THE RULES
There are many more rules for competitive play than are listed here. These are the basics:-1. If the ball, or a player with the ball, touches the outer lines of the court, they are out of bounds.
-2. The ball is out of bounds if it bounces over the back of the backboard.
-3. A player from the opposing team will in-bound a ball that has gone out of bounds at the spot where it went out.
-4. A player has only 5 seconds to in-bound a ball.
-5. A player attempting a free throw has 10 seconds to take the shot and cannot fake a shot to draw the opponent into the lane.
-6. A player may not intentionally kick the ball with the foot or leg below the knee.
-7. A player may not take steps while the ball is in their possession unless they are dribbling.
-8. A player may not bounce the ball again after ending her initial dribble.
-9. An offensive player cannot be in the lane for more than 3 seconds.
-10. A team has 30 seconds in which to take a shot once they gain possession of the ball.
-11. Once a team has crossed the half court line with the ball, they may not go back over the line.
-12. A player cannot excessively swing her arms and elbows to keep the opponent from the ball.
-13. Players may not use profanity, vulgarities, taunt, ridicule, point fingers at opponents or officials, make obscene gestures, or bait an opponent.
-14. A player cannot obstruct the vision of another player by waving the hands in front of the eyes.
-15. It is a foul if a player:
a. holds, pushes, charges or trips an opponent
b. contacts an opponent with the hands to impede movement or to push off of
c. extends the arms other than vertically and makes contact
d. dribbles or runs into a defensive player who has established position
e. makes contact with the opponent while setting a screen
f. uses the hands, arms, hips or shoulders to force her way through a screen
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TERMINOLOGY AND JARGON
-1. Assist - a pass which leads directly to a basket-2. Backboard - the rectangular surface to which the rim is attached
-3. Back court - the half of a court that a team defends
-4. Bank shot - a shot the hits the backboard before falling into the basket
-5. Basket - the action of converting a shot; the rim and net, also called the 'hoop'
-6. Blocked shot - when a defensive player successfully deflects a shot
-7. Blocking - a defensive foul made by bodily interfering with the motion of an offensive player
-8. Blocking out - gaining position to rebound a shot attempt
-9. Bounce pass - a pass that contacts the floor on its way to a teammate
-10. Charging - an offensive foul made by contacting a defensive player who has established position
-11. Dead ball - a ball not in play
-12. Double foul - simultaneous illegal contact between an offensive and a defensive player
-13. Double team - two defensive players guarding on offensive player
-14. Dribble - advancing the ball by bouncing it on the floor
-15. Drive - dribbling the ball while running toward the basket on an attempt to score
-16. Fake - a deceptive technique used to fool the opponent
-17. Fast break - an offensive strategy which moves the ball down court as quickly as possible in order to score before the defense can set up
-18. Field goal - a made basket; worth two or three points
-19. Forward - an offensive position played on the wing or close to the baseline
-20. Foul - illegal physical contact
-21. Free throw - an unguarded shot attempt made from a line 15 feet in front of the basket
-22. Front - playing defense between the player with the ball and the player you are guarding
-23. Front court - the half of the court that a team plays offense in
-24. Give and go - an offensive move of passing the ball to a teammate, running for the basket with the intent of getting the ball back to score
-25. Guard - an offensive position or two played furthest from the basket; guards are usually responsible for most of the ball handling and setting up of plays
-26. Inbounding - throwing the ball to a teammate from out of bounds; done after made baskets and violations
-27. Jump ball - an official tosses the ball up between two opposing players at mid-court to start the game
-28. Lane - the area of the court lined off in front of the basket, usually painted in; also called the paint or the key
-29. Lay up - a short shot taken from either side of the basket while on the run and usually banked off the backboard
-30. Outlet - a pass to a teammate who has broken toward the sideline after a defensive rebound; a pass that starts the fastbreak
-31. Over and back - a violation where the offensive team crosses the half court line and then crosses back into the back court
-32. Pass - an action that sends the ball from one teammate to another
-33. Passing lane - the path the ball takes between two players when passed
-34. Pick and roll - a screen (pick) for a teammate with the ball, followed by a move to the basket (roll)
-35. Pivot - rotating on a stationary foot
-36. Player to player - a form of defense where each opponent guards one other (known in patriarchal systems as "man to man")
-37. Post - the offensive position closest to the basket and most often played by the tallest player on a team; also called the center
-38. Press - a defensive strategy that pressures the ball either full or half court
-39. Rebound - the action of a missed shot; the action of recovering a missed shot; the action of starting a new relationship too soon
-40. Sagging - a form of defense where the opponent is not closely guarded
-41. Screen - an offensive technique designed to impede a defensive player or to free up a teammate
-42. Switching - the action of two defensive players changing which players they're defending; often happens due to a successful screen
-43. Technical - a foul called against a player, coach, bench member, or fan who gets out of line
-44. Trap - a defensive strategy that stops a player from dribbling of passing to a teammate
-45. Traveling - a rule violation involving too many steps with the ball
-46. Turnover - when the offense loses the ball to the defense, usually due to a mistake or a rule violation; a flaky, fruit filled pastry
-47. Violation - breaking a rule resulting in a turnover
-48. Wing - the area to the sides of the baskets; an offensive position; a small piece of chicken
-49. Zone - a defensive system where players guard an area of the court instead of specific players --menu--
SKILLS
DRIBBLING: The act of bouncing the ball whether standing still or on the move. A skill used to move the ball up and down the court, use up time, escape from defenders, get closer to the basket or to teammates.¥ Cover as much of the ball with your hand as possible. Find a comfortable mix of fingers, hand, wrist, and arm to push the ball to the floor and to catch it on the rebound from the floor.
