Coach's box
{{Short description|Term used in numerous sports}}
File:Rick Pitino.jpg at the edge of the coach's box while coaching the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team]]
The coach's box (or coaches' box for multiple coaches) is a term used in numerous sports.
Baseball
In baseball, it is the space where the first-base coach and third-base coach stands. It is also common practice for a coach who has a play at his base to leave the coach's box to signal the player to slide, advance or return to a base. In Major League Baseball (MLB), this may be allowed by the umpire if the coach does not interfere with the play in any manner.{{cite web |title=OFFICIAL BASEBALL RULES |url=https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/wqn5ah4c3qtivwx3jatm.pdf |publisher=Major League Baseball |access-date=13 November 2023|edition=2023}}{{rp|20}}
Although called "boxes," the coaching area actually consists of three line segments meeting at right angles. Per MLB rules, the longest side, parallel to the foul line, must be {{convert|20|feet|meters}} long and the shorter sides, perpendicular to the foul line, can range from {{convert|1|to|10|feet|meters}} long. The boxes are located {{convert|15|feet|meters}} from the respective foul lines. The end furthest from the home plate must be {{convert|90|feet|meters}} from home plate, the same distance as first and third base.{{rp|160}}
Basketball
In basketball, it is a line that represents how far a coach may come towards centercourt and away from the sideline. The NCAA introduced a coach's box before the 1984–85 season.{{cite news |last1=McQuade |first1=Dan |title=Coaches Keep Running Onto The Court, But Can Any Of Them Actually Defend? |url=https://defector.com/coaches-keep-running-onto-the-court-but-can-any-of-them-actually-defend |access-date=5 February 2024 |work=Defector Media |date=22 January 2024 |language=en}} During the 2017–18 NCAA basketball season, the coach's box was expanded to allow coaches to stand {{convert|38|feet|meters}} from the baseline. Although the rule has been somewhat loosely enforced, stepping outside of the box is a technical foul.{{cite news |last1=Tracy |first1=Marc |title=College Coaches Cannot Be Contained |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/sports/ncaa-coachs-box.html |access-date=13 November 2023 |work=New York Times |date=March 23, 2018}} In the National Basketball Association, from coaches may walk from the substitution box line, which ends {{convert|4|feet|meters}} before the midcourt line, to the baseline.{{cite web |title=RULE NO. 1: Court Dimensions – Equipment |url=https://official.nba.com/rule-no-1-court-dimensions-equipment/ |website=official.nba.com |publisher=National Basketball Association |access-date=13 November 2023 |date=15 October 2018}}{{cite web |title=RULE NO 3: Players, Substitutes and Coaches |url=https://official.nba.com/rule-no-3-players-substitutes-and-coaches/ |website=official.nba.com |publisher=National Basketball Association |access-date=13 November 2023 |date=15 October 2018}}
See also
- {{section link|Baseball field|Coach's boxes}}