Instructions on how to play basketball

Basketball How To

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Every sport has its own set of moves, skills, and rules; basketball is no exception! In this lesson, you are going to learn ‘how to’ play basketball and perform many of those skills. You are going to learn, step-by-step, exactly what goes into the various facets of the sport. We will break down the basics of the sport and give you all of the information that you need in order to play or watch basketball like a pro!

Table of Contents

• How do you play basketball step by step?
• How is the game of basketball played?
• What are the 5 basic skills in basketball?
• How can I shoot better in basketball?

How do you play basketball step by step?

When it comes to a game of basketball, there is a typical set of steps for players to follow. Players will initially warm up on the court before the game, stretching, running through passing drills, and doing lay-up lines to get into form before diving right in. After warm-ups are over, the teams will prepare to start the game by sending their 5 starters out onto the court. One player from each team will start inside of the center circle, preparing to jump for the ball at the ‘tip-off’. Once the ball has been tipped-off, the game begins!

During the game, teams will play either four quarters or two halves of basketball. They will be running back and forth down the court, trying to score the ball in their basket and preventing the other team from scoring. They will need to utilize all 5 basic skills of basketball (shooting, passing, dribbling, rebounding, and defending) in order to do this. Occasional breaks will happen in the form of time-outs, but the game will not stop for a prolonged period of time until the end of a half or quarter. Play will resume until the time runs out at the end of the second half or fourth quarter.

Once the game has ended, the team with the most points will be named the winner. Overtime periods will be held until one team is named the winner if the score is tied. Teams will then shake hands as a sign of respect, before they go their separate ways!

How is the game of basketball played?

Basketball is played by a team of at least five members, all of whom need to be able to perform the 5 basic basketball skills. The basketball team works together as a unit to score points by making shots and preventing the other team from scoring points. They can do this by strategizing through play calls and outperforming the other team with the 5 basic skills. Players will shoot, pass, dribble, rebound, and defend in order to help their team score more points than the other, which will win them the game!

Additionally, teams must try to avoid committing fouls or turning the ball over on offense or defense, since this can take away opportunities for them to score or give the other team more opportunities to score.

Basketball requires skill, strategy, and stamina in order to be successful. Through practice, playing basketball can become easier and easier for players to succeed at.

What are the 5 basic skills in basketball?

There are 5 basic skills every basketball player should be constantly working on in order to improve their play as a whole. These are important to any basketball player’s success. Not all players are excellent at each of these skills, but they should be able to perform each when necessary.

Shooting

Shooting is the skill of putting the ball into the basket, when on offense, to score points. Shooters can score 2-pointers, 3-pointers, or free throws for 1-point. Every team needs to score in order to win, so shooting is very important.

Passing

Passing is the skill of moving the ball from one player to another. There are a few different types of passes to be used in different situations, including chest passes and bounce passes.

Dribbling

Dribbling is used to move the ball down the court on your own. You need to dribble in order to move with the ball, which will create scoring chances.

Rebounding

Rebounding is the skill of obtaining the ball directly after a shot is missed. Rebounding is important on both offense and defense, in order to secure more chances to score.

Defending

Defending is the skill of preventing the other team from scoring. You want the opposing team to score as little as possible and good defense helps you do that!

How can I shoot better in basketball?

Just like improving a skill in any other sport, the best way to improve your shooting skills is to practice! Let’s go over some of the most important things to practice in order to improve your shooting.

First, make sure that you are using your legs efficiently when shooting. The strength behind your shot starts in your legs, so you want to be bending them to create power before you jump for your shot.

Second, you should work on perfecting your form. Make sure that your elbow is directly under the ball when shooting and your hands are aiming toward the rim. All of your movements from your legs to your hands should be move in one fluid motion.

Third, make sure your follow through is correct. Your wrist should be bent toward the rim following the shot, with your fingers pointed toward where you shot the ball. 

Noticing and correcting bad habits while practicing will lead you to becoming a better shooter. Repetition of a perfect form while shooting will help you build muscle memory, which will make your natural shooting form the most effective!

