Basic Basketball rules
Source: www.fiba.com
Roster
If you want to play basketball for fun, you can play team games with a wide
variety of numbers. However, on a competition level, a team is made up of 5
players playing on the court.
Each player is assigned a position when playing. Players then move around the court
according to the assigned position. Players are allowed to go anywhere on the court
during open play. However, offensive players are limited to 3 seconds in the lane, or
“paint,” at a time.
Scoring
A player scores when he manages to throw the ball into the basket, with the
ball passing through the basket from above the hoop. Scoring a basket
increases the team’s score by 3, 2 or 1 point.
If the player successfully shoots from outside of the 3 points line, the basket
is worth 3 points, otherwise it is worth 2 points.
It is also possible to score 1 point when shooting from the free throw line,
after a foul for instance.
The most common type of shot used in basketball is the jump shot: a shot in
which the player jumps and releases the ball overhead using the dominant
hand. However, it is legal to shoot with either hand or even shoot underhand
with both hands, but it’s not recommended!
Violations
A violation occurs when the player breaks one of the rules of Basketball. A
violation results in the awarding of the ball to the opponents.
An example of a violation is when a player takes more than 2 steps without
bouncing the ball on the floor. This is called Traveling.
Another example of violation occurs when a player stops dribbling and then
starts dribbling again or when he bounces the ball with both hands on the
ball. We call this a double Dribble.
A violation is also committed if you twist your hand, when in contact with the
ball, beyond the vertical, bringing it under the ball. This is called Carry, as
the hand must always remain on the top of the ball.
A foul is an illegal action that can be committed by player from one team
against a player from the opposing team. Basketball is generally said to be a
non-contact game. If contact occurs beyond what is deemed to be
reasonable, or if a player thereby obtains an unfair advantage from it, a foul
is committed.
Defense Strategy
Basic defensive strategy includes:
1.
Stay between the person you are guarding and the basket
when that player has the ball.
2.
The closer the offensive player is to the basket, the closer the
defensive player is to that player.
3.
Create a triangle between the designated offensive player
and the offensive player with the ball, and the basket as a
point of reference to where the defender should be.
Defense may play a variety of types of defensive strategies. The 2 standard
defenses are Man-To-Man and Zone.
Man-to-man defense indicates that each player is assigned a player on the
opposing team to guard. Each defensive player will follow his/her designated
offensive player to whatever location they go.
Zone defense indicates that each player is assigned an area on the court to
defend. If a player comes into the designated area, the defender must guard
that player. If more than one player comes into the designated area, the
defensive player typically guards the player closer to the basket. The
exception is when another player’s area cross-sections and can help guard
any players.
Locations on a Court
Free throw
line
Elbow
Wing
Lane/Paint
Block
Baseline