Basketball Rules
SCORING:
• 2 point field goal- a shot made from anywhere during play inside the 3 pt arc.
• 3 point field goal- a shot made from anywhere outside the 3 pt arc.
• Free throw- 1 point is awarded to an unguarded shot taken from behind the free throw line while the clock is stopped.
SKILLS:
• Boxing out- a player’s position between an opposing player and the basket to obtain a better rebounding position.
• Dribbling- bouncing the ball with 1 hand using your fingertips instead of your palm so that it rebounds back to yourself (the only
legal way to move with the ball)
• Passing- moving the ball by throwing, bouncing, handing, or rolling it to another player (Chest, Bounce, Lob)
• Shooting- throwing the ball to make a basket
• Pivoting- stepping once or more in any direction with the same foot while holding the other foot at its initial point.
• Rebounding- recovering of a shot that bounces off the backboard or the rim.
FOULS: results in one or more free throws awarded to the opposing team
• Blocking- impeding the progress of an opponent by extending one or both arms horizontally or getting in the path of a moving
player.
• Charging- running into a stationary player while you are moving with the ball.
• Hacking- the player hits the arm or hand of the person holding the ball.
• Holding- the player holds the person with or without the ball.
VIOLATIONS: results in a change of possession with the team in bounding the ball at the sideline opposite where the infringement took
place.
• Traveling- moving illegally with the ball
• Three seconds- an offensive player remains in the key (free throw lane- the area under the basket) for more than 3 seconds
• Double dribble- a player dribbles the ball with both hands at the same time or they stop and then start dribbling again
BASIC RULES AND TERMINOLOGY:
Basketball Terminology
Basket
Free Throw
Translation
Shot made anyplace on the playing floor also called a field goal.
An unobstructed shot taken from the free-throw line as a result of being fouled.
Bonus Situation
On the seventh team foul the opposing team is awarded a 1 and 1 meaning if you make
the first free throw you are awarded a second one.
Personal Foul
Illegal personal contact with an opponent. Can either be a defensive or offensive foul.
Held Ball
Two or more players from opposing teams can result in a jump ball in the center of the
court or a possession change.
Traveling
When a player takes one or more steps before they start dribbling the ball or takes more
than two steps after stopping their dribble.
Double Dribble
A player starts to dribble a second time after they had already stopper dribbling.
Three Seconds
It is illegal to remain in the key for more than three seconds when your team has
possession of the ball.
Over and Back or Backcourt
Lay Up
Rebound
Fast-Break
Assist
It is illegal to take the ball back across the center line after already crossing it once.
Shot taken close to the basket, using your inside foot, strong hand, and it's important to
give yourself an angel to use the backboard.
A ball that bounces back off the backboard or rim after a shot has been missed.
Moving the ball down the court quickly for a layup.
Preceding pass which leads directly to a basket.
Air ball
A shot that completely misses the rim and the backboard.
Defense
Team trying to stop the other team from scoring
Dunk
To throw the ball down into the basket with the hand above the level of the rim
Fast-break
Dribbling or passing the ball towards your basket before the defense can set up
Man-to-man
Offense
Turn over
Zone defense
A defensive strategy where everyone guards an assigned player
Team trying to score
Any loss of the ball without a shot being taken
A defensive strategy where everyone guards an area instead of a player (2-1-2, 2-3)
*In an official game a team is allowed five players on the court at one time.
Basketball Diagram
History of Basketball
Dr. James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball
KU Basketball Program Founder Dr. James Naismith is known world-wide as the inventor of
basketball. He was born in 1861 in Ramsay township, near Almonte, Ontario, Canada. The concept of
basketball was born from Naismith's school days in the area where
Dr. James Naismith is known world-wide as the inventor of basketball. He was born in 1861 in
Ramsay Township, near Almonte, Ontario, Canada. The concept of basketball was born from
Naismith's school days in the area where he played a simple child's game known as duck-on-a-rock
outside his one-room schoolhouse. The game involved attempting to knock a "duck" off the top of a
large rock by tossing another rock at it. Naismith went on to attend McGill University in Montreal,
Quebec, Canada.
After serving as McGill's Athletic Director, James Naismith moved on to the YMCA Training School
in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA in 1891, where the sport of basketball was born. In Springfield,
Naismith was faced with the problem of finding a sport that was suitable for play inside during the
Massachusetts winter for the students at the School for Christian Workers. Naismith wanted to create a
game of skill for the students instead of one that relied solely on strength. He needed a game that could
be played indoors in a relatively small space. The first game was played with a soccer ball and two
peach baskets used as goals.
James Naismith devised a set of thirteen rules of basketball:
*[photo: James Naismith with basketball. All rights reserved. Kansas Heritage Group)
1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running
at good speed.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall
count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of
the game. No substitution shall be allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.
7. If either side make three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the
meantime making a foul).
8. Goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal
do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponents move the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire
shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side
persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.
10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He
shall have the power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and decide when it is in play in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He
shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves with five minutes' rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winners.
In addition to the creation of the basketball, James Naismith graduated as a medical doctor, primarily interested in sports physiology and what
we would today call sports science and as Presbyterian minister, with a keen interest in philosophy and clean living. Naismith watched his
sport, basketball, introduced in many nations by the YMCA movement as early as 1893. Basketball was introduced at the Berlin Olympics in
1936. Today basketball has grown to become one of the world's most popular sports.
Source: Site author: George Laughead Jr. Thanks to Lynn H. Nelson, author of HNSource, the first history site on the WWW.
Kansas History Web Sites directory or to the Kansas Heritage Group or to WWW-VL: United States History. Site hosted by Native Voices International. Updated: 16 March
2006. Page copyright 2004, Kansas Heritage Group.