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Basketball Basics - The Rules, Concepts, Definitions, and Player Positions

The rules of basketball, thankfully, are fairly straightforward.

However, if youre coaching younger players, these rules can be easily forgotten once they take the floor.

The three-second rule (which well discuss later in this article) is just one of many great examples.

But before you can teach the rules to your team, you must know them yourself.

So keep reading, because by the end of this article, youll be up to speed on all the basketball rules so you can teach your players and help them develop throughout the season!

The 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 behind the midcourt line.

If it does, the defense is awarded the ball.

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.

The defense tries to steal the ball, contest shots, deflect passes, and garner rebounds.

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 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.

Basket Assignment and Tip-Off

Also, 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.

(NOTE: Looking for a simple plan you can follow with your youth team? Or just some additional drills and plays to keep your players engaged and set them up for success? Check out our FREE 72 Winning Youth Drills and Plays eBooks to help your players develop AND have fun doing it.)

Fouls and Violations

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.

FOULS

Recommended Resources for Youth Coaches

• Coaching Youth Basketball Successfully
• 60+ Youth Basketball Drills
• Simple Offense for Youth Basketball

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.

Player Positions

Center. Centers are generally your tallest players. They generally are positioned near the basket.

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.

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.

Offensive -- Forwards are responsible to get free for a pass, take outside shots, drive for goals, and rebound.

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.

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.

Defensive -- On defense, a guard is responsible for stealing passes, contesting shots, preventing drives to the hoop, and for boxing out.

Where Should New Coaches Start?

Now that you understand the fundamentals, the smartest plan you can follow from here is to help players develop those skills with structured drills and practices.

Our FREE 72 Winning Youth Drills and Plays resource is designed for coaches like you, to help in:

• Understanding the proper technique for the most important skills like shooting, passing and dribbling
• Teaching players these skills using easy-to-follow drills
• Giving players structure with simple plays designed for youth athletes

It even includes diagrams and step-by-step instructions so you can help your players develop AND have fun doing it. ..

Even if you have little or no basketball (or coaching) experience.

Click the link below, and well send you a copy right away (along with a Special "skill development" Bonus for your players).

Get My FREE Drills and Plays, plus a Special Bonus.

To your basketball success!

Jeff and Joe Haefner

P.S. Here are a few additional resources to help you master basketball fundamentals:

• Shooting
• Passing
• Dribbling
• Lay ups
• Jump stops
• Pivoting and footwork
• Jab steps
• Screening
• Cutting
• Defense
• Rebounding

These are all critical fundamentals to master because they'll make you and your team better, no matter what age level or situation you might be in.

Rules of Basketball

How the rules have changed in your favorite game

How the rules have changed in your favorite game

WE ALL LOVE TO PLAY BASKETBALL, BUT DO YOU KNOW THE RULES EXACTLY?

Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. Then everything was different: playgrounds, baskets, balls…

!!! Read about the evolution of balls in the article:

Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. Then everything was different: playgrounds, baskets, balls…

!!! Read about the evolution of balls in the article:

The history of basketballs

The history of basketballs

What balls are played now and how it happened

The beginning

The rules have also changed a lot during this time. Initially, there were only 13 of them in basketball:

1. The ball can be thrown in any direction with one or two hands.
2. The ball may be hit with one or both hands in any direction, but never with the fist.
   
3. The player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw the ball from the point at which he caught it, except for a player running at high speed.
   
4. The ball must be held with the hands. You can not use the forearms and body to hold the ball.
   
5. In any case, hitting, grabbing, holding and pushing the opponent is not allowed. The first violation of this rule by any player shall be called a foul; the second foul disqualifies him until the next ball is scored, and if there was an obvious intention to injure the player, then a disqualification for the whole game. It is not allowed to replace a disqualified player.
   
6. Punching the ball is a violation of points 2 and 4, the penalty is described in point 5.
   
7. commit no foul).
   
