abstract:In gridiron football, blocking below the waist is an illegal block, from any direction, below the waist by any defensive player or by an offensive player under certain situations, by any player after change of possession, by any player in high school with certain exceptions. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "chop block".
The committee also attempted to simplify the blocking-below-the-waist rule, which was found to be unevenly enforced and difficult to teach to officials, Calhoun said.