The Art of the Charge
Taking a charge is an act that is so vile and hideous, we can’t help but admire it.
There’s a quote by Oscar Wilde that says, “The ugly can be beautiful. The pretty, never.” There’s an inherent ugliness that comes with the style that college teams who value defense and sound fundamentals play with. But like an uncut diamond, the beauty of college basketball is found in the feelings we attach to it rather than the aesthetics. Grit, toughness, fundamentals, these are things college basketball purists rave about. There’s one act in basketball that encompasses all of these traits: the charge. Earlier this season, Wisconsin guard Brad Davison made headlines by taking five charges against NC State. That’s right, I said five.Wisconsin’s Brad Davison took FIVE charges against NC State.
Taking a charge is an act that is both grotesque and alluring at the same time. It is something that many fans have called disgusting, a sinister tactic that less athletic players use to level the playing field. And yet, it is also representative of everything we like about college basketball. Putting your body on the line for a chance at glory is what we want from the players at our alma maters. Taking a charge sends a jolt of emotions through the crowd like an adrenaline shot. There’s no beauty in taking a charge, but there’s a beauty to the folklore that comes with it. Like many things in life, there’s a subtle art to taking a charge and creating these emotions. You want the appearance of putting your body on the line without, you know, actually putting your body on the line. Maximize the effect while minimizing the costs, that’s economics 101. There are four keys to perfecting the charge.
Step 1: Position your body
The official rule states that a defensive player must establish position on the court. When a player is driving, you want to move your feet to beat him to the spot. Then, you want to square your shoulders towards the offensive player. Pretty standard technique, but with one extra tip: Shift your weight back towards your heels. This is going to do two things: 1) It’s going to soften the collision, and 2) it sets you up to properly execute the next steps.
Step 2: Absorb the contact into your chest
Now it’s time to brace for impact and take it in the chest. What you are aiming for is taking a shoulder directly into the chest. The face or stomach is going to be very painful, and anything towards the arms is going to draw a grabbing foul. Don’t worry, your chest is one of the toughest parts of your body. The second you feel any slight contact, you want to:
Step 3: Dive and slide
Now it’s time to earn your keep and force the call. The first part of this step is to force your head backwards. On a lot of charges, you’ve probably seen the defending player whip his head backwards like there’s a sniper in the upper deck. This action is usually associated with “flopping”, or overemphasizing contacting for the goal of drawing a foul. This is exactly what it’s meant to do, but it also serves another purpose. By whipping your head backwards, you are starting a diving motion. The goal is to get your body parallel to the court so that you can evenly distribute the impact across your back to minimize the damage. Basically, you want to go backwards rather than directly to the court. With you weight already back towards your heels, this allows you to start this motion with ease. Once your momentum is heading backwards, your want to lean into the motion and slide backwards on the court. Be sure to keep your head off the ground, we don’t need any concussions.
Step 4: Get AMPED!
Once you hit the deck, there will be moment where the air in the arena freezes. The crowd holds its breath, waiting for the call. After the referee blows the whistle in your favor, the energy from the crowd is released into a frenzy. You want to join the celebration. Pump your fist, beat your chest, let out a war cry, any primal instinct you have just let it out. You have just sent a shockwave of energy through the arena, electrifying the crowd. You just forced a turnover, and you paid for it with blood, sweat, and grit. All of this, thanks to you. You did this.
The charge is symbolic of everything pure and wholesome we love about college basketball. Sure, it can be ugly to watch at times. But if you don’t like taking charges, you don’t like college basketball.
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