*Basketball: The Object Of The Game

Basketball is a fast paced game played on a 94-by-50 foot court (NBA) with 1 basket on opposite sides. The game starts when the official tosses the ball between two players, one from each team, in the middle of the court. This is also referred to as the tip off. The other 8 players stand at specific places outside the mid-circle. The jumpers will try to tip the ball to any of their team members to gain the first possession.
The goal is to score more points than their opponents.
In the professional setting, the game is divided into 2 halfs or 4 quarters. Each quarter is 12 minutes long.
During each possession, the offensive team has a time limit to shoot the ball in the basket. This is called the shot clock. The NBA rule allows 24 seconds for each possession. In college basketball, the shot clock is set for 35 seconds.
There are basically 2 ways to shoot and score in a basketball game: shooting when the ball is in play and from the free throw line.
There are several ways to score during play. You can either take a perimeter shot or drive toward the basket. You can score 3 points if you shoot the ball beyond the arc. There are also variations for jump shots including from the baseline, the key, fade away, hook shot, and more. Variations of shots made inside the paint include dunk, layup, and tip-in.
Free throws are earned when the opposing team committs a technical foul or a personal foul. Two free throw shots are awarded when the opposing team committs a technical foul or a personal foul in the act of shooting or within the team penalty. One free throw shot is given to the player who made a shot and receives a foul in the process.
Each player is allowed to commit 5 personal fouls for each game to continue playing. The 6th foul will automatically force the player to retire for the rest of the game. Each player is automatically out of the game if he receives 2 technical fouls. The team is allowed to commits 5 fouls for each quarter before entering the penalty. Every foul made inside the penalty will put their opposing team to shoot free throws.
In the event where the scores are tied at the end of the fourth quarter (or at the end of the regulation period), a 5-minute overtime period is played. If the score is still tied at the end of the overtime period, a second overtime will be played, and so on… until a team wins a game.
Note: other basketball leagues and basketball associations such as FIBA follow their own sets of rules.

*Basketball Skills You Should Learn

Learning how to play basketball is learning its fundamentals. Here they are:
1. Dribbling – is important to penetrate to the hoop, move the ball across the court, get away from the defense, and find a good passing lane. There are different types of dribbles:
- change-of-pace,
- crossover dribble,
- behind the back,
- pull back dribble,
- low dribble,
- basic dribble,
- between the legs dribble
2. Passing – A good offensive attack requires good passing from players. This helps find an open man, to find a good shooter or to get away from a defender. There are several types of passes you need to learn:
- Overhead Pass
- Chest Pass
- Push Pass
- Baseball Pass
- Off-the-Dribble Pass
- Bounce Pass
3. Shooting – The object of the game is to win by scoring the most points. Therefore, improving the team's shooting is important to win a game. There are several ways to score in the game:
- Jump Shot
- Dunk
- Alley Oop
- Free Throw
- Layup
- Three-Point Shot
- Hook Shot
4. Rebounding – is essential to gain or regain possession after the shot. Usually, the team who has the most number of rebounds after the game has more shot attempts and chances to score.
5. Offense – is the only chance that the team has a shot at the basket and scoring. Playing a good offense requires coordination among players and individual skill to execute well plays.
6. Defense – To be able to get a chance to score and gain possession, the team should play good defense and try to stop their opponent from scoring. As said, "A good defense is a good offense."
7. Moves – There are different kinds of basketball moves that are important in executing both a good offense and a good defense. Moves are helpful in finding an open man, make a good shot or create an amazing play.
8. Violations – Knowing the kinds of basketball violations improves your game.
9. Assist – is given to a teammate to help him score easily. Thus is it important to find an open man on the court.
10. Foul – is often an accidental contact made by the defender to his opponent or an aggressive move by the ball-handler towards his defender. However, a foul is also used as a strategy to stop the clock or to keep the shooting player from scoring easily. Learning how to use your fouls well is important in the game.

*Seven Areas In Improving Your Basketball Game

Becoming a better basketball player doesn't happen over night. It involves serious work, discipline, dedication, and the love of the game to become the player you want to be. So to help you out on your way to become a better basketball player in the future, here are 7 areas you need to improve:
Speed And Agility –
There are many exercises you can do to improve your speed and agility. One of the most effective is the "suicide". Start at the base line and sprint towards the free throw line, touch the floor and go back. Sprint and touch the mid-court line and back. Sprint and touch to the farthest free throw line and back. Sprint and touch the opposite base line and back. Do this several times and will definitely improve your speed. You can also use other sprint training techniques.
Jumping –
Improving the strength and power of your legs will improve your vertical jump. Do squats, step ups, and lunges. Jumping and hopping drills are effective as well.
Strength –
Weight lifting is an effective tool to become strong and increase muscle mass. If you play the position of forward and center, you definitely need to improve in this area.
Stamina –
Stamina training such as road running is effective to build up the heart to go to distance during the game.
Dribbling –
This skill can be improved by using different dribbling techniques and drills. There are 3 dibbling techniques: natural dribble or relaxed dribble, control dribble or dribbling low to maintain possession under a defensive pressure, and speed dribble or dribbling at a maximum speed. Different drills include up the ladder, squeeze the banana, ball slap, rhythm drill, drop step, pass and catch, hot potato, sit dribbling, spider, dribble 8, figure 8, one leg, ball drop, and around the world. These drills aren't only applicable to ball-handlers. They apply to all positions to increase ball handling capability.
Shooting –
Improving your shooting skills involves correct jump, body form and power. This can be improved by constant practice. Shooting the ball for several times using one form increases the chances of making the shot. Bottom line is, if you want to improve your shooting you should practice, practice, and practice some more.
Defense –
Improving your defense is as important as improving your shooting and dribbling ability. There are different ways to do this: cone drills, stadium stairs, defensive slides, and jumping rope.