Before actually picking up a basketball, you should know the rules of basketball. Each basketball team consists of 5 players on each side. Basketball can be played either indoors or outdoors. It’s much easier to play outdoors when the weather is warm because it can be difficult to find an indoor court during the cold winter months. The object of the game ( in very simple terms) is to shoot the basketball through the hoop which counts for two points. The hoops are 10 feet high from the floor. In order to advance the ball toward your hoop you must dribble the ball or pass the ball to a team mate. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
There are four quarters in a NBA game but most basketball leagues only play two periods with a half time. The players bring the basketball up the court each possession and must not step out of bounds which is clearly marked along the outside edges of the court by painted lines. As I mentioned before, players are required to dribble the basketball as they advance toward their basket. If a player stops his/her dribble, the player can not dribble again. The player must then either shoot the basketball or pass it to a team mate. When a player dribbles he/she is only permitted to dribble with one hand on the ball.
At that point, you must either decide to pass or shoot the ball. Basketball is a contact sport; however, any extensive contact that prevents another player from doing something will result in a foul. Once you have six personal fouls, you are ejected from the game. It is important to keep all the rules and regulations in mind while playing basketball if you want to succeed at the game and win or otherwise you will be violating the rules and can penalized
As you start to play or coach basketball you will soon see that dribbling a basketball is learned skill and sort of an art form. It is important for players to protect the ball from defenders when they are dribbling the basketball as a defensive player is allowed to “steal” the basketball from the offensive player. There are several advanced dribbling techniques a basketball player can learn but he/she must master the basic dribble skills first.
So there you have it, the VERY basic rules of basketball. You’ll definitely want to brush up on the rules before you head out to the courts or decide to coach a youth basketball league.
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