How to drive the lane in basketball

Of course, if you have played or watched basketball long enough, the decisions of an offensive player are not limited to driving and shooting. If the player with the ball can score on three levels, the defense will be forcing him to give up the ball.

The decision on whether to shoot or drive is just the primary decision. If a player decides to shoot or drive based on his read, then he should do it with freedom and conviction. But then again, the defense constantly adjusts, and both the shooting and driving options may not always be there. Therefore, the next decision is to pass.

The pass that a player makes in any situation is also based on particular reads. Remember the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving scenario earlier? Let’s get back to that.

KD now kicks the ball out to an open Irving to the left wing. The defender is right there on time, and the help defense behind him is paying attention to the possible drive. He can’t shoot nor drive. In this case, the best option is simply to pass out to a teammate and reorganize.

A second possible scenario that warrants a pass is this: After the Durant pass to Irving on the left wing, Irving’s initial defender does not close out. Now, James Harden’s defender is forced to close out on Irving. Realizing that, Irving flicks a quick pass to a now-open Harden for a bucket.

That is often called the extra pass in basketball. That means one player gives up a good shot for his teammate to take a great shot. Like deciding when to shoot or drive, knowing when to pass requires expertise in reading the defense.

In basketball, knowing when to shoot or drive is just as important as any skill that you may acquire. Along with the threat of passing, it may possibly be the most critical offensive skill for basketball players.

Figuring out how to know when to shoot or drive in basketball boils down to reading defenders. A straightforward method is reading how far a defender is from you. If he is an arm’s length away, then you shoot. If he’s closer than an arm’s length, then you drive.

Of course, as simple as that sounds, basketball is a lot more complicated than that. If you’re a good enough shooter or penetrator, the defense will take that away from you. Therefore, the next option is to pass. Knowing when to pass after the defense takes away a possible look or driving lane is a critical skill. This allows you to create easy scoring opportunities for teammates.

Admittedly, to accurately decide when to shoot or drive requires constant practice and repetitions. If you are a young player, it’s crucial to develop an aggressive but unselfish mindset to be deeply ingrained in you as your game matures. To do this, you need to hone your basketball shooting skills, finishing packages, and decision-making skills by participating in various drills and practices.

We also answer other frequently answered questions on basketball here.

Rule 3, 5, 8, 24 seconds in basketball and their violations

Hello, dear visitors of basketball-training.org.ua! Today I want to tell you about the most important basketball rules related to playing time. These rules are quite simple to understand and apply, however, as practice shows, many players do not interpret them quite correctly, which causes a lot of controversy.

So I decided to write an article that will dot the "i" in questions 8, 5, 3 and 24 seconds in basketball rules . Let's start with the three second rule.

Rule of Three Seconds

Quoting Official Basketball Rules:

A player must not remain in the opposing team's restricted area for more than three consecutive seconds while his team is in control of a live ball in the frontcourt and the game clock is running.

An exception must be made to a player who:

• Attempts to leave the restricted area.
• Is in the restricted area while he or his partner is in the act of shooting and the ball is leaving or has already left the player's hand(s) on a shot for a field goal.
• Dribbling in the restricted area for a shot for a field goal while in the restricted area for less than three (3) seconds.

To be considered outside the restricted area, the player must place both feet on the floor outside the restricted area.

Something to watch out for: You can stand in the 3-second zone until the ball has gone to the opposing team. You can stay in the zone if your partner is throwing the basket. Well, to get out of the zone, you need to go out with both feet (and not one, as is often the case).

8 second rule

Let me quote the basketball rules again:

Whenever:

• Player gains control of a live ball in his backcourt
• On a throw-in, the ball touches or the ball is legally touched by any player in the backcourt and the thrower's team continues to have control of the ball in their backcourt, that team must bring the ball into their frontcourt within eight (8) seconds.

A team kicks the ball into its frontcourt when:

• A ball not in control of any player touches the frontcourt.
• The ball is touched or the ball is legally touched by an attacker who has both feet in contact with his frontcourt.
• The ball is touched or the ball is legally touched by a defender who has part of his body in contact with his backcourt.
• The ball touches an official who has part of his body in the frontcourt of the team in control of the ball.
• During a dribble from the backcourt to the frontcourt, the ball and both feet of the dribbler are in contact with the frontcourt.

