Basic Lessons On Basketball

Basketball is a sport—one of the most famous sport aside from soccer, football, and baseball. Like any other sport, it requires, as well as develops, physical strength. It is a sport of agility and endurance that develops hand-eye coordination of players.

Basketball is a game that only requires a basket, a ball, and at least two players. It is invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 by nailing two peach baskets to the balconies on opposite ends of a YMCA gym in Springfield, Massachusetts. Two centuries after, it became an unofficial pastime of nearly all races especially Americans. According to International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), more than 300 million people play basketball around the world. Also in 2001 report of National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), it says that more than 28 million Americans played basketball.

With two baskets and more than two players play the game, how does exactly a basketball is being played?

The basic idea of the game is so simple. The two teams need to achieve two goals: get the ball through the opposing team's basket as much as possible (also called offense) and stop the opposing team from doing the same thing (also called defense). The team with the ball plays the offense and the other is the defense. Hence, the team with a ball position players to take a shot, whereas the defense players place themselves to block the shots. Fundamentals of the game include passing, dribbling, and shooting.

The way players perform largely depends on the court, of which dimensions’ vary depending on the level of the play. An official court is a rectangle. A midcourt line divides the court into two halves. On each end, a basket is mounted to a backboard. It is raised to a height of three meters. A regular basket is 18-inch-diameter metal rim with a 15 or 18-inch long, and with an open-ended nylon net extending below it. It is about twice the diameter of a regular basketball.

A team is called on frontcourt during offense and on backcourt on defense. A center circle along the midcourt line is used for tip-off. This starts the game when a referee throws a ball into the air and one player from each team jumps to tip the ball to his/her respective teammates.

Furthermore, on each half of the court is a three-point line. Within such line is the key consisting of free-throw line and free throw lane—sometimes called the paint.

Players, compose of six, of basketball are categorized by position. The point guard is the best dribbler and passer, sometimes called the floor general. The shooting guard is the best outside shooter, the one who tries to create space to take a shot. The power forward is near the basket. They are skilled rebounders. The small forward is a better outside shooter than a power forward. Traditionally, the center is the tallest player who establishes a position near the basket allowing him or her easy jump shot. On defense, he blocks shots and grab rebounds.

Gaining points in basketball is by throwing the ball through the basket—called shooting. Different points are given to a shot depending where they take the shot. There are three, two, and one points.

There are also rules of the court. The referees police the action of the game and use hand signals to indicate the type of violation that has occurred. Furthermore, an official game is played for a set amount of time. These rules allow a fair game in basketball.