BASKETBALL

HISTORY, SKILLS, RULES AND REGULATION

Basketball was invented in 1891 by Dr James Naismith, a Canadian of
Scottish descent at Springfield College Massachusetts. The college
was the International YMCA Training School and the game was
invented to provide an indoor activity for trainee YMCA leaders.
When the game was first played, peach baskets were nailed up at each
end of the gymnasium as “goals”, hence the origin of the name
“basketball”.
The first set of rules was published and distributed through the YMCA
movement in 1892 and this resulted in the game spreading rapidly
throughout Canada and the USA. 1892 also saw the game played in England
for the first time at Birkenhead YMCA after the Club President was the
game played whilst on a business trip to Canada. In 1893 the game was
introduced into the Physical Training College in Hampstead (now Dartford
College of PE) by Madame Berman Osterberg. Changes to the game to suit
the girls led to the first rules of netball being published in 1901.
The England Basketball Association was formed in 1936,
13 years before the NBA was formed in America, and by
1957 the English Schools Basketball Association was
formed. The 1970’s saw the introduction of both men’s and
women’s national leagues in the UK, and by 1999, 219
teams were entered in the over 16 national leagues with
almost 100 competing at under 15 levels. By 1990 there
were 117 member countries in FIBA making basketball the
second largest of all the world’s governing bodies and also
the world’s fastest growing and largest participation sport.
To date there are 212 member countries worldwide, whilst in
the UK alone there are over 500,000 people who regularly
participate in recreational basketball and it has become
increasingly common to find the sport as part of the
curriculum in schools at all levels. It is also used widely as a
community activity as anyone of any age or gender can
participate. Basketball is now included in the
Commonwealth Games and the sport in general received a
lot of coverage when the GB wheelchair team performed
very successfully in the Paralympics recently, proving that it
is a sport that is accessible and playable by all.
 Basic Skills in Basketball

Dribbling
Shooting Basketball is a fast-paced game that requires
Running the knowledge and instinct to perform quickly
Passing and properly. The sport of basketball requires
Jumping five basic skills. While some players might be
more experienced with some skills than others,
it is best to have at least some ability in all five
areas.
Basketball is a team sport.
Two teams of five players each try to score by shooting a
ball through a hoop elevated 10 feet above the ground.
The game is played on a rectangular floor called the court,
and there is a hoop at each end.
The court is divided into two main sections by the mid-
court line.
If the offensive team puts the ball into play behind the
mid-court line, it has ten seconds to get the ball over the
mid-court line.
If it doesn't, then the defense gets the ball.
Once the offensive team gets the ball over the mid-court
line, it can no longer have possession of the ball in the area
behind the midcourt line.
If it does, the defense is awarded the ball.
Points

 When a team makes a basket, they score two points and the ball goes to the other team. 
 If a basket, or field goal, is made outside of the three-point arc, then that basket is worth
three points.
 A free throw is worth one point. 
 Free throws are awarded to a team according to some formats involving the number of fouls
committed in a half and/or the type of foul committed. 
 Fouling a shooter always results in two or three free throws being awarded the shooter,
depending upon where he was when he shot. If he was beyond the three-point line, then he
gets three shots. 
 Other types of fouls do not result in free throws being awarded until a certain number have
accumulated during a half (called “team fouls”). 
 Once that number is reached, then the player who was fouled is awarded a '1-and-1'
opportunity. If he makes his first free throw, he gets to attempt a second. If he misses the
first shot, the ball is live on the rebound.
Game Clock
Each game is divided into sections, and all levels
have two halves.
In high school and below, the halves are divided into
eight (and sometimes, six) minute quarters. In the pros,
quarters are twelve minutes long.
There is a gap of several minutes between halves.
Gaps between quarters are relatively short.
If the score is tied at the end of regulation, then
overtime periods of various lengths are played until a
winner emerges.
Basket Assignment and Tip-Off
Also, each team is assigned a goal or basket to defend. This means that the
other basket is their scoring basket. At halftime, the teams switch goals. The
game begins with one player from either team at center court.
A referee will toss the ball up between the two. The player that gets his
hands on the ball will tip it to a teammate. This is called a tip-off.
FOULS
 Personal fouls: Personal fouls include any type of illegal physical contact. Hitting Pushing Slapping Holding
 Illegal pick/screen -- when an offensive player is moving. When an offensive player sticks out a limb and
makes physical contact with a defender in an attempt to block the path of the defender.
 Personal foul penalties: If a player is shooting while being fouled, then he gets two free throws if his shot
doesn't go in, but only one free throw if his shot does go in.
 Three free throws are awarded if the player is fouled while shooting for a three-point goal and they miss their
shot. If a player is fouled while shooting a three-point shot and makes it anyway, he is awarded one free throw.
Thus, he could score four points on the play.
 Inbounds. If fouled while not shooting, the ball is given to the team the foul was committed upon. They get the
ball at the nearest side or baseline, out of bounds, and have 5 seconds to pass the ball onto the court.
 One & one. If the team committing the foul has seven or more fouls in the game, then the player who was
fouled is awarded one free throw. If he makes his first shot, then he is awarded another free throw.
Ten or more fouls. If the team committing the foul has ten or more fouls, then the
fouled player receives two free throws.
Charging. An offensive foul that is committed when a player pushes or runs over a
defensive player. The ball is given to the team that the foul was committed upon.
Blocking. Blocking is illegal personal contact resulting from a defender not
establishing position in time to prevent an opponent's drive to the basket.
Flagrant foul. Violent contact with an opponent. This includes hitting, kicking, and
punching. This type of foul results in free throws plus the offense retaining possession
of the ball after the free throws.
Intentional foul. When a player makes physical contact with another player with no
reasonable effort to steal the ball. It is a judgment call for the officials.
Technical foul. Technical foul. A player or a coach can commit this type of foul. It
does not involve player contact or the ball but is instead about the 'manners' of the
game. Foul language, obscenity, obscene gestures, and even arguing can be considered
a technical foul, as can technical details regarding filling in the scorebook improperly
or dunking during warm-ups.
VIOLATIONS

