Basketball’s rules are thankfully simple.
However, if you’re coaching younger athletes, these rules might easily be forgotten.
- The three-second rule is one of many great examples (more on that later).
- To teach your team the rules, you must first understand them.
- So keep reading to learn all the basketball laws and teach and improve your players throughout the season!
The Laws
- Basketball is a team sport.
- Two five-person teams compete in shooting a ball through a hoop 10 feet above the ground.
- A court is a rectangular area with a hoop at each end.
- By this point, there are two primary portions.
- If the offensive team puts the ball in play behind the mid-court line, they have 10 seconds to get it across.
- If not, the defense gets the ball.
- After crossing the midcourt line, the offensive team cannot have the ball behind the midcourt line.
- If it does, the defense gets the ball.
The ball is dribbled or passed down the court. The offense is the team with the ball, while the defense is the team without it.
The defense’s goal is to steal the ball, contest shots, deflect passes, and grab rebounds.
Points
When they make a basket, a team scores two points, and the ball is passed to the opposing team.
Attempts taken outside the three-point line are worth one point each, whereas free throws are for two points.
It is possible to earn free throws based on the number of fouls committed by a team.
When a shooter is fouled, he gets two or three free throws depending on where he was fouled. Extending his range gives him three shots.
Other fouls (called “team fouls”) don’t result in free throws until a certain number are accumulated during a half.
Once that number is reached, the fouled player gets a “1-and-1” chance. If he misses his first free throw, he gets another, and a misfire on the first attempt bounces back to him.
Game Timer
Each level is divided into two half, and each game is separated into portions.
Each half is twenty minutes long in college.
In high school and lower, the halves are broken into eight (and sometimes six) minute quarters, which are twelve minutes long in the pros.
The portions are separated by several minutes, and quarters are separated by only a few centimeters.
Positions of Players
Center. Centers are usually the tallest players on the team, usually placed near the basket.
Offensive: The center’s job is to open up the defense to make a pass or a shot. They’re also in charge of picking or screening opponents so that other players may drive to the basket and score a goal. – Centers are supposed to contribute offensive rebounds and putbacks.
Defense begins with the center blocking shots and passes in the crucial area to thwart the opponent’s attempts to score. It is believed that they will get many rebounds because of their height.
Forward. Your forwards are likely to be the second-tallest members of your team. Depending on the situation, a forward may be required to play under the basket and in the wing and the corner positions.
Getting open for passes, taking outside shots, driving for goals, and rebounding are all the responsibilities of the forwards on a team.
Defensive: Duties include blocking goal-bound drives and rebounding.
Guard. These are your shortest players, and therefore they should be able to dribble quickly, see the floor, and pass well. Their responsibility is to move the ball down the field and set up attacking plays.
Dribbling, passing, and setting up offensive plays are the key tasks of a guard, and they should also drive to the basket and shoot from beyond the arc.
A guard’s defensive responsibilities include stealing passes, contesting shots, blocking drives to the bucket, and boxing out.