BASKETBALL

- a game played between two teams of five players in which goals are scored by
throwing a ball through a netted hoop fixed above each end of the court.

GAME OFFICIALS

Just like most team sports, basketball uses officials to keep track of the score and clock
and make sure that rules are followed. An official in basketball is a person responsible
for spotting any rule violations and enforcing the appropriate penalties. Officials are
vitally important to any basketball game, as they help to ensure a level playing field that
prevents either team from having an unfair advantage. The group includes crew chief,
referee, umpire, replay center, scorer and timer.

Though each official has his own responsibilities but their collective motive is to run a
game smoothly, to ensure the enforcement of rules and to maintain the order of the
game. Below is an overview of the responsibilities of each official.

 Crew Chief
 As the name implies, the crew chief is the head of the entire officiating
crew. Duties include making a final ruling when other officials disagree
and maintaining a strong line of communication with coaches, scorers,
and statisticians.
 Referee
 Officials that occupy the referee position primarily handle conduct
violations. While referees are well-equipped to call contact fouls and illegal
positioning, they are mostly relied upon to settle disputes and hand out
technical fouls if a plaver or coach loses control of their emotions and
behaves poorly.
 Umpire
 Umpires handle basic foul calls and the clock, making sure the timer
knows when to pause and restart the game clock due to a stoppage in
play. For example, the umpire will likely be the official to hand down a
ruling when a defensive player makes contact with an opposing shooter.
 Replay Center
 Another type of official that is rarely seen on-screen is the replay center
official. When a close play occurs, and the on-court officials cannot
confidently make a ruling in real-time, they often turn to the replay official.
The replay official is generally not on-site and has access to several
television screens that show the play in slow-motion from a number of
different angles.
 Watching the play unfold frame by frame with a careful eye ultimately
allows the replay official to reach the correct verdict, which is relayed to
the on-court officials through a headset. Replays are usually needed when
the ball goes out of bounds and officials are unsure of which team touched
it last (this determines which team gets possession of the ball).
 Scorers
 Scorer play supportive role in the game of the basketball. There can be
one or two scorers in a game depending on the rules of the league and
their job is to write down the stats relevant to the game. They keep a
running summary of points scored, notify field goals and free throws made
and missed. They also record the fouls called on each player and informs
a referee if sixth fouls is called against a player (to eject him from game).
Also notes the timeouts and let the referee knows if all timeouts have been
used up by a team.
 Timers
 Timer assists referee in recording time. Generally, two timers are
appointed by the league. One is official timer who operates the game
clock and the other is shot clock operator who operates 24 second clock.
Official timer alerts referee when each half is going to start and stops the
clock when any kind of interruption occurs during a game (fouls, out of
bounds, timeouts etc.) while shot clock timer informs referee when a
player takes 24 or more seconds to shoot a ball (keeping the ball in
possession for 24 seconds or more is a violation).

DRIBBLING
- Dribbling is an integral part of the game, allowing players to maneuver around
defenders and get into position to score. It also refers to a player bouncing the
ball up and down with one hand while moving either left or right. The main
purpose of this technique is to maintain possession of the ball and gain an
advantage over defenders by changing the speed, direction, and angle of attack.
KINDS OF DRIBBLING
 High Bounce
 The high dribble is used when you are trying to move the ball up the court
very quickly. Typically, you will see high dribbles after steals and during
fast-break opportunities. To execute a high dribble, keep your torso erect
and push the top of the ball forward, well ahead of your body. The bounce
of the ball should reach anywhere from between your upper thigh to
slightly above your waist.
 Change of Pace
 A change of pace dribble is used to cause your defender to lose his
balance as you move the ball forward with a high dribble. The change of
pace occurs when you slow your momentum moving the ball forward and
 relax your torso. The defender, thinking you are slowing down, goes back
on his heels. You rapidly accelerate past him.
 Crossover
 If your defender is making a strong attempt to prevent you from going right
or left, using a crossover dribble can be effective. For example, if your
defender is trying to prevent you from going to your right, you would
perform a crossover dribble to your left. To do so, flick the ball across your
body from your right hand to your left hand, while simultaneously moving
your right foot across your body to your left. It is important to keep your
body low; your dribble should be no higher than your knees. Accelerate
past your defender by pushing off with your left foot.
 Between the Legs
 The between the legs dribble is used to go past a defender who is
overplaying you. If you are going left, begin with rapid low dribbles with
your right hand. Take a deep step forward with your left foot and flick the
ball through your legs to your left hand. Keep your body low as you move
forward to your left.
 Behind the Back
 If you want to change directions while keeping a good view of the entire
court, a behind the back dribble can be effective. If you want to move to
your left, begin dribbling with your right hand. To execute this dribble, you
need to place your hand on the side of the ball. Step forward with your left
foot while simultaneously wrapping the ball behind your back, across the
back of your thighs, and flick the ball toward your left hand. Be sure to
plant your right foot before stepping forward with your left foot.