 Walking/Traveling. Taking more than 'a step and a half' without dribbling the ball
is traveling. Moving your pivot foot once you've stopped dribbling is traveling.

 Carrying/palming. When a player dribbles the ball with his hand too far to the
side of or, sometimes, even under the ball.

 Double Dribble. Dribbling the ball with both hands on the ball at the same time or
picking up the dribble and then dribbling again is a double dribble.

 Held ball. Occasionally, two or more opposing players will gain possession of the
ball at the same time. In order to avoid a prolonged and/or violent tussle, the
referee stops the action and the ball to one team or the other on a rotating basis.
Goaltending. If a defensive player interferes with a shot while it's on the way down toward the basket,
while it's on the way up toward the basket after having touched the backboard, or while it's in the cylinder
above the rim, it's goaltending and the shot counts. If committed by an offensive player, it's a violation and
the ball is awarded to the opposing team for a throw-in.
 
Backcourt violation. Once the offense has brought the ball across the mid-court line, they cannot go back
across the line during possession. If they do, the ball is awarded to the other team to pass inbounds.

Time restrictions. A player passing the ball inbounds has five seconds to pass the ball. If he does not,
then the ball is awarded to the other team. Other time restrictions include the rule that a player cannot have
the ball for more than five seconds when being closely guarded and, in some states and levels, shot-clock
restrictions requiring a team to attempt a shot within a given time frame
Player Positions

In a typical game of basketball, there are usually five

players on each team on the court, and each player has
their roles and responsibilities.
Traditionally, players who filled these position would
solely stick to their role and focus on their task, but
basketball has advanced a lot since then and every
player these days are required to play two or more
positions at one time.
This is due to the nature of the sport where players
move around and play flexibly, doing what is required
in any given situation.
CENTER

The center is usually the team’s tallest and strongest player and is
positioned under the basket. He is also required to be physically
domineering with more physical strength and athleticism.
On the offensive play, most centres do not consistently score
midrange or beyond the arch. Instead, most of their points should be
from offensive rebounds and are also required to block defenders to
open other players up for driving to the basket.
On the defense, the centre is responsible for keeping the opponent
from shooting by blocking shots and passes in the vital area. They’re
also expected to fight for rebounds as they’re usually taller physically.
POWER FORWARDS

They are usually the second tallest in the team and are the closest to the centre in
terms of physical attributes and playing style but with more speed.
They are often the most versatile player, being able to score in the paint as well as
being able to shoot from midrange. It will be more effective if they’re able to land a
three-point consistently.
Defensively, they are required to have the strength to guard bigger players close to
the basket.
SMALL FORWARD

The Small Forward is usually the shorter of the two

forwards on the team but plays the most versatile role
out of the main five positions.

He must have enough height and the ability to play on

the inside as well as agility to play on the outside,
similar to a shooting guard. Small Forwards are usually
the second or third best shooters on the team and should
be able to do a little bit of everything on the court.
SHOOTING GUARD
Potentially the shortest player on the team, the Shooting
Guard is the team’s best outside shooter. Besides being
able to shoot well, the Shooting Guard needs to be good at
dribbling fast, passing and having court vision by seeing
the court.
He is also responsible for driving the ball down the court
and setting up offensive plays.
A good Shooting Guard will be a threat to his opponent as
he’s able to score from anywhere on the court.
POINT GUARD

The Point Guard is usually the shortest but the best ball handler on the team. Also
known as the ‘coach on the floor’ or the ‘floor general’, a point guard is responsible
for directing plays.
He needs to have good court vision to create open shots for the receivers as well
as drive the ball down the court and initiate offensive plays.
Point Guards need to have an excellent long-distance shooting, though it’s not
quite as crucial as for shooting guards, some point guards take as many shots as
shooting guards.
 Official size of a basketball is 29.5 to 30 inches in circumference for
The Ball men’s game and 28.5 inches in circumference for women’s game. It
should weigh 18 to 22 ounces. When bounced off 6 feet from the
floor, a well inflated ball should bounce 49 to 54 inches in height.
The regulation height above the ground for the rim
(hoop) is 10 feet, and the rim is 18 inches in
diameter. Backboards are 6 feet wide (72 inches) by
42 inches tall, with the inner square being 24 inches
wide by 18 inches tall.

The Backboard and Rim

Basketball Court Dimensions

The basketball court is the next

important thing for shooting balls in this
game. The court is usually made of
wooden floorboard. The court size is
about 28m x 17m according to the
International standards. The National
Basketball Association (NBA)
regulation states the floor dimension as
29m x 15m. The standard court is
rectangular in shape and has baskets
placed on opposite ends.