Basketball is a team sport in which players score points by shooting a ball through a basket. A successful basket earns two points, while a shot made beyond the three-point line is worth three points. The game has four quarters of varying length, and the team with the most points at the end of the game wins. Players move the ball around the court with their hands, called dribbling, to pass and shoot. They must touch the ball with both hands while dribbling. Touching the ball with only one hand or stopping and restarting dribbling is considered a violation, or traveling, and may result in a turnover or penalty.
In most variants, the last team to touch a ball before it travels out of bounds forfeits possession. The ball also may not travel past the free throw line. Fouls are violations that penalize a player or team for breaking a rule, while technical fouls are more serious and are generally associated with unsportsmanlike behavior.
The game was invented in 1891 by James Naismith, a physical education professor at Springfield College in Massachusetts. He wrote down the rules for a new sport he called basketball and presented them to his students in 1892. Its popularity soon spread to other colleges, and the first five-on-five intercollegiate basketball game took place in January 1896 at the University of Iowa.
There are many aspects of the game that require focus and practice to master, including passing, shooting, defending, and playing as a team. Players should develop a growth mindset, or the belief that they can improve with time and effort, and set realistic goals for themselves to encourage consistent progress. This could include recording the number of consecutive successful shots, completed drills, or even minutes spent on the court each week.
When practicing passing, it’s important to note the timing, precision, and creativity used by skilled players. For example, a chest pass is usually easier to control than a bounce or lob pass, and using your dominant hand can help you keep the ball from being stolen by an opposing player. Players should also work on their ability to pass without looking at the ball, relying instead on their movement and peripheral vision to keep track of its location.
A good player will be able to anticipate the movements of an opposing player, and adjust their own position to give themselves the best chance of intercepting a pass or blocking a shot. Those with shorter heights should be especially careful to avoid standing directly in front of a player, as this will make it easy for them to be swarmed by teammates trying to steal the ball. Longer players, meanwhile, can often use their size to their advantage by driving into the paint and using a high release to shoot over defenders. They should also focus on improving their defensive footwork by taking a wide stance, crossing their trailing foot just behind their lead foot, and pushing off to change directions quickly.
