Basketball

Basketball is a sport that consists of five players on each team. The time of the game is divided into four 8 minute quarters for K-8 school, four 12 minute quarters for professionals, or two 20 minute haves for college. The field in which the game is played is called a court.

There are two halves on a full court and each half of the court consists of one basket at each end. Each half of the court is also marked with a free throw line which is 15 feet away from the basket and a 3 point line which is about 20 feet away from the basket (depending on the level of play).

The purpose of the game is to outscore your opponent by shooting the ball through the basket either from the field (called a field goal) or from the free throw line (called a foul shot). In order to move the basketball a player needs to either throw, bounce, or rolled the ball to another player. A player in possession of the ball can also move the ball by dribbling the ball which consists of a series of one hand taps, causing the ball to bounce on the floor. Physical contact with an opponent can result in a foul if the contact impedes the desired movement of the player.

RULES:

Free throws = 1 point
Field goals = 2 points if the ball is shot from inside the three point line.
Anything shot from beyond the 3 point line is = 3 points.
The game starts with a jump ball at center court to determine who gets first possession of the ball.
The Ball is out of bounds when it touches a player who is out of bounds, or any object on or outside the boundary lines. The opposing team’s best passer then takes the ball from out of bounds and puts it back into play.

Violations

Causing the ball to go out of bounds
Double dribbling- which is when a player dribbles the ball, stops and then starts to dribble again, or if the player dribbles the ball with both hands at the same time.
Traveling- which is when the player runs with the ball without dribbling, or when taking more then two steps without shooting or passing the ball.
Kicking the ball
Illegal throw in – holding the ball for more than 5 seconds without throwing it into play from out of bounds.
Fouls- They can be pushing, charging, tripping, or holding another player. Each player is allowed 5 fouls before being disqualified from the game.
The offended player is awarded one free throw shot if he/she was fouled and made the basket.
Two foul shots if the player did not make the attempted shot.
No free throws, but the ball is awarded back the them if no shot was attempted.

Skills and Techniques

Pivoting- is when the player standing and holding the ball has one foot ( the pivot foot) which is kept at its point of contact with the floor while the other foot can step in any direction.
Chest Pass- is when the ball is held in both hands around chest high with the elbows held out to the sides and the ball is released by extending the arms fully, snapping the wrist and stepping in the direction of the pass.
Bounce Pass- This is a short distance pass, used to avoid a deflection or interception when the player is being closely guarded. It is executed like the chest pass only the ball is passed by bouncing it.
Over Head Pass- this pass is used to pass over a defensive player like when taking the ball out of bounds.
Crossover Dribble- is used to quickly change direction when a player is not being closely guarded. It must be done very quickly by pushing the ball down with one hand across your body while dipping the opposite shoulder to protect the ball and continuing to move forward in that direction.
Rebounding- is gaining possession of the ball after and unsuccessful shooting attempt.
Defense- involves standing in front of the player with the ball with your knees bent for balance. If the person with the ball is right handed, the defender should have is left hand extended up to prevent a shot attempt and his right had out to the side to prevent a pass.

Offense

Shooting- When shooting it is important to have proper technique.
Jump Shot- is the most important shot in basketball the shooter jumps in the air the ball is placed on the palm of your shooting hand with the elbow pointing straight at the rim then the ball is brought high above the forehead, and at the peak of your jump the body should be in a near stationary, balanced position. Keeping the eyes focused on the basket, the elbow is extended and then the wrist is flicked. As the ball is going towards the basket it is important to follow through.
Lay up- is the shot with the highest percentage due to how close it is from the rim. It is executed by dribbling or receiving a pass close to the rim and then taking two steps if shooting with the right hand your take off should occur with the left foot, while the right knee thrusts upward to achieve maximum height. At the same moment, the ball is set in the shooting hand and then brought up to the backboard and layed off the backboard into the basket.