Here’s a guide to the game:
General
Violations
Fouls
Positions and Structures
Shooting
Rebounding
Passing
Dribbling
Blocking
General
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 3 m high hoop (the goal).
Points are scored by shooting the ball through the basket above; the team with more points at the end of the game wins.
The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it (dribbling) or passing it between teammates.
Disruptive physical contact (foul) is not permitted and there are restrictions on how the ball can be handled (violations).
Typically, the tallest members of a team will play centre or one of two forward positions, while shorter players or those who possess the best ball handling skills and speed, play the guard positions.
Competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport, played on a basketball court.
Games are played in four quarters of 10 (international) or 12 minutes (NBA.
Fifteen minutes are allowed for a half-time break, and two minutes are allowed at the other breaks.
Overtime periods are five minutes long.
Teams exchange baskets for the second half.
The time allowed is actual playing time; the clock is stopped while the play is not active. Games generally take much longer to complete than the allotted game time, typically about two hours.
Five players from each team may be on the court at one time. Substitutions are unlimited but can only be done when play is stopped.
Teams also have a coach, who oversees the development and strategies of the team, and other team personnel such as assistant coaches, managers, statisticians, doctors and trainers.
For both men's and women's teams, a standard uniform consists of a pair of shorts and a top with a clearly visible number, unique within the team, printed on both the front and back.
A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach for a short meeting with the players, are allowed, they generally last no longer than one minute.
The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee, one or two umpires and the table officials. The table officials are responsible for keeping track of each teams scoring, timekeeping, individual and team fouls, player substitutions, team possession arrow, and the shot clock.
Violations
The ball may be advanced toward the basket by being shot, passed between players, thrown, tapped, rolled or dribbled.
The ball must stay within the court; the last team to touch the ball before it travels out of bounds losses possession.
The ball-handler may not move both feet without dribbling, known as traveling, or dribble with both hands or catch the ball in between dribbles, a violation called double dribbling. A player's hand cannot be under the ball while dribbling; doing so is known as carrying the ball.
A team, once having established ball control in the front half of the court, may not return the ball to the backcourt.
The ball may not be kicked nor struck with the fist.
A violation of these rules results in loss of possession, or, if committed by the defence, a reset of the shot clock.
There are limits imposed on the time taken before progressing the ball past halfway, before attempting a shot, holding the ball while closely guarded, and remaining in the restricted area (the lane, or "key”). These rules are designed to promote more offense.
No player may interfere with the basket or ball on its downward flight to the basket, or while it is on the rim, a violation known as goaltending. If a defensive player goaltends, the attempted shot is considered to have been successful. If a teammate of the shooter goaltends, the basket is cancelled and play continues with the defensive team being given possession.
Fouls
An attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through physical contact is called a foul and is most commonly committed by defensive players.
Players who are fouled either receive the ball to pass inbounds again, or receive one or more free throws if they are fouled in the act of shooting, depending on whether the shot was successful. One point is awarded for making a free throw, which is attempted from a line 4.5m from the basket.
The referee may use discretion in calling fouls, sometimes making fouls controversial calls. The calling of fouls can vary between games, leagues and even between referees.
A player or coach, who shows poor sportsmanship, can be charged with a more serious foul called a technical foul. The penalty involves free throws (which unlike a personal foul, the other team can choose any player to shoot the free throws) and varies between leagues. Repeated incidents can result in disqualification. Blatant fouls with excessive contact or that are not an attempt to play the ball are called unsportsmanlike and typically will result in ejection.
If a team exceeds a certain limit of team fouls in a given period (quarter or half), the opposing team is awarded one or two free throws on all subsequent fouls for that period.
A player who, in an international game, commits five fouls (including technical fouls), is not allowed to participate for the rest of the game, and is said to have "fouled out".
