Joint play is the small passive give a healthy joint has beyond its active range, felt gently and never pushed.
In 📝Articular Mobility it is a listening finding, not a graded mobilization and not a claim the joint is stuck as a medical fact. A little give is ordinary. Forcing more give is an adjustment-shaped miss. This practice does not seek a click.
Clients may not feel it as a separate event. Pain, apprehension, or a wish to brace ends the listen.