Basketball was introduced in December of 1981 by James Naismith in Massachusetts. He designed the game as an indoor game, to kill the boredom of his students during winter. It is a non-contact team sport played generally played with five players on each side. The aim the game is to shoot the ball in the hoop which is placed 10m above ground at both the ends of the court. The court is a rectangular surface divided into two sections via a midcourt line. The teams are assigned a side each, and their main motive is to prevent their opponents from scoring points.
A match comprises of four quarters, each 10 minutes long. The game starts with the referee throwing the ball in the air and one player from each team trying to grab it. The scores can vary from 1 to 3 points. If there’s a tie at the end of the game, a five minute overtime is given for scoring points. Overtime can be played again and again until one team wins.
Usually, the tallest of the five players take the centre. The next tallest players are considered as the forwards. The two shortest and the best dribblers are placed at the end to play the coach’s strategy of the game. They are known as guards. Basketball players have to dribble, pass or bounce the ball while moving around the court, and they must try to score a basket. The team having the ball is known as the offensive team while the other is the defensive team. The defensive team tries to steal the ball while dribbling or passing to another player. If the offensive team passes the ball behind the midcourt line, the other team gets the ball. They can play a variety of shots from the lay-up to jump shot or defence etc.
Each basket is worth 2 points. However, if the player shoots from behind the large arced line, (also known as the 3 point line) the score is worth 3 points. If something illegal is done, then its called a foul. If a player fouls the other team while shooting a basket, the player who got fouled gets a free throw from the foul line. It is worth one point, and no one is allowed to block a free throw. If a foul is made while the opponent isn’t shooting, the other team gets the ball. The player is asked to go to the bench and debarred from playing the game if he/she commits five fouls. One type of foul is to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. Slapping, kicking, punching, use of abusive language, or obtaining an intentional or unintentional personal contact are some other types of fouls.
In order to win, a strategy should be designed beforehand. While training, the coaches should draw diagrams and train them to control their pivot foot, passing, dribbling, shooting, jumping, etc.
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