After a team has committed a specified number of fouls, it is said to be "in the penalty". On scoreboards, this is usually signified with an indicator light reading "Bonus" or "Penalty" with an illuminated directional arrow indicating that team is to receive free throws when fouled by the opposing team. The number of free throws awarded increases with the number of fouls committed. Initially, one shot is awarded, but after a certain number of additional fouls are committed the opposing team may receive (a) one shot with a chance for a second shot if the first shot is made, called shooting "one-and-one", or (b) two shots. If a team misses the first shot (or "front end") of a one-and-one situation, the opposing team may reclaim possession of the ball and continue play. If a team misses the first shot of a two-shot situation, the opposing team must wait for the completion of the second shot before attempting to reclaim possession of the ball and continuing play.
If a player is fouled while attempting a shot and the shot is unsuccessful, the player is awarded a number of free throws equal to the value of the attempted shot. A player fouled while attempting a regular two-point shot, then, receives two shots. A player fouled while attempting a three-point shot, on the other hand, receives three shots.
If a player is fouled while attempting a shot and the shot is successful, typically the player will be awarded one additional free throw for one point. In combination with a regular shot, this is called a "three-point play" because of the basket made at the time of the foul (2 points) and the additional free throw (1 point). Four-point plays, while rare, can also occur.
Positions and Structures
Although the rules do not specify any positions whatsoever, they have evolved as part of basketball. These descriptions are flexible:
- Point Guard: usually the fastest player on the team, organizes the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time
- Shooting Guard: creates a high volume of shots on offense; guards the opponent's best perimeter player on defence
- Small Forward: often primarily responsible for scoring points via cuts to the basket and dribble penetration; on defence seeks rebounds and steals, but sometimes plays more actively
- Power Forward: plays offensively often with his back to the basket; on defence, plays under the basket (in a zone defence) or against the opposing power forward (in man-to-man defence)
- Centre: uses size to score (on offense), to protect the basket closely (on defence), or to rebound.
On some occasions, teams will choose to use a three guard offense, replacing one of the forwards or the centre with a third guard. The most commonly interchanged positions are point guard and shooting guard, especially if both players have good leadership and ball handling skills.
There are two main defensive strategies: zone defence and man-to-man defence:
- Zone defence: involves players in defensive positions guarding whichever opponent is in their zone.
- Man-to-Man defence: each defensive player guards a specific opponent and tries to prevent him from taking action.
Offensive plays are more varied, normally involving planned passes and movement by players without the ball:
- Cut: A quick movement by an offensive player without the ball to gain an advantageous position.
- Screen or Pick: A legal attempt by an offensive player to stop an opponent from guarding a teammate, by standing in the defender's way such that the teammate cuts next to him
- Pick and Roll: The two plays are combined in the pick and roll, in which a player sets a pick and then "rolls" away from the pick towards the basket.
Screens and cuts are very important in offensive plays; these allow the quick passes and teamwork which can lead to a successful basket.
Teams almost always have several offensive plays planned to ensure their movement is not predictable. On court, the point guard is usually responsible for indicating which play will occur.
Shooting
Shooting is the act of attempting to score points by throwing the ball through the basket.
Standard style of shooting is: the player is positioned facing the basket with feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and back straight. The player holds the ball to rest in the dominant hand's fingertips (the shooting arm) slightly above the head, with the other hand on the side of the ball. To aim the ball, the player's elbow should be aligned vertically, with the forearm facing in the direction of the basket. The ball is shot by bending and extending the knees and extending the shooting arm to become straight; the ball rolls off the finger tips while the wrist completes a full downward flex motion. When the shooting arm is stationary for a moment after the ball released, it is known as a follow-through; it is incorporated to maintain accuracy. Generally, the non-shooting arm is used only to guide the shot, not to power it.
Players often try to put a steady backspin on the ball to deaden its impact with the rim. The ideal trajectory of the shot is somewhat arguable, but generally coaches will profess proper arch. Most players shoot directly into the basket, but shooters may use the backboard to redirect the ball into the basket.
The two most common shots that use this set up are the set shot and the jump shot:
- The set shot: taken from a standing position, with neither foot leaving the floor, typically used for free throws.
- The jump shot: taken while in mid-air, near the top of the jump. This provides much greater power and range, and it also allows the player to elevate over the defender. Failure to release the ball before returning the feet to the ground is a travelling violation.
