Basketball

The Ins and Outs of the Game

Jennifer Driskell English 202 C March 14, 2012

Scope and Audience

The purpose of this technical description is to inform a prospective basketball player or the average person about how the sport of basketball is played. Basketball is a fast-paced team sport that requires a great deal of coordination and physical fitness in order to be a competitive player. Understanding the geography of the court, player positions, scoring and fouling penalties will make playing and/or watching the game easier to understand.

History of Basketball
The invention of the sport of basketball can be attributed to Dr. James Naismith (pictured in figure 1). Dr. Naismith became involved with the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891 and was faced with the challenge of creating a sport that could be played by children during Massachusettss harsh winters. This factor limited the amount of space where the sport could be played, which increased the difficulty of task for Naismith. When developing this sport he wanted it to be something that would challenge the students to possess some sort of skills, in addition to physical strength. With all of these criteria, he was Figure 1: Dr. Naismith able to create the concept that we now acknowledge as basketball. However, unlike today, his sport only had 13 rules and was originally played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets. It has evolved to have many more rules, a specific regulation ball and two baskets typically suspended from the ceiling of a gymnasium. Figure 2: Basketball Team 1923

Geography of the Court

A basketball court is the surface upon which the game is played, and is typically made of wood. The dimensions of the court can vary in size depending on the level of play; a typical high school basketball court is 84 feet long by 50 feet wide. The court is in the shape of a rectangle and uses painted lines to mark the playing surface, divide the court into two symmetrical halves and denote key areas of scoring. Figure 1 shows a labeled diagram of a typical basketball court.

Back Court
When bringing the basketball up the court, because of either a made basket by the opponent or a player

on your own team steals the ball from their opponent, the ball will begin in the back court. In high school, you have 10 seconds to get the ball over the half court line before a violation is called and the other team gets the ball. Once the ball has passed over the half court line, the ball is not allowed to cross back over the line by the offense unless it was hit over by a defensive player.

Half Court
This is the absolute middle of the court, separating the back court form the front court, and is the starting point of a basketball game. A single player from each team is allowed within the circle at half court and the other players take positions around the outside of the circle. A referee will toss the basketball into the air between the two players from each team and once touched the clock will start. A high school basketball game consists of four 8 minute quarters.

Front Court
Although the front court looks exactly like the back court, the offense can only score in the basket located in their front court. The front court can be further divided into three areas: the three point line, the foul line and the paint. Three Point Line This area is typically patrolled by guard players and is significant for differentiating between a three point shot and a two point shot. Any shot made from behind the three point line is counted as a three point shot and any shot made anywhere inside the three point line is counted as a two point shot. Paint The paint is a very important part of the court for both offense and defense. For offense this is the area that forwards/post players predominately occupy. This is the area of the court that is closest to the basket resulting in a higher shooting percentage. On offense, it is important to know ones position in relation to the paint because if an offensive player stays in the paint for longer than 3 seconds a 3 second violation is called and the defense gets the ball. For a defensive player, the paint helps a player to maintain proper position in relation to their man, the basket and the ball. Foul Line The foul line is the line that makes up the top of the paint and is used when shooting foul shots or as a geographical landmark for setting up offenses and defenses.

Direction to Score

Three point arch

Half Court

Foul line

Paint

Back Court
Figure 3: The Landmarks of a Basketball Court

Front Court

Player Positions
There are five players from each team allowed on the court at any given time during the duration of the game. There are three different types of positions that a player can play while on the court: point guard, shooting guard and forward/post player. Throughout the course of the game, a team will play a combination of guards and forwards on the court. The typical combination for a starting lineup is 3 guards and 2 forwards but this can vary based upon a certain teams skill or an opponents starting lineup.

Point Guard
A point guard is known as the player that brings the ball up the court after a stopped play or a scored basket by the other team. They are responsible for starting the offense through calling out a play or making a move towards the basket. It is critical that the point guard have very good ball control, keeping it low and protected because they are the most vulnerable position on the court having no one behind them in case of a turnover. Typically a point guard is one of the quickest players and is generally shorter in height than a forward.

Shooting Guard
A shooting guards role on the team is pretty self explanatory, they are to shoot the ball. Although they are looking to score they have to be capable of handling the basketball and executing the play that the point guard calls out. The shooting guard and point guard positions are often interchangeable thus as a guard you are responsible for knowing how to play each position.

Forward/Post Player
Forwards are typically the tallest players on the team and are responsible for putting up shots close to the basket. They are especially important when it comes to rebounding any ball that a teammate shoots and does not make. A forward is not likely to bring the ball down the court therefore, they are only responsible for having moderate ball handling skills.