PASSING
- Passing in basketball is the act of throwing the ball to a teammate. One player
will try to pass the ball to their teammate while the other player tries to steal the
ball and take it away.
KINDS OF PASSING
 Chest pass
 The chest pass is thrown with the ball being placed above and between
the two arms. It can be used from anywhere on the court and especially
from close to the basket. The motion of passing is like a layup; instead of
raising the ball over the head, it is brought chest high by pulling it back
with both hands. The chest pass is often utilized in teams’ offensive game
plans when a fast break opportunity has presented itself or in transition
when no one has yet established an offensive set.
 Bounce pass
  The bounce pass is a basketball play in which the passer throws the ball
to a teammate just above the floor. It can be used to pass around a
defender who will be close to the receiver or to throw over an aggressive
defender, though this is not advised. When used properly, the bounce
pass can help get past a defender that is in the way of an actual pass;
other times it can save a team if their guard was pressured hard by an
opponent and has no space in which to dribble or pass forward.
 Overhead pass
 By far the most spectacular pass in basketball is the overhead pass. This
pass starts off with the ball high above your head, and it ends wide open
for a teammate to take it in for a layup. Often viewed as the easiest way to
score when you have no teammate on either side of you, mastering the
overhead pass takes nearly as much practice time as the push shot. To
learn how to make an overhead pass, there are only two things to
remember: keep it high and keep your hands together.
 Behind-the-back pass
 A behind-the-back pass in basketball is a type of pass when a player
makes a normal pass and throws the ball around his or her back to make
that pass. This type of passing in basketball is used by both professionals
and amateurs to avoid the defender when making the front pass would be
risky. It can also be used to throw the ball to a player trailing on the fast
break. This pass is usually performed with one hand, although it can also
be performed with both hands.
 Baseball pass
 One of the types of passing in basketball is the baseball pass. A baseball
pass is a method of passing in basketball that resembles the action of
throwing a baseball. The one-handed pass is used by a player throwing
the ball with their dominant hand while simultaneously making an
underhand throw with their other hand. The move is used to send a long
pass quickly downfield to a teammate, or drive past an opposing defender
with fakes and dribbling moves.
 Pick-and-roll pass
 The play consists of a ball handler (who may or may not have an ally)
approaching a free-throw line extended and being approached by a
teammate (called a screener) who will set a screen for the ball handler.
The screener can either roll to the basket while the ball handler goes
behind him, or they can both curl towards each other and allow for a pick
and pop. The play ends when the offensive player who passed the screen
returns to their point of origin or passes to another player, with some
exceptions- sometimes this pass is made possible by the screener playing
off and dragging his defender.

