Basketball Positions

What Is the Shortest Position in Basketball?

Of the five positions on a basketball team, the point guard is typically the shortest. That doesn’t mean he is not an important part of his team. In fact, the point guard, in spite of his height, controls most of his team’s scoring, either as a facilitator or actual scorer.

All About Basketball Positions

What Is a Starting Lineup in Basketball?

The makeup of a starting lineup often is team- and situation-specific. The roles within a starting lineup, however, can be generally classified by the skill sets required for each position.

The Task of Being a Basketball Player

While the goal of a basketball game is to ultimately outscore the opponent, players fulfill specific tasks in a team's attempt to achieve this objective. Each of a basketball team's five positions has specific tasks that, if pe...

5 Traditional Basketball Positions

The five positions in basketball -- point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center -- all utilize different skill sets and different body types. But when players on a basketball team fulfill their roles at...

Types of Forwards in Basketball

Basketball has changed dramatically since the 1970s. The game has become specialized, with each player having a specific role. A basketball team used to consist of two guards, two forwards and a center. Now, there's a point gua...

How to Do Shooting Drills in Basketball

There are two types of players who will always have a spot on any basketball team: those who can shoot and those who can defend. Players who can shoot have the ability to stretch a defense because they can score from anywhere o...

What Is the Five Position in a Basketball Game?

The "five position" is basketball is the numerical designation for center. Although the center role varies somewhat from team to team and offense to offense, it is generally filled by taller and more physically imposing players...

What Are the Three Main Positions in Basketball?

Although a basketball team requires five men on the court, there are three basic player positions. Each player position is determined based on the player's skill, speed and height. Whether you are a coach or player, a fundament...

What Does Position C Stand for in Basketball?

Positions in many sports are noted by a shorthand lettering system. In football, a quarterback is listed as a "QB", while a goalkeeper in soccer is noted with a "G." The same is true in basketball, in which a "C" refers to a ce...

Basketball Positions Explained

Basketball players move around a lot on offense, but each has defined positions with specific roles. Understanding all of the basketball positions and the attendant responsibilities can help improve your game because you can an...

What Are the Player Positions in Basketball?

Basketball is a team sport and a variety of different positions are available for players. Assigned positions allow for more organization on the court as well as more success as a team. Players often choose or are selected to p...

What Are the Basketball Positions & What Do They Do?

Dribbling, passing, shooting, rebounding and blocking are skills all basketball players should possess, but each player cannot excel at each skill. A player's position on the team depends on her size and the skills she performs...

What Are the Positions by Number in Men's Basketball?

Basketball is a game of numbers. Score more points than your opponent and you'll win the game. Get more rebounds and make more defensive stops, and you put yourself in a better position to score points. Understanding then numbe...

Basic Basketball Positions

The game of basketball is one of skill, conditioning and strategy. In most games, coaches will use two guards, a center and two forwards to fill out their lineup. However, the two guards each have specific jobs and so do the tw...

Basketball Positions & Definitions

As the game has evolved, shooting, dribbling, passing and rebounding have become more sophisticated, and as a result, basketball positions have taken on very distinct roles.

Michael Jordan & His Positive Impact on Basketball

Michael Jordan changed the face of basketball, and sports, with his superior athletic ability and knack for marketing and endorsements. His contributions on and off the court helped catapult the popularity of basketball to a ne...

Definition of a Basketball Player

A basketball team is typically composed of 10 to 12 players who normally play one to three different basketball positions. Each of these positions defines the role of the basketball player and what he is expected to do on the b...

The Responsibilities of a Basketball Player

Legendary Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski has often been known to hold up a fist during games, and it's not because he's challenging the referees to a fight. Rather, Krzyzewski uses the fist as a metaphor meani...

What Are the Positions on a Girls' Basketball Team?

Basketball is the same game, whether played by boys and girls. While the style of play may differ, as well as the size of the ball on the high school, college and pro levels, the same five positions on a basketball team apply t...

A Guide to Basketball Positions

And like the equipment used in the sport, players and their designated assignments have become highly defined as well. All five players on the court have predetermined positions, and each position has its own duties and require...

Understanding Basketball Positions

When the game is played correctly, the ball moves seemingly effortlessly to the open player, who puts it in for an easy layup. To reach this level of play, however, team members need to understand the roles of each basketball p...

Basketball Post Position Drills

The post position attracts the biggest and tallest players on the floor, who often snare plenty of points, dunks and rebounds. Skill and footwork goes into playing the post position in basketball. Post players must have nimble ...

What Are All the Positions People Play in Basketball?

That doesn't mean there aren't specific roles to be played on a basketball team. Each typical five-man squad includes three basic positions. Within these positions there are additional specialized roles that make a team operate

The Rules for Basketball Positions

There are five positions on the basketball court. The rules of the game mandate that five players must be on the court at all time. This is true of men's basketball and the women's game and it doesn't matter whether the game is...

Basketball Positions & Descriptions

Basketball is a game that has evolved greatly since the 1970s. For many years, teams were comprised of a center, two forwards and two guards. The guards were usually interchangeable and so were the forwards. However, the game h...

Basketball Strategies & Positions

Learning the different positions in basketball--and the strategies involved in using those positions--is essential to good coaching and winning games. The most successful teams have an effective balance of all positions, and cr...

Basketball Positions & Assignments

In generations past, a basketball team was manned by two guards, two forwards and a center. However, by the mid-1980s, coaches were looking players who had specific abilities at the guard and forward positions. The positions we...

Basketball Positions & Their Roles

For many generations, each team had two guards, two forwards and a center. However, by the mid-1980s, designation of positions like point guard, shooting guard and power forward were commonplace.

Basketball Positions & Their Meanings

Basketball is played with five members of each team on the court at the same time. Each player on a team of five plays a position. Certain skills are involved in playing a position effectively. There are also particular physica...

What Are the Basketball Positions?

Like most team sports, basketball has certain designated positions for players. Players' height and skill levels are used to determine who plays these positions. Some talented players are able to play multiple positions. Learni...

Names of Positions in Basketball

Basketball features five distinct player positions: point guard (or the one), shooting guard (the two), small forward (the three), power forward (the four) and center (the five). Each player has a role to fill on the court. The...

Positions on Basketball Teams

During the course of a game, a basketball team is allowed to have five players on the court at any given time. Each of the five players is assigned to a standard position and is responsible for a different aspect of the game. E...

About Basketball Positions

The game is played between two teams of five players each. For the majority of the game's early history, players usually played one of three positions: guard, forward or center. Over the course of the last 30 years, however, mo...

How to Learn Basketball Positions

Basketball is a team sport, and every player has a position on the court. This does not mean that the positions cannot change from time to time during transitions. Knowing how to play all the positions make for a more versatile...

What Are the Playing Positions in Basketball?

Basketball has evolved quite a bit in the last three decades. For many years, a basketball team was comprised of two guards, two forwards and a center. The guards and forwards were virtually interchangeable. But the game starte...

The Best Basketball Positions

The best positions on the basketball court are the ones that have the biggest effect on the game. Teams can survive with a good shooting guard or a good small forward, but they are not the key positions on the court. Coaches wa...