Another common shot is called the layup. This shot requires the player to be in motion toward the basket, and to "lay" the ball "up" and into the basket, typically off the backboard (the backboard-free, underhand version is called a finger roll), and typically highest-percentage accuracy shot is the slam dunk, in which the player jumps very high, and throws the ball downward, straight through the hoop.
Another shot that is becoming common is the "circus shot". The circus shot is a low-percentage shot that is flipped, heaved, scooped, or flung toward the hoop while the shooter is off-balance, airborne, falling down, and/or facing away from the basket.
A shot that misses both the rim and the backboard completely is referred to as an air ball. A particularly bad shot, or one that only hits the backboard, is jocularly called a brick.
Rebounding
The objective of rebounding is to successfully gain possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw, as it rebounds from the hoop or backboard. This plays a major role in the game, as most possessions end when a team misses a shot.
There are two categories of rebounds:
- Offensive rebounds: in which the ball is recovered by the offensive side and does not change possession
- Defensive rebounds: in which the defending team gains possession of the loose ball.
The majority of rebounds are defensive, as the team on defence tends to be in better position to recover missed shots.
Passing
A pass is a method of moving the ball between players. Most passes are accompanied by a step forward to increase power and are followed through with the hands to ensure accuracy. There are different types of passes:
- Chest pass: the ball is passed directly from the passer's chest to the receiver's chest. A proper chest pass involves an outward snap of the thumbs to add velocity and leaves the defence little time to react.
- Bounce pass: the passer bounces the ball crisply about two-thirds of the way from his own chest to the receiver. The ball strikes the court and bounces up toward the receiver. The bounce pass takes longer to complete than the chest pass, but it is also harder for the opposing team to intercept, players often use the bounce pass in crowded moments, or to pass around a defender.
- Overhead pass: used to pass the ball over a defender. The ball is released while over the passer's head.
- Outlet pass: occurs after a team gets a defensive rebound. The next pass after the rebound is the outlet pass.
- Behind-the-back pass: involves throwing the ball behind the passer's back to a teammate.
- No-look pass: is passing the ball without looking at the receiving teammate.
The crucial aspect of any good pass is being impossible to intercept. Good passers can pass the ball with great accuracy and touch and know exactly where each of their teammates like to receive the ball. Many coaches discourage the behind-the-back and no-look pass, believing them to be fundamentally unsound, difficult to control, and more likely to result in turnovers or violations.
Dribbling
Dribbling is the act of bouncing the ball continuously with one hand, and is a requirement for a player to take steps with the ball.
To dribble, a player pushes the ball down towards the ground with the fingertips rather than patting it; this ensures greater control.
When dribbling past an opponent, the dribbler should dribble with the hand farthest from the opponent, making it more difficult for the defensive player to get to the ball. It is important for a player to be able to dribble competently with both hands.
Good dribblers tend to bounce the ball low to the ground, reducing the travel from the floor to the hand, making it more difficult for the defender to "steal" the ball. Additionally, they frequently dribble behind their backs, between their legs, and change hands and directions of the dribble frequently, making a less predictable dribbling pattern that is more difficult to defend. This is called a crossover, which is the most effective way to pass defenders while dribbling.
A skilled player can dribble without watching the ball, using the dribbling motion or peripheral vision to keep track of the ball's location. By not having to focus on the ball, a player can look for teammates or scoring opportunities, as well as avoid the danger of someone stealing the ball.
Blocking
A block is performed when, after a shot is attempted, a defender attempts to alter the shot by touching the ball.
In almost all variants of play, it is illegal to touch the ball after it is in the downward part of its arc; this is known as goaltending. It is also illegal to block a shot after it has touched the backboard, or when any part of the ball is directly above the rim.
To block a shot, a player has to be able to reach a point higher than where the shot is released. Thus, height can be an advantage in blocking. Players at the taller power forward or centre positions generally record more blocks than players at the shorter guard positions. However, with good timing and sufficient vertical leap, even shorter players can be effective at blocking shots.
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