Basketball 101: Become a Bold and Blissful 'Baller'
By Ronit Sahijawani
Whether you’re a sports fanatic, e-gamer, or even an academic prospect, basketball is open to everyone. The only requirement to play sports, competitively or leisurely, is a positive attitude. Amongst a plethora of ball-based sports, Basketball stands out the most. Full sized outdoor courts can be found in numerous residential buildings, across Hong Kong; meaning, all you need is a ball. But what size, and type of ball?
Depending on your age / gender, there are a range of options suitable for you; refer to the list below:
Size 7: Ideally for men or boys, that are coming of age or in adulthood.
Size 6: Used amongst all female competitive basketball players, also suitable for young teens.
Size 5: Perfect size for slightly younger, primary school students that are new to basketball
Size 4: Optimal for mid-childhood kids, aged 5-8.
Although most of us would fetch the ball, and start exploring new dribbling techniques, it’s important to understand the rules and guidelines of the game. Let’s divide these into three sectors, including dribbling rules, match rules, and scoring rules. Since you won’t be playing a competitive game anytime soon, you don’t need to worry about defending/attacking violations, or time constraints; so let’s get into it.
When dribbling, you should aim towards bouncing the ball quickly and powerfully, to ensure the opposition cannot steal it off the dribble. However, once you stop dribbling, and hold the ball with two hands, you must release the ball by making a pass or taking a shot; if you do not follow this, you will be charged with a ‘double dribble’ violation. On the note of these minor infractions, once you have picked up the ball, you are allowed to pivit, but you cannot take 3 or more steps before releasing the ball; otherwise, it will count as a ‘travel’ foul. As you get more comfortable on the ball, make sure to look out for the ‘carry’ rule - It occurs when the dribbling player continues to dribble after allowing the ball to come to rest in one or both hands and/or places their hand underneath the basketball.
Apart from the basic dribbling rules, the scoring for basketball works in the following manner. Free throws, which are rewarded for fouling the attacker near the basket, will count for 1 point. Any basic basket counts as 2 points. Any basket that is shot from behind the large arc, accounts for 3 points. Although there are a variety of guidelines for competitive basketball, they will not be mentioned in this article. If you are interested in gaining an extensive understand about basketball, scroll to the bottom of this ‘Ducksters’ article for additional resources.
If you are a beginner, look to sharpen your hand-eye coordination, and ball control through repeating simple dribbling drills, such as the crossover. Though your passing and defending will come along, consider enhancing the power and accuracy of your shooting. Drills such as one-arm shooting or line shooting will definitely benefit your shooting.
All in all, Basketball is a great hobby to pick up as it offers room to improve your physical abilities and attributes as well as you cognitive and emotional thinking skills, all while having a good time with others.