A basketball game is played with a court made up of two halves. Each half has eight minutes, but in the pros, quarters are twelve minutes. Overtime periods can be as long as two minutes. Each team is given a basket to guard, or a goal to score. Players move all over the court, but must defend a specific basket or goal. Ultimately, the team that scores the most points wins. This game is both fast-paced and physical, so if you’re new to basketball, here are some tips:
Technical fouls are assessed when a player violates the rules of the game. Most commonly, these violations involve fighting or verbal abuse. The penalty is a free throw or change of possession, and if a player has a history of technical fouls, he or she may be suspended for the rest of the season or the playoffs. This is usually the case when an opponent has the ball for too long. A technical foul can occur during the warmup period or during a game.
Colleges were the first to adopt a uniform set of rules for the sport. In the early years, teams used different sets of rules for each half. By the mid-1890s, teams often agreed to play by different sets of rules. In 1905, the Amateur Athletic Union, YMCA, and colleges formed a rules committee, known as the Joint Rules Committee. This committee would later become the National Basketball Committee, and the rules of the game were formalized in 1979.
Free throws are the easiest shots to score. If the opponent gets fouled by the defensive team, he or she gets the free throw. Then, the offense has an automatic field goal. The defender’s goal is to prevent the offensive team from scoring. Regardless of how many goals the offense scores, there are violations. So, if you aren’t careful, you could end up losing the game. If you don’t know what to do, here are some tips:
Fouls: There are many types of fouls in basketball. A personal foul is when a player makes illegal contact with another player. Among the most common personal fouls involve charging and hitting the arms of an opponent. A technical foul occurs when a player argues with the referee. The penalty is a free inbound pass, and the player can also be sent to the bench for violating the rules. If a player commits five fouls in a row, he is said to be fouled out of the game.
Inbounding a ball is another common way to defend a basket. After an offense scores, it has five seconds to inbound the ball from the sideline to another team member. During this time, the defender cannot touch the offensive player or the ball will turn over to the other team. Failure to inbound the ball in this time limits the offensive team’s shot clock. Otherwise, the player may be called for a technical foul.
