Basketball Rules Guide: Offense, Defense and Kids' Drills

Basketball rules for traveling and offensive fouls can be complex for beginners and kids. Improve your game with middle school tryout drills and understand the physics behind player hang time.

Basketball Rules on Assists

In basketball, you do not have to actually make the basket to be credited statistically. The player who passes the ball to a player prior to a successful shot is rewarded with an assist. There are slight variations in the wording of the college (NCAA) and professional (NBA) rules as to what constitutes an assist.

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Young basketball player with ball

Basketball Inbound Rules

With so much movement, it's not unusual for a basketball to soar out of bounds. When that happens, or after a made basket, the offensive team has to throw the ball back in to resume game play. The game has several rules to make that play fair for both sides.

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Portrait of young woman holding a basketball, photographed from a low perspective

Basketball Rules for Carrying

Basketball players maneuver around the court while dribbling, a skill for which you repeatedly bounce the ball with one hand while walking, running or standing still. Rules govern how to properly dribble, specifically where your hand contacts the ball.

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Misunderstood Basketball Rules

It happens in nearly every game. One team's coach wants a traveling call, and the other coach wants a foul—but the referees don’t call anything.

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Basketball Player Shooting Free Throws

Types of Shooting in Basketball

The object of basketball is to shoot the big orange ball through the slightly larger circular hoop. Shooting is one of basketball’s basic skills, and one new players are typically eager to learn.

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Close-up of three basketball players sitting on basketballs

Difference Between Men's & Women's Basketball

There are quite a few differences between men's and women's basketball, many of which have to do with the rules. They also include the style of play as well as its overall popularity. While both the men's and women's games depend on the players having high skill levels, the men tend to score a few more points.

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Rules for the Pig Basketball Game

Pig, like its counterpart game of Horse, is one of the most classic basketball games and can be played with two or more people. Pig requires creativity and accurate shooting and requires players to match each others’ shots.

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Basketball Hoop

How to Attach a Basketball Backboard to a Wall

Basketball hoops are usually attached to a metal pole or an apparatus that ensures the pole won't flip over. However, it is possible to mount a basketball backboard to a wall on the outside of your house or on the wall above your garage. Backboards are made of various materials.

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Half a Basketball Court

Half Court Basketball Rules

If you have fewer than 10 players, half court pickup basketball can develop your fundamental skills as much as a full court game.

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Men Playing Basketball

Basketball Rules for Face Guarding an Opponent

Face guarding occurs when a defender blocks or disrupts the vision of the offensive player, whether that player has the basketball or not. If you place your hand in front of the eyes of a player in the act of shooting rather than defending the ball, you are guilty of face guarding.

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Cute couple playing basketball

Basketball Rules for a Blocked Shot

The blocked shot in basketball is one of the most effective defensive tools in the game. A player who can effectively block two or three shots in each outing becomes a credible defensive weapon and will command respect from the opponent.

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Basketball player blocking shot

Basketball Rules on Kicking the Ball

Both the NBA and NCAA rules prohibit intentional kicking of the basketball. The rules classify intentional kicking of the ball as a violation resulting in a dead ball and a stoppage in play.

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Basketball players competing for the ball

Basketball Basic Rules for Tip-Off

Every basketball game begins the same way—with the tipoff. While it may seem like a simple way to start the game, there is a whole set of rules governing not just the players tipping the ball, but everyone on the court. Making sure the tipoff goes right is essential to starting off the basketball game.

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Basketball players during game action

Basketball Rules for Traveling

Traveling is one of the most common -- and misunderstood -- rules in all of basketball. The travel rule is intended to prevent players from gaining an advantage by moving with the ball without dribbling.

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Simple Basketball Rules for Kids

As people get older, the technicalities of sports get strict and the rules change from letting it slide to calling everything. There are basic rules that children need to learn before attempting to understand the higher level of play. Knowing these rules will help you teach your child the fundamentals of basketball.

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