takes the hit.

You may turn slightly to protect yourself from the hit, but don't bend over or drop under the driver. The NBA calls that submarining, and it's never allowed.

Brace, don't duck under.

Fall safely

Sit down and back in the direction of the drive, landing on both cheeks of your butt, not on one hip or sideways.

Sit, don't topple.

Curl your chin and neck toward your chest as you go down so the back of your head stays off the floor.

Chin in.

Keep your hands in front of you. Don't post a hand behind you to break the fall; that's how wrists and hands get hurt.

Hands stay in front.

Roll onto your back with your feet pulled up, so your feet take the contact if the driver falls on you. Then get up and get back in the play.

Roll back, feet up.

Only go down when there's real contact. FIBA and NCAA rules both penalize faking being fouled, and block/charge plays are where officials look for it.

Real contact only.

Feel it

A good charge feels quiet before the hit: feet already planted, chest square, forearm across your body, lower as the driver closes in. On contact you sit down rather than fall over, butt first, chin in, hands in front. It's still the official's call, so even a well-taken charge isn't always given, and if you're in foul trouble you may decide not to take one.

Fix-its

It's called a block because you were still sliding in Get there earlier. Back off a quicker dribbler so you have time, and have both feet planted before the driver's last step. Any move toward the driver at contact is on you.
Block called under the basket As the help defender, set up with both feet completely outside the arc. Feet on the line or heels raised over it count as inside in the NBA.
You turn sideways or reach Keep hips and shoulders square, hands up, forearm across your body, and take contact on your torso.
You land on your hands or hit your head Get lower before contact, sit back onto both cheeks, curl your chin in and keep your hands in front. Rehearse it on a mat before taking live contact.
You go down with little or no contact Stay set and let the driver make the contact. Faking being fouled is penalized under FIBA and NCAA rules.

Drill

Landing rehearsal (no contact): from your charge stance on a floor mat, sink low, sit back onto both cheeks with your chin in and hands in front, then roll onto your back with feet up and pop back up. Do this before any contact drill.
Pad charge: mat under the basket, you start in help position, step into the lane, plant a wide stance and brace. A coach or teammate with a blocking pad (no ball) walks or jogs into you; sit down onto the mat butt first and pop up. 3 in a row each.
Take the Charge drill: same setup, but the driver dribbles in for a layup and must make contact. Stay outside the arc if one is marked, and have an extra player under the basket to catch the driver. 3 in a row each.
Rotation to the charge: pass out and close out, then sprint to defensive position, then sprint to help as the ball moves; a coach with a pad drives at you and you take the charge. Teammates help you up after each rep.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-26.