Basketball is a sport where two teams of five players each try to score points by shooting a ball through a hoop hung 10 feet high. The team that scores more wins. The game was first invented by James Naismith in 1881, but it wasn’t formally recognized as an Olympic sport until 1932.
How to Play the Game
In basketball, teams compete in fifteen-minute halves with a five-minute rest in between. The team with the most points at the end of the half wins. If a tie is reached in the final minutes of the game, extra time periods called overtime are played until one team is winning.
Rules of the Game
The rules of basketball are set by the referee, who is responsible for deciding when and where the ball is in play and to whom it belongs. They also keep track of the amount of time each team has on the court and the number of goals scored.
There are many different ways for players to gain control of the ball and advance it toward a basket, including passing the ball to a teammate or dribbling the ball while walking or running around the court. Both of these require considerable skill, and both are used on offense as well as defense.
Offense
On offense, players use a variety of shots to try and score, including the layup, jump shot, or dunk. They may also steal the ball from an opposing player, intercept a pass, or block a shot. They also collect a rebound, which is a missed shot that bounces back into play.
Defensive
Defense consists of stopping an opponent from advancing the ball and scoring. It can be man-to-man or zone, with a number of different variations.
Dribbling
Dribbling is a key skill in basketball, and there are a few things you can do to make it easier. For starters, you should try to dribble the ball low to the ground and practice dribbling with both hands.
You should also learn how to dribble quickly without losing your balance. This will help you when you’re playing the game in person.
Rebounding
Rebounding is another key part of the game, and it’s easy to do if you practice properly. The most important thing is to be able to move quickly and efficiently through a crowded area of the court. This will help you find your way through the crowd and get to the basket before your opponents do.
Personal Fouls
There are several kinds of fouls in basketball, and some are more serious than others. In addition to a foul that occurs during play, there are personal fouls that occur between the player and his or her teammates.
Reaching Fouls
When a player tries to dribble, it’s illegal to reach out and grab the ball or knock a forearm of a defender. The player can also be thrown out of the game for a reaching foul.
Backcourt Violations
In basketball, a backcourt violation occurs when the offensive team tries to pass inbounds but fails to touch the ball over the mid-court line before it is picked up by a defender. Once the offensive team reaches the mid-court line, it cannot go back across the line to take possession of the ball until the ball is touched by a defender again.