¥ Keep your head and eyes UP while dribbling so you can see where you are going and where your open teammates are. Use your peripheral vision when dribbling as opposed to watching the ball.
¥ Dribble the ball a bit off to your side as opposed to right in front of you for ease of movement and to use your body as a barrier to the ball for the opponent.
¥ Bend your knees to get your hand closer to the floor and to allow for quicker movement.
¥ Do not dribble the ball higher than your waist, and keep your hand on top of the ball.
Key points:
1. Practice dribbling often to develop a sense of where the ball is without looking at it. Get comfortable with it in and out of your hands.
2. Use your non-dominant hand as much as possible to develop it.
3. As a general rule you should not dribble the ball just once. A single dribble erases one of your three options (dribble, pass, shoot) fast and allows the defense to close in on you.
PASSING: The skill of sending the ball to a teammate, whether through the air or with a bounce. ¥ The passer can use one or two hands to send the ball to a teammate, although two is generally more reliable and accurate.
¥ Aim for your teammate's chest area, or at least above the waist, to make their job easier.
¥ The passer should step in the direction of the pass unless you are trying for deception. Receivers should also step to the ball to catch it and use two hands when possible.
¥ Types of passes:
a. chest pass - a two handed pass that travels at chest height from player to player
b. bounce pass - a one or two handed pass that hits the floor about 2/3 of the way to your teammate and comes up about waist high
c. overhead pass - a one or two handed pass that you start over your head, either to clear a defender or for added power; aim for your teammate's upper body or extended hands
Key points:
1. The accuracy and speed of passes is critical. They should be crisp, but not too hard, and catchable.
2. Do not always look at the player you are passing to. It makes defense too easy for the opponent.
3. Passing makes the game move faster than dribbling.
SHOOTING: a skill that sends the ball to the hoop with the intention of scoring. Can be done with one or two hands, depending on the defense, the type of shot and your personal strength. A shot can be taken so that the ball hits the backboard or not. Bank shots are best done at an angle to the backboard and not from just in front of the basket. When not using the board, the shooter should aim just over the front of the rim. The advantage of this is that all rims are the same while backboards are different in each gym.
¥ The ball should be held in the length of the fingers and lightly resting at the top of the palm. The wrist is flexed back, the upper arm is parallel to the floor, and the ball is held just above the hairline.
¥ The arm extends upwards, slightly forward and the ball is released at full extension with the wrist pushing the hand through and UNDER the ball. A good shot has backspin on it!
¥ Types of shots:
a. lay-ups: a one handed shot taken as close to the basket as you can get, usually on the run and from a 45 degree angle to the backboard. A lay-up taken from the right side of the basket should be shot with the right hand, jumping off the left foot with the right knee thrown dynamically up to help you gain height. Reverse this on the left side of the basket.
b. set shot: a shot taken without leaving the ground, such as a free throw. The ball should be 'shot' and not 'thrown', with body balance maintained throughout the shot.
c. jump shot: the same as a set shot only the shooter leaves the floor before she shoots. It is best if she uses them to get clear of her defender, that is, to jump, ... then to shoot. The shooter releases the ball at the top of her jump and does not travel forward into the defensive player.
d. hook shot: a jump shot taken over your head with your non-shooting shoulder aimed at the basket. Used mostly by post players in close to the hoop and trying to clear a defender.