8. A point is scored if a ball thrown or bouncing off the floor hits the basket and stays there. Defending players are not allowed to touch the ball or basket while shooting. If the ball touches the edge and the opponents move the basket, then a point is scored.
   
9. If the ball goes out of bounds, it must be dropped into the field by the first player to touch it. In the event of a dispute, the referee must throw the ball into the field. The thrower is allowed to hold the ball for five seconds. If he holds it longer, then the ball is given to the opponent. If either side tries to play for time, the referee must give them a foul.
   
10. The referee must monitor the actions of the players and fouls, and notify the referee of three consecutive fouls. He shall have the power to disqualify players under rule 5.
    
11. The referee must watch the ball and determine when the ball is in play (inbounds) and when it goes out of bounds (out of bounds), which side should be in possession of the ball, and any other action that the referee would normally take .
    
12. The game consists of two halves of 15 minutes each with a break of 5 minutes between them.
13. The side with the most goals during this time period is the winner.

The most important rule change in the history of basketball is the introduction of dribbling. In the original version of the game, this was prohibited by paragraph 3 of the rules.

One of the first changes in the game and the rules was the replacement of the basket with a ring with a net. It seemed to be very inconvenient to climb after the ball every time after a hit. Around the same time, free throws, dribbling appeared, and the composition of the teams was fixed for 5 players on the court at the same time. Before that, in some matches, up to 50 people could be on the court at the same time. All this happened back in 1896-1897.

The emergence of FIBA ​​(International Basketball Federation)

Basketball in the early 20th century became more popular and the rules in each country could be different. This was one of the reasons why FIBA ​​appeared in 1932 year. At the first FIBA ​​Congress, the teams were approved (5 people and 2 substitutes), and it was decided that after each goal there would be a throw-in in the center. This rule was removed after 4 years to reduce the advantage of tall players.

Over the next few years, the main changes were related to the number of personal fouls, the number of players on the bench and the introduction of a time limit for getting the ball into the opponent's half of the court.

More changes came in 1952 after the Olympics. The game became very boring, because the teams held the ball, having received a minimal lead in the score. Everyone understood this and searched for solutions for several years in order to save the life of basketball. At 1954 Danny Biason proposed to the NBA to limit the time for the shot to 24 seconds. At the 1956 Olympics, there was a similar rule: it was necessary to make a throw in 30 seconds. At the same time, to add equality between defense and attack, another rule familiar to us appeared: you need to start dribbling the ball before the supporting leg comes off.

Then the game became similar to the modern one from a technical point of view: dribbling, shots, a three-second zone appeared. In 1979, the NBA added a three-point line, and in 19In 1984, FIBA ​​also added an arc.

!!! An article about the evolution of the three-point shot and interesting facts:

10 interesting facts about the three-point shot.

10 interesting facts about the three-point shot.

Three-pointer evolution and insane records.

Changes in the rules and basketball since 1956 have included the number of free kicks, the situations in which these free kicks are given, and individual and team penalties. Some rules were introduced, and a few years later they were canceled. For example, the "3 for 2" rule: if a player was fouled in the shooting phase, then if one of the first two shots was missed, he could make another free throw. This rule was later removed.

Since the 1990s there have been constant changes: the emergence of alley-oops, changes in the timing and rewriting of the rules of running, which continue to this day.

From the most interesting: if the team has 0.3 seconds or less to throw the ball from behind, then it must be a one-touch throw. It takes at least 0.4 seconds to perform a full throw.

Derrick Fisher made similar throws:

And here is a small selection of videos of how they throw in 0. 2 seconds:

Do you want to take your first steps in basketball or improve your basic skills? We have a Basic Basketball Skills workout for you. See the schedule and sign up:

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Coach: Yuriy Bespalov

- Professional player of the INANOMO 3x3 team;
- Champion of Russia 3x3 2019, 2021;
- Winner and medalist of the MOFB championship;
- MLBL Summer League MVP 2017;
- Multiple participant of Moscow Open;
- Champion of Moscow 3x3 2017;
- MVP GrunisCup 2017.

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