The eight (8) second count continues from whatever time remains at the point of stoppage when the same team that previously had control of the ball is awarded a backcourt throw-in as a result of:

• Ball out of bounds.
• Injuries of a player of the same team.
• Jump ball situations.
• Double foul.
• Compensation of the same penalties against both teams.

What we pay attention to: both feet must go to the side of the opposing team, otherwise you will lose the ball. You can also throw the ball at the referee to avoid breaking the 8 second rule (just kidding, of course).

The 24 second rule

Before you read what is written below, you can read a very interesting article about how 24 seconds saved the NBA from discouragement: link.

And now let's turn to the original source published by the Basketball Federation (FIBA):

Whenever:

• Player gains control of a live ball on the playing court
• On a throw-in, the ball touches or the ball is legally touched by any player on the playing court and the team of the player taking the throw-in continues to have control of the ball, that team must shoot for a field goal within twenty-four seconds.

To consider a shot for a field goal taken within twenty-four seconds:

• The ball must leave the player's hand before the twenty-four second device signal sounds and
• After the ball has left the player's hand, he must touch the ring or enter the basket.

When a shot for a field goal is taken just before the end of the 24 second period and the 24 second device signal sounds while the ball is in the air:

• If the ball enters the basket, no offense occurs, the signal is ignored and the hit counts.
• If the ball touches the ring but does not enter the basket, no offense occurs, the signal is ignored and the game continues.
• If the ball does not touch the ring, a violation occurs. However, if the opposing team gains immediate and obvious control of the ball, the signal is ignored and play continues.

All restrictions related to hitting and ball interference must be taken into account.

If the referee stops play:

• When a foul or violation (but not when the ball goes out of bounds) is committed by a team not in control of the ball
• For any other reason related to the team not in control of the ball
• For any reason unrelated to either team, possession of the ball must be awarded to the same team that previously had control of the ball.

If the throw-in is administered in the backcourt, the twenty-four second clock must be reset to 24 seconds. In the event that the face-off is administered in the frontcourt, the twenty-four (24) second device must be set as follows:

• If there are 14 seconds or more remaining on the device when the game is stopped for 24 seconds, then the readings on the device must not be reset, and the countdown must continue from the time it was stopped.
• If the twenty-four second device has thirteen seconds or less left when the game is stopped, the device must be reset to 14 seconds.

However, if, in the judge's opinion, the opposing team will be placed at a disadvantage, the twenty-four (24) second count shall continue from the time of stoppage.

If the 24 second device signal sounds in error while either team is in control of the ball or neither team is in control of the ball, the signal is ignored and play continues.

However, if, in the opinion of the referee, the team in control of the ball has been disadvantaged, play shall be stopped, the 24 second clock shall be corrected and the ball shall be awarded to that same team.

Well, here the explanations will be superfluous, and so it is painted in great detail.

5 second rule

And this is the most interesting rule, often called " close player ". Almost none of the amateur players know about it, it is not judged in the framework of streetball tournaments (if you want to know more about the rules by which 3v3 are played in the Ukrainian Streetball League, read Streetball Rules) and in the USA it does not exist at all! So, what is its specialty?

Close Player

Definition : A player who is holding a live ball on the playing court is considered to be closely guarded when an opponent is in an active defensive stance no more than one meter away.

A closely guarded player must pass, shoot or dribble within five seconds.

Actually, if you defend tightly with a player for 5 seconds, but he did not start the dribble, the referee should whistle a violation. If the player has completed the dribbling and you again come close to him - again a violation (of course, after 5 seconds have passed).

A small conclusion

You just got acquainted or simply updated in your memory the basketball rules related to the countdown of playing time. It is important to understand that for each violation of this rule (in your opinion), you do not need to stop the game (if you play without a referee) or run to express your displeasure to the referee. The main thing here is not only not to break these rules yourself, but, if possible, to tell young players about them who are just starting their career in basketball and are not always well versed in the nuances of the game.