Key points:
1. The smaller the muscles used, the more precise the action on the ball, so it is best to shoot with the wrist and arm in isolation, instead of using the whole body.
2. One handed shots have a better chance of being accurate when the shooter has the strength to shoot this way because the second hand can throw off the direction of the ball if it does not work in perfect unison with the shooting hand.
3. The higher the arc on the shot, the better chance it has of falling into the basket. The flatter the shot, the more accurate you have to be as a shooter.
4. The basket is wide enough for two balls to fall through the hoop at once. (Is this a myth?)
REBOUNDING: The art of recovering a missed shot before it hits the floor, or before an opponent gets a hand on it. This is a part of the game where the most intentional physical contact is allowed and encouraged. Every time the ball is shot, 6-8 players on the floor should be positioning themselves for the rebound. Theoretically, defensive players have an advantage in rebounding, so it is a big deal to get offensive rebounds!
¥ When a ball is shot each player should fight to get in front of the closest player to her to gain position to receive the missed shot. This is called blocking out and contact with the player is essential. You should basically sit in the opponents lap.
¥ Once the ball has bounced off the rim and is in the air you should jump towards it with your arms fully extended. If the player behind you jumps over your back, she has committed a foul called (obviously) over the back.
¥ When you have a defensive rebound in your hands, look for a player who has broken for an outlet pass as soon as possible in order to start a fast break. If you are the point guard, start dribbling!
Key points:
1. Do not get too close to the basket when blocking out. It is better for the ball to bounce in front of you than to bounce long over your head.
2. Defenders should be on a mission and not allow the offense more than one shot at the basket!
3. Offensive players should work very hard to rebound on their end and get an easy second shot. --menu--
SYSTEMS
DEFENSES: systems designed to counter the offensive strengths of opponents.1. Player to player: each player on the defensive team matches up with an offensive player who is comparably talented or sized. You go wherever she goes. In a basic set, the defensive players position themselves between the player being guarded and the basket so that if your player gets the ball, she does not have an uncontested shot at the hoop. You can also choose to "front" your player, which means you try to prevent them from getting the ball by positioning yourself between the ball and the player you are guarding. The weakness of fronting is that if your player does get the ball, she has an easy shot at the basket.
2. Zone: each player on the defensive team is responsible for guarding an area of the court, as opposed to any one player. You are responsible for players moving through your area whether they have the ball or not. It is a general opinion that zone defenses are easier to play than player to player because there is less movement overall. Zones are named with numbers based on what pattern they form when looking at them from the top of the key. The keys to breaking a zone are: a) good outside shooting, b) fast, accurate passing, c) backdoor plays, and d) creating miss-matches.
Examples of zones:
3. Combo defenses: some teams play a combination of player to player and zone when an opponent has a particular player that you want to focus on. Examples are a 'box and one', or a 'triangle and two'.
4. Press: a full court or half court strategy that keeps the offense from moving the ball down the court in time to get off a good shot. Good presses have traps built into them that pressure the ball handlers and cause violations or turnovers that result in fast, easy baskets for the pressers. We will not use these in class because our courts are too short!
OFFENSE: systems designed to take advantage of your team's strengths while trying to score.
Positions:
1- Point guard: the player who brings the ball down the court most of the time. She calls plays and runs the offense. She is quick and often small.
2 - Shooting guard: a player with the ability to shoot the three pointer; usually very quick and average in size, must also handle the ball well.
3 - Wing or small forward: another outside shooter who can drive and rebound.
4 - Forward or power forward: A physical position; a player who is expected to run the baseline, drive and rebound.
5 - Post or center: usually the tallest player, she jumps center, is responsible for physical play inside the lane, must rebound well.
Most offensive systems are combinations of basic moves including give and go's, pick and rolls, screens, cuts, backdoors, passes and shooting. Details will be covered in class.--menu--
SCORING
Field goals = 2 points for each basket made inside the 3 point arc3 points for each basket made behind the 3 point arc
Free throws = 1 point for each basket made
Fouls occurring against a player while in the act of shooting result in two free throws taken if the original shot was missed, one free throw if the original shot was made. Fouls that occur other than in the act of shooting result in a 'one and one' situation where a second free throw is awarded only if the first is made.--menu--