Basketball For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Basketball is the most popular participatory sport in the United States even more popular than
Angry Birds. So whether youre a basketball player or a basketball fan, youre in with the
popular crowd. The sport combines physical prowess, intelligence, grace, and coordination.
Although more than 46 million Americans play basketball, the game is flexible enough to enable
each player to develop individual style. It all comes down to one basic idea: Throw the ball
through the hoop!

Basic Rules
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 in back of the line. If it does, the defense is awarded the ball.

Basketball Court 1

The ball is moved down the court toward the basket by passing or dribbling. The team with the
ball is called the offense. The team without the ball is called the defense. They try to steal the
ball, contest shots, steal and deflect passes, and garner rebounds.

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. 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.

Each game is divided into sections. All levels have two halves. In college, each half is twenty
minutes long. 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.

Each team is assigned a basket or goal 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. In addition to stealing the ball from an
opposing player, there are other ways for a team to get the ball.

One such way is if the other team commits a foul or violation.

Understanding Player Positions in Basketball

In basketball, a five-player team scores points by getting the ball through the hoop. Each
basketball player has a specific position and responsibilities. The positions which consist of
two guards, two forwards, and one center call for different physical requirements and skills:

Center. Centers are generally your tallest players. They generally are positioned near the
basket.
o Offensive -- The center's goal is to get open for a pass and to shoot. They are also
responsible for blocking defenders, known as picking or screening, to open other
players up for driving to the basket for a goal. Centers are expected to get some
offensive rebounds and put-backs.
o Defensive -- On defense, the center's main responsibility is to keep opponents
from shooting by blocking shots and passes in the key area. They also are
expected to get a lot of rebounds because they're taller.

Forward. Your next tallest players will most likely be your forwards. While a forward
may be called upon to play under the hoop, they may also be required to operate in the
wings and corner areas.
o Offensive -- Forwards are responsible to get free for a pass, take outside shots,
drive for goals, and rebound.
o Defensive -- Responsibilities include preventing drives to the goal and
rebounding.
 Guard. These are potentially your shortest players and they should be really good at
dribbling fast, seeing the court, and passing. It is their job to bring the ball down the court
and set up offensive plays.
o Offensive -- Dribbling, passing, and setting up offensive plays are a guard's main
responsibilities. They also need to be able to drive to the basket and to shoot from
the perimeter.
o Defensive -- On defense, a guard is responsible for stealing passes, contesting
shots, preventing drives to the hoop, and for boxing out.

Violations and Fouls

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 a 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
awards 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.