Scoring
The objective of basketball is to be the team at the end of the game with the most points. Every player on the team is capable of scoring points by putting the basketball through the hoop attached to the backboard. The value of each shot can vary depending on the location that the shot was taken. Three point shot: when a basket is made by a player shooting from behind the three point arch. This can be seen in figure 4 below. Two point shot: when a basket is made by a player shooting inside the three point arch. One point shot: when an offensive player is fouled in the act of shooting or if a team is fouled while in bonus (the other team has accumulated more than 7 total team fouls) on a non- shooting foul, the player that is fouled is given 1 or 2 chances to score a basket from the foul line. A typical foul shot, also known as a free-throw, set-up can be seen in figure 5 below. Figure 4: Three Point Shot Figure 5: Foul Shot/ Free-Throw

Although the objective is easy to understand, the process of shooting and making a basket to obtain points can be challenging, especially when being defended. There are two common ways to score a basket, using a lay-up or by taking a jump shot. Lay-up A lay-up is a continuous motion shot in which a player is allowed to take three steps towards the basket, extending the basketball with one hand and gently bouncing the ball off of the backboard into the hoop. This shot is worth two points.

Jump Shot A jump shot can be taken in many ways but is always denoted by the player jumping into the air, usually straight up, and shooting the basketball before their feet return to the court. This shot can be taken as a set shot off of a pass, off the dribble or in any combination of the two. This shot can be worth two or three points depending on the location it was taken at.

Fouls
A foul is any attempt to unfairly disadvantage an opponent through physical contact. Most commonly fouls are committed by defensive players but can also be committed by offensive players. A player can be fouled while both shooting and not shooting the ball. Non-Shooting Foul The team that was fouled receives control of the ball to pass inbounds. Shooting Foul A player is fouled during the act of shooting. The player that was fouled is awarded two free- throw attempts. Technical Foul This is a more serious foul charged to a player or coach who is not demonstrating good sportsmanship through arguing with a referee or by fighting with another player. The other team is awarded two free throws and any player, generally the best free throw shooter, is chosen to take the shots. Everyone begins the game with zero fouls and then accumulates them throughout the duration of the game. An individual player is only allowed to commit 5 personal fouls before they are ineligible to play the remainder of the game. When the 5th foul is committed the player has fouled out and must immediately be replaced by a teammate. If the number of fouls as a team exceeds 7 fouls in one half, the other team is awarded 1 free-throw attempt on non-shooting fouls; if the first attempt is made they get a second attempt. This is considered shooting one-in-one. If the total number of team fouls exceeds 10 in one half, the other team is awarded 2 free-throw attempts for every non-shooting foul after the 10th. Below, Figure 5 demonstrates referee signals relating to fouls and violations.

Figure 6: Common Referee Signals

Conclusion
Basketball is a very demanding team sport that involves many rules and violations, but it offers a very rewarding challenge for all players. Every player on the court contributes to the team success or failure, through scoring points or accumulating fouls. This technical description has only scratched the surface of the game of basketball, but is enough for someone considering playing the sport or an average person looking to better understand how the game is played. Whether playing for fun or for a title, this is a competitive game that can be played by people from all ages and backgrounds as long as a basket is present and lines are marked.

Works Cited

Information not already known by the author was summarized from these websites:
Laughead Jr., George. History of Basketball. University of Kansas, 2004. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.kansasheritage.org/people/naismith.html>. Basketball. Wikipedia, 3 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball>.

Images were borrowed from the following websites:

Title Page Image: PBK Rebel Boys Basketball. 2012. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.pingree.k12.nd.us/Athletics/Boys%20Basketball/PBK%20Rebel%20Boys%20Basket ball.html>. Figure 1: Norton, Richard A. Naismith 1900 circa.jpg. 2010. Wikipedia Commons. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Naismith_1900_circa.jpg>. Figure 2: Olds High School, Olds, IA Basketball Team 1923. 2008. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://oldphotosblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/olds-high-school-olds-ia-basketball.html>. Figure 3 (modified with labels): "Basketball Court." The Official Site of the Virginia Tech Hokies. Virginia Tech, 2012. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. <http://www.hokiesports.com/hokiekidsclub/color.html>. Figure 4: Shooting a Three Pointer. Youth Basketball Tips. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://www.youth-basketball- tips.com/three-pointers.html>.

Figure 5: Free throw.jpg. 2006. Wikipedia Commons. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freethrow.jpg>. Figure 6: Rules of Basketball. 1997. ThinkQuest. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://library.thinkquest.org/10615/no- frames/basketball/rules.html>.