BASKETBALL

INTRODUCTION.

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five

players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with
the primary objective of shooting a basketball through the defender's hoop,
mounted 10 feet (3.048 m) high while preventing the opposing team from
shooting through their own hoop.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most
significant professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity,
salaries, talent, and level of competition.

● HISTORY

In early December
1891, Canadian James Naismith, a
physical education professor and
instructor at the International Young
Men's Christian Association Training
School (YMCA)
in Springfield, Massachusetts, was
trying to keep his gym class active
on a rainy day. He sought a vigorous
indoor game to keep his students
occupied and at proper levels of
fitness during the long New England winters. After rejecting other ideas as
either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the
basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. In
contrast with modern basketball nets, this peach basket retained its bottom,
and balls had to be retrieved manually after each "basket" or point scored;
this proved inefficient, however, so the bottom of the basket was
removed, allowing the balls to be poked out with a long dowel each time.
 RULES AND REGULATIONS.

The object of the game is to outscore one's

opponents by throwing the ball through the
opponents' basket from above while preventing the
opponents from doing so on their own. An attempt
to score in this way is called a shot. A successful
shot is worth two points, or three points if it is
taken from beyond the three-point arc 6.75 metres
(22 ft 2 in) from the basket in international
games and 23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m) in NBA games. A one-point shot can
be earned when shooting from the foul line after a foul is made.

BASIC RULES-
Five players from each team may be on
the court at one time. Substitutions are
unlimited but can only be done when play
is stopped. Teams also have a coach,
who oversees the development and
strategies of the team, and other team
personnel such as assistant coaches,
managers, statisticians, doctors and
trainers.
For both men's and women's teams, a standard uniform consists of a pair of
shorts and a jersey with a clearly visible number, unique within the team,
printed on both the front and back. Players wear high-top sneakers that
provide extra ankle support. Typically, team names, players' names and,
outside of North America, sponsors are printed on the uniforms.

A limited number of time-outs, clock stoppages requested by a coach (or

sometimes mandated in the NBA) for a short meeting with the players, are
allowed. They generally last no longer than one minute (100 seconds in the
NBA) unless, for televised games, a commercial break is needed.
The game is controlled by the officials consisting of the referee (referred to
as crew chief in the NBA), one or two umpires (referred to as referees in the
NBA) and the table officials. For college, the NBA, and many high schools,
there are a total of three referees on the court. The table officials are
responsible for keeping track of each teams scoring, timekeeping, individual
and team fouls, player substitutions, team possession arrow, and the shot
clock.

EQUIPMENT-

The only essential equipment in a

basketball game is the ball and the
court: a flat, rectangular surface with
baskets at opposite ends. Competitive
levels require the use of more
equipment such as clocks, score
sheets, scoreboard(s), alternating
possession arrows, and whistle-
operated stop-clock systems. The basket is a steel rim 18 inches (46 cm)
diameter with an attached net affixed to a backboard that measures 6 by
3.5 feet (1.8 by 1.1 meters) and one basket is at each end of the court.

VIOLATIONS:-
The ball may be advanced toward the basket by being shot, passed
between players, thrown, tapped, rolled or dribbled (bouncing the ball while
running).
The ball must stay within the court; the last team to touch the ball before it
travels out of bounds forfeits possession. The ball is out of bounds if it
touches a boundary line, or touches any player or object that is out of
bounds.
There are limits placed on the steps a player may take without dribbling,
which commonly results in an infraction known as traveling. Nor may a
player stop his dribble and then resume dribbling. A dribble that touches
both hands is considered stopping the dribble, giving this infraction the
name double dribble. Within a dribble, the player cannot carry the ball by
placing his hand on the bottom of the ball; doing so is known as carrying
the ball. A team, once having established ball control in the front half of
their court, may not return the ball to the backcourt and be the first to touch
it. A violation of these rules results in loss of possession.
The ball may not be kicked, nor be struck with the fist. For the offense, a
violation of these rules results in loss of possession; for the defense, most
leagues reset the shot clock and the offensive team is given possession of
the ball out of bounds.