SHOOTING
 - The act of trying to shoot or make the ball pass the rim. Shooting is the most
important skill in basketball. The fundamental skills of passing, dribbling,
defense, and rebounding may enable you to get a high percentage shot, but you
must still be able to make the shot.
KINDS OF SHOOTING
 Jump Shot
 The most basic shooting style in basketball is a jump shot. This is used for
both mid-range and long-range shots, where a player faces the basket
and, as the name suggests, jumps up in the air and lets the ball go at the
top of the release.
Jump shots can be shot anywhere outside the key or beyond the arc.
However, the pull-up jumper exists as well. This shot is a two-motion
move where a player drives hard, then stops and goes into a jump shot.
It’s tricky to master but can catch the defender off guard.
 The Layup and Dunk
 Besides a jump shot, the layup is an incredibly simple shooting style. This
is a short-range shot that occurs when the player releases the ball as they
are moving towards the hoop. It can be shot off the backboard or be
released directly into the hoop depending on the angle.
To properly make a layup, simply dribble towards the basket, then take
two steps towards the backboard and shoot the ball by using one hand to
underhand-flick the ball in the basket.
While this shot is simple, there are plenty of variations. One of the most
common is the finger roll. That occurs when a player, rather than banking
the shot into the hoop, rolls the ball off their fingertips directly into the
basket.
Another handy layup variation is the floater. Here, rather than going with
an underhand shot, the player jumps up into the air during a drive and
shoots a high arcing shot towards the net. This can be done with one or
two hands.
If you drive to the hoop and have the ability to jump up to the rim, you can
always dunk the basketball instead. This is one of the hardest shots to
make, but it’s also a guaranteed one that’s almost impossible to miss. You
simply jump up and slam the ball through the basket.
 Hook Shot and Turn Around
 Most basketball shots come as jumpers or layups. However, hook shots
and turnarounds stand on their own. To do a hook shot, a player in the
post or coming across the lane literally hooks the ball at the hoop by
moving their arm up and slinging the ball over their head.
Turnarounds are another great way to score down low, but they have
outside applications as well. With this shot, you simply back into your
defender. Then, instead of forcing them further towards the basket, you
jump up and spin your body at the same time.
 Once you turn towards the hoop, you release the ball like you would with a
regular jump shot. As with the hook, a turnaround is difficult to defend
since it comes quickly and uses your own body as a shield.

 Bank Shot
 Making shots can be quite tough. Knocking them off the backboard and
directly into the net eases that process. Any jump shot that hits the
backboard before going into the hoop is known as a bank shot.
This shooting style, while not too difficult, is not easy either. It takes a bit
of practice and finesse to get it right. Throwing the ball too hard will cause
it to bounce out of the rim, while going too soft will create a bad angle.
 Free Throw
 A free throw is a shot awarded to a player after they get fouled. It’s taken
and shot like a normal one, but it’s done at the free-throw line without any
defender present. The player must stand behind the free-throw line (15
feet from the hoop) and line up the shot. Unlike other shots, free throws
are worth one point each. You get two if fouled on a two-point shot, and
three if fouled on a three-pointer. If you’re fouled and make the basket,
you get the points for the basket and one free throw.

DEFENSE
- A basketball defense refers to the defensive strategies, alignments, and
positioning that a team uses to prevent the opposing offense from scoring
baskets. In basketball, good defense requires quickness, footwork, and a deep
understanding of the fundamentals.
KINDS OF DEFENSE
 Man-to-Man Defense
 Man-to-man defense pairs every defensive player with an offensive
counterpart to guard. Usually, players will mark their equal on the court,
but basketball coaches sometimes shake things up depending on who
they’re up against. Man-to-man defense is super reliable because teams
get consistent cover on the opposition, so it’s easy to set up traps, force
turnovers, and box out key players.
That being said, man-to-man defense is also basic, which also means it’s
recognizable. Opposition might catch onto the defensive strategy sooner
rather than later. And for teams that are all about strength but aren’t so
good on speed, a man-to-man can be demanding and open teams up to
isolation offensives, if they’re not careful.
 Zone Defense
 In a zone defense, players guard a specific zone of the court. Teams can
really make this defense their own and arrange players in different ways.
 Unlike the man-to-man defense, defensive players only guard the
opposition when they enter their zone.
Zone defenses are less physically demanding than man-to-man, but also
provide less intensive coverage of the ball. Plus, because the defense is
tied to these ‘zones’, the offense might take advantage to shoot from
areas with less coverage.
 2-3 Zone Defense
 The most common layout is the 2-3 zone. In this kind of layout, two
defensive players are positioned at the free throw line, and the other three
stay close to the baseline. This formation provides effective. C overage to
the inside but doesn’t protect against outside shots from the wing.
 Combination or Junk Defense
 A combination defense combines man-to-man and zone defenses. This is
a great way to confuse the offense, force turnovers and help the defense
to regain possession. Watch out though – junk defenses can result in
holes in the normal defensive formation, which the other team might take
advantage of. Some typical examples of a combination defense include
match-up zone, box & one, diamond & one, and triangle & two.
 Press Defense
 There are two types of press defense: half-court and full court. Both are all
about the same thing, though: pressure. The defense either pressures the
offense across the whole court or only half of it. This should help
defensive players deflect or steal, as well as tire out the opponent and
increase forced errors. Teams can play a press defense using man-to-
man or zone defensive strategies.