And this concludes the article, I wish you successful training, compliance with all the rules of our favorite game and I look forward to seeing you again on the pages of our site!

Basketball court markings: standards and norms

Author of the article

Khvatkov Dmitry

Consultant in the production of rubber coatings

Basketball field marking requirements are approved by the FIBA ​​standard. The site must be flat with a hard surface, free of bends, cracks and other obstacles. The accepted dimensions of the field are: length 28 m and width 16 m. By NBA standards, the field is slightly larger: 28.7 m (94' ft) long and 15.3 m (50' ft) wide.

Non-international competition courts may differ from accepted standards (for public use, in schools or universities, etc.) and usually vary from 20 to 28 m in length and from 12 to 16 m in width.

Basketball court marking standards

Basketball court markings are conditionally divided into 5 components:

• Boundary lines. They are located along the perimeter of the site and set its size. The lines that run along the field are called side lines, and those that are behind the baskets are called front lines.
• Central line. Divides the court in half parallel to the front lines.
• Central zone. It is a circle and is placed in the middle of the center line, and, accordingly, in the center of the entire field.
• Three-point line. It is a semi-ellipse and is located around the shields on both sides of the field. It limits the close range.
• Free throw line. It is located in front of the boards parallel to the front line and is limited on the sides by paint lines.

The standard line width is 5 cm. All outlines and lines must be of the same color (usually white) and be clearly visible from anywhere on the court.

Common lines

Common lines are used to limit the playing area of ​​the court. The side lines (along the field) according to FIBA ​​standards should be 28 m long, and the front lines - 16 m. For public areas, deviations from the accepted standards are allowed. Typically, basketball courts in schools or gyms are made from 20 m long and 12 m wide.

Central lines

The center line is parallel to the front and divides the field exactly in half. According to the standards - it should extend beyond the side lines by 15 cm on both sides.

In the middle of the center line there is a circle with a diameter of 3.6 m, which limits the central zone of the field. In this zone, the ball is played at the beginning of the game.

Three-point line

Three-point lines are located around the backboards on both sides of the field and consist of two straight lines with a length of 2.99 m and a semicircle. Straight lines run perpendicular to the front at a distance of 0.9 m from the side lines. Despite the fact that visually the distance from the ring to the side of the three-point line seems to be less than to its central part, the distance from the backboard to any point is 6.75 m.

Penalty lines

Penalty lines limit the nearest area at the backboard. They consist of a trapezoid and a free throw zone.

Despite the name, the "trapezium" is a rectangle (until 2009year it really was a trapezoid), which is located under the shield. Its dimensions are 5.8 meters long and 4.9 meters wide. The shield is located at a distance of 1.575 m from the end line in the middle of the site. In front of the backboard, at a distance of 1.25 m, there is a semicircle that limits the area for picking up the ball.

At a distance of 4.225 meters from the backboard, the trapeze zone ends and the free throw zone begins. It is a semicircle with a diameter of 3.6 m (like the central circle).

Paint zone lines

These lines are serifs on both sides of the trapezium (parallel to the side lines). They limit the areas for players who are fighting for the ball during a free throw.

Zones on the basketball field

The basketball court is divided into zones using markings. Each zone has its own specific rules.

Center circle

The center circle is used as a separate kick-off area at the start of the game. One representative from each team stand in a circle from their side and fight for the ball in a jump, after it is dropped by the referee. All players are exclusively on their side of the field, except for one who rebounds on the opponent's side.

Neutral zone

The peculiarity of this zone is that as soon as the player of the attacking team with the ball crosses the center line and is on the side of the opponent, he cannot pass the ball to the player of his team who is on the other side of the field (i.e. behind center line on your side).

Three-point zone

The three-point line limits the near field of the shot. Hitting the basket from outside the basket brings the team three points. If the throw was made inside the zone, then it brings two points.

Three-second zone

This is the zone in close proximity to the ring. It is called three-second, since the player of the attacking team cannot be in it for more than three seconds. Most balls are thrown in this zone, so when attacking, it provides maximum protection.

Free throw area

In controversial situations, a free throw is provided from this area. The player of the attacking team must score the ball without stepping over the line of the trapezoid.

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