Basketball is one of the most popular team sports played among youths in the United States. It is also widely played in adult leagues. Basketball is easily taught to people of all ages because the basic rules of the game are relatively similar. They are also universal rules followed in all parts of the world. Understanding the basic rules of basketball is also key to being able to enjoy the sport as a spectator. Fortunately, these basic rules can be learned without hassle.
Basics
Basketball games are comprised of two teams of five playing on a rectangular court. At the end of each short end of the court is a basketball hoop erected 10 feet into the air. The object of the game is to score points by putting a basketball through the hoops at either end of the court. Each team has a goal they are trying to score into and another goal they are trying to defend and prevent basketballs from entering into and scoring points. Shots made from outside the three-point arc painted onto the court are worth three points--all other shots are worth two points. Foul shots, which are given to a player who has been fouled while shooting, are taken from a line placed 15 feet out from the basketball hoop and are worth one point each. Depending on the type of league you are playing in or watching, games last anywhere from 28 minutes to 48 minutes. In most high school and professional leagues, time is divided up into four quarters. In college basketball, time is split into two halves.
Ball movement
Individuals can only move while possessing the basketball when they are dribbling the ball on the ground. Dribbling involves bouncing the ball on the ground with your hand. Once you pick up the ball and stop dribbling, you have to either pass the ball or shoot it--dribbling again is considered a double-dribble. Once the ball is taken up the court and a player possessing the ball crosses over to the side of the court where he is supposed to try and score, that team cannot take the ball back past the half-court line--this qualifies as a back-court violation and is a turnover, awarding the basketball to the other team.
Fouls
Fouling is the most complex part of the game, since it can be subjective and difficult to evaluate. Fouls are designed to protect players from suffering a turnover or missed shot because of a physical encounter. When one player hits the body of another player in the act of shooting, that player is awarded two free throws--three if that player was behind the three-point line. If an offensive player runs into another player and causes them to trip or fall, that is counted as an offensive foul and results in a turnover. If a a player is hit, tripped, pulled or otherwise impeded during the act of play when they are not shooting, that counts as a foul and gives the team that was fouled an in-bounds pass from the sideline. Fouls are cumulative for both players and teams--if an individual players reaches the foul limit, which can range from 4 to 6, depending on the league, that player must sit out the remainder of the game. If teams reach a team foul limit, which can range from 6 to 10 fouls, the opposing team receives two free throws for every foul beyond that point, even if the foul was not on a shot.
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