Basketball is a popular outdoor game in several countries across the world and many learn to play basketball even from a very young age. Many people are also fond of watching basketball matches played during tournaments. Knowing how to play basketball and understanding the rules of the games will certainly make watching the game a lot more enjoyable.

Positions in basketball game:

There are five principal positions in the game - Point Guard, Shooting Guard, Small Forward, Power Forward and Center.

The Point Guard is the lead player and his task is to direct and coordinate the offense. The position is generally offered to the best passer and dribbler in the team. The Shooting Guard position is similar in responsibilities to the Point Guard but this player usually never takes the ball up the court. This position is offered to the player who is ace shooter in the team.

The Small Forward position mostly goes to the player of the team who is an adept both at ball handling and shooting. The Power Forward position is allotted to a senior player who has sound rebounding and defense skills and aware of all the nuances of the game.

The Center position obviously plays a crucial role in both offense and defense tactics. It will be advantageous for the team to have the tallest player hold this position. He has the responsibility for rebounding, blocking shots, and deftly confronting the Center of the opposite team.

Common Shooting Techniques:

Needless to say, shooting is the most crucial component for the success of a basketball team. No team can expect to win the game unless it possesses excellent shooting skills. There are several different types of shooting techniques and they include – the lay-up, jump shot and free throw.

Lay-up is the most common shot in basketball and is performed when the player is very close to or right beneath the basket. At times, a skillful player will also dribble his way forward to the basket. Once in position, the player uses just one arm to lay the ball into the basket. The player may also target the square on the backboard prior to sinking it into the hoop.

The jump shot is also a familiar shot in basketball and this shot can be attempted from anywhere on the court. Players will usually take the ball forward using both hands adopting the handling technique they are most comfortable with. Once they get to a strategically convenient position in the court, they will shoot.

The free throw is a shot awarded to a player when the opposite player is fouled. It is performed using the same technique as the jump shot, except the player does not jump. If a player is shooting while being fouled, then he gets two free throws and he gets only one free throw if his shot goes in.

Different Fouls:

Generally speaking, there are three different types of fouls in basketball and they include the personal foul, technical foul and flagrant foul. The personal foul can be either offensive or defensive. Hand-checking, illegal screens, and over the back constitute personal fouls.

A technical foul is infrequent but is deemed a more serious offense. This type of foul is not confined to the active players alone. This type of foul can be held against reserve players on the bench as well as coaches. If a coach or player indulges in verbal abuse, a technical foul is said to occur. Other technical fouls include delay of game, defensive three seconds, hanging on the rim, coach box violations, and having fewer than five players when the game is in progress.

A flagrant foul is the worst form of foul and is called when a player does something reckless or fights with or harms another player – and at all these times, the referee can call a flagrant foul.

Other violations:

Apart from the standard fouls, there are also several other types of violations and they include - a player while dribbling the ball walks with the ball or takes quite a few steps without dribbling; a player handling the ball goes over the mid-court, then back court violation occurs; a player handling the ball stops dribbling, gives a break and then starts dribbling again; a player uses both hands to dribble.

When a player tries to interfere with the ball when it is coming through the basket or is on the rim, then it is deemed as goal tending. When the player in-bounding the ball takes longer than five seconds to pass the ball to his teammate, a five-second inbound violation is supposed to have been committed. Likewise, a three-second violation is said to occur when a player on offense remains in the paint for more than three seconds.