Basket interference, or goaltending is a

violation charged when a player illegally
interferes with a shot. This violation is incurred
when a player touches the ball on its downward
trajectory to the basket, unless it is obvious that
the ball has no chance of entering the basket, if a
player touches the ball while it is in the rim, or in
the area extended upwards from the basket, or if
a player reaches through the basket to interfere
with the shot. When a defensive player is charged
with goaltending, the basket is awarded. If an
offensive player commits the infraction, the
basket is cancelled. In either case possession of the ball is turned over to
the defensive team.

BASKETBALL SKILLS.

Positions

Although the rules do not specify any positions whatsoever, they have
evolved as part of basketball. During the early years of basketball's
evolution, two guards, two forwards, and one center were used. In more
recent times specific positions evolved, but the current trend, advocated by
many top coaches including Mike Krzyzewski is towards positionless
basketball, where big guys are free to shoot from outside and dribble if their
skill allows it. Popular descriptions of positions include:
Point guard (often called the "1") : usually the fastest player on the team,
organizes the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it
gets to the right player at the right time.
Shooting guard (the "2") : creates a high volume of shots on offense,
mainly long-ranged; and guards the opponent's best perimeter player on
defense.
Small forward (the "3") : often primarily responsible for scoring points via
cuts to the basket and dribble penetration; on defense seeks rebounds and
steals, but sometimes plays more actively.
Power forward (the "4"): plays offensively often with their back to the
basket; on defense, plays under the basket (in a zone defense) or against
the opposing power forward (in man-to-man defense).
Center (the "5"): uses height and size to score (on offense), to protect the
basket closely (on defense), or to rebound.

Strategy
There are two main defensive strategies: zone defense and man-to-man
defense. In a zone defense, each player is assigned to guard a specific
area of the court. Zone defenses often allow the defense to double team
the ball, a manoeuver known as a trap. In a man-to-man defense, each
defensive player guards a specific opponent.
Offensive plays are more varied, normally involving planned passes and
movement by players without the ball. A quick movement by an offensive
player without the ball to gain an advantageous position is known as a cut.
A legal attempt by an offensive player to stop an opponent from guarding a
teammate, by standing in the defender's way such that the teammate cuts
next to him, is a screen or pick. The two plays are combined in the pick and
roll, in which a player sets a pick and then "rolls" away from the pick
towards the basket. Screens and cuts are very important in offensive plays;
these allow the quick passes and teamwork, which can lead to a successful
basket. Teams almost always have several offensive plays planned to
ensure their movement is not predictable. On court, the point guard is
usually responsible for indicating which play will occur.

Shooting
Shooting is the act of attempting to score points by throwing the ball
through the basket, methods varying with players and situations.
Typically, a player faces the basket with both feet facing the basket. A
player will rest the ball on the fingertips of the dominant hand (the shooting
arm) slightly above the head, with the other hand supporting the side of the
ball. The ball is usually shot by jumping (though not always) and extending
the shooting arm. The shooting arm, fully extended with the wrist fully bent,
is held stationary for a moment following the release of the ball, known as
a follow-through. Players often try to put a steady backspin on the ball to
absorb its impact with the rim. The ideal trajectory of the shot is somewhat
controversial, but generally a proper arc is recommended. Players may
shoot directly into the basket or may use the backboard to redirect the ball
into the basket.
Dribbling

Dribbling is the act of bouncing the ball

continuously with one hand and is a requirement
for a player to take steps with the ball.

Blocking

A block is performed when, after a shot is attempted, a defender succeeds

in altering the shot by touching the ball. In almost all variants of play, it is
illegal to touch the ball after it is in the downward path of its arc; this is
known as goaltending. It is also illegal under NBA and Men's NCAA
basketball to block a shot after it has touched the backboard, or when any
part of the ball is directly above the rim. Under international rules it is illegal
to block a shot that is in the downward path of its arc or one that has
touched the backboard until the ball has hit the rim. After the ball hits the
rim, it is again legal to touch it even though it is no longer considered as a
block performed.

Passing

A pass is a method of moving the ball between players. Most passes are
accompanied by a step forward to increase power and are followed through
with the hands to ensure accuracy.

Rebounding

The objective of rebounding is to successfully gain possession of the

basketball after a missed field goal or free throw, as it rebounds from the
hoop or backboard. This plays a major role in the game, as most
possessions end when a team misses a shot.
DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION OF THE BASKETBALL
COURT