The NBA has instructed its referees to crack down on offensive players who use their arms to push off against defensive players during the upcoming season, one of several new points of emphasis for officials, the league announced on a conference call Tuesday. James Jones, the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations, said the league has issued new guidance on four types of 'high-volume and highly impactful' calls, including push-offs. The NBA's goal, James said, is to ensure that 'the way our game is played, and the way our game presents, continues to track favorably' for players and fans.

A push-off most commonly occurs when an offensive player uses his non-dribbling arm to contact a defensive player so that he can create space to attempt a shot from the perimeter. While some level of jockeying between offensive players and defensive players is legal and to be expected, the NBA's referees will now use the 'Four F's' framework to determine if they should call an offensive foul on a push off: The 'Four F's' are feeling, firming, force and full extension. Referees have been instructed that a ball handler is allowed to use his off arm to 'feel' his opponent or to 'firm up' by gathering himself in front of a defensive player.

However, referees should assess an offensive foul if the ball handler's off arm contacts the defender with 'force' or is 'fully extended